Apple WWDC 2018 highlights: iOS 12, watchOS 5, macOS Mojave announced

Here are the highlights from Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC 2018.

Apple kicked off its annual WWDC today with key announcements for its software platform. (REUTERS)

Apple's annual developer conference Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2018 kicked off today. Apple began the event with the keynote addressed by company CEO Tim Cook. At WWDC 2018, Apple announced new updates and upgrades to its different OS platforms.

Apple announced iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads which comes with AR-focused features. iOS 12 gets ARKit 2 which introduces a multi-player mode for AR games. Apple has also improved performance on iOS 12 for newer and older devices. Photo app on iOS 12 gets new features like a 'For You' tab and sharing suggestions.

Apple also announced watchOS 5 for the Apple Watch which comes with improved notifications, Podcast application, and new features for fitness enthusiasts. Apple's digital assistant, Siri gets new features called 'Shortcuts' and 'Suggestions'. You can now create shortcuts for different apps on Siri with iOS 12. Siri on iOS 12 will also suggest actions based on your daily usage.

Apple TV will get new content along with 4K HDR support. The new Apple TV 4K also comes with Dolby Atmos support, and Dolby Vision. For Mac devices, Apple announced its new macOS 'Mojave' which comes with features like 'Dark Mode' and 'Desktop Stacks'. Apple has also introduced iOS apps like 'News' and 'Stocks' for macOS Mojave.

Here are the highlights from Apple's WWDC 2018 Conference.

Apple's WWDC 2018 is scheduled to start at 10.30PM IST. Here are the live updates.

12:41am: macOS Mojave developer beta will be available starting today.

12:39am: Apple will allow developers to create and update apps with iOS features. This will be available later in 2019.

12:36am: Apple says that it is not merging macOS and iOS.

12:35am: Apple introduces 'Create ML' tool for people to learn and create machine learning products.

12:30am: Apple updates the 'App Store' for macOS with a redesign and dedicated tabs. Apple will also bring Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Lightroom CC to App Store later this year.

12:25am: macOS Mojave makes it difficult for data companies to track you by making your fingerprint more secure and safe. This feature will be available for iOS users as well.

12:21am: macOS Mojave also gets the 'Home' tab.

12:20am: macOS Mojave gets 'News', 'Stocks' app and 'Voice Memos' with the same features available on iOS.

12:18am: macOS Mojave gets screen recording as a shortcut to its screenshot tab.

12:12am: Apple announces 'Desktop Stacks' for macOS Mojave which arranges all scattered content on the desktop into stacks by content, and tags.

12:10am: Apple introduces 'Dark Mode' for macOS Mojave.

11:58pm: Apple TV 4K also supports Dolby Vision. Users will get free upgrades to 4K HDR content.

11:57pm: Apple TV 4K comes with Dolby Atmos support.

11:56pm: Apple TV gets a facelift. The platform gets new content and 4K HDR support.

11:54pm: Apple announces new Pride-themed Apple Watch wrist bands. These bands are available from today in the US.

11:53pm: Apple's new watchOS comes with new customisation features.

watchOS gets more intuitive (Apple)

watchOS gets more intuitive (Apple)

11:50pm: Apple watchOS 5 will deliver improved notifications.

11:47pm: watchOS 5 will also come with Apple's popular Podcast application.

11:45pm: watchOS 5 has improved notifications. Users no longer need to say Hey Siri to activate the voice assistant on Apple Watch.

11:44pm: Apple's Siri watch face supports third-party applications.

11:42pm: watchOS 5 comes with a new Walkie -Talkie application to send real-time voice messages. Users can add their frequent contacts to Walkie-Talkie application.

11:41pm: watchOS 5 uses the new eSIM cellular connectivity in the newer Apple Watch.

11:40pm: watchOS 5 comes with a set of new features for fitness enthusiasts. New features include improved Activity Tracker.

11:38pm: watchOS 5 will allow users to compete with friends, share progress updates and where you stand in the competition.

11:36pm: Apple introduces watchOS 5 for Apple Watch users.

11:14pm: Apple Watch is number one in customer satisfaction, says Tim Cook. Apple Watch grew 60% in 2017.

11:33pm: All of these new features and improvements to Photos, FaceTime, iMessage and Siri will arrive with iOS 12.

11:32pm: Animojis come to FaceTime.

11:29pm: FaceTime now supports group video calling. Users can add up to 30 users to group video calling. FaceTime is also now integrated with iMessage.

11:26pm: iMessage gets new filters and new features. READ: Apple announces iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads

11:24pm: iMessage gets new Animojis.

Apple launches Memojis (Apple)

Apple launches Memojis (Apple)

11:22pm: Apple launches a "tounge detection" for its Animojis. Ghost, T. Rex joins new Animojis. Apple launches Memojis which allows users to create you to your own 3D emoji avatar.

11:21pm: Apple gives more control to parents who can now authorise which apps or website their kids should access.

11:18pm: Screen time is a new dashboard that gives a weekly summary on how users use the iPhone or iPad. The dashboard gives a summary on time spent on different applications. Apple has also a new time limit feature.

11:17pm: Siri to now suggest users to disable notifications for applications they don't use frequently. Also, Apple has finally added group notifications.

11:16pm: Apple announces Do Not Disturb during bedtime feature. This prevents notifications appearing on the screen. DND now also allows users to set a time limit on the time the want to stay away from the notifications.

11:15pm: Fear of missing out is growing among users - Apple is now shifting its focus on digital wellbeing, similar to Google's.

11:14pm: With iOS 12, Apple's CarPlay will also support third-party navigation applications.

11:13pm: iBooks has now been rebranded to Apple Books.

11:13pm: Voice memos also get minor upgrade. The app now syncs with iCloud and will be soon available to Apple iPad users.

11:12pm: Stocks now comes to iPads. The new section will arrive with iOS 12 update.

11:10pm: Apple announces improvements to Apple News. The application now comes with improved UI making it easier for users to access news from their favourite publishers. Stocks section has also improved. Apple News adds Stocks.

11:09pm: Siri shortcuts can implement multiple commands.

11:05pm: Apple launches a new Siri Shortcut application. Users can add multiple reminders for different tasks.

11:03pm: Apple announces major improvements to Siri voice assistant. Now, apps can add a Siri shortcut.

11:02pm: Photos now uses on-device machine learning. The sharing happens over iMessage.

10:59pm: Apple shifts its focus to Photos. With iOS 12, Photos will give you predictive search results. There will be more categories. Users can narrow down their searches to keywords like surfing, vacation and more. There is a new tab called For You, a new section highlighting photos taken same day last year. It also has a new suggestion feature wherein Photos will recommend users to share photos with people who may be in the image.

10:58pm: The new AR-enabled Legos are quite interactive as well.

10:55pm: Lego to also use Apples' ARKit platform for its services and products.

AR-based Legos (Apple)

AR-based Legos (Apple)

10:52pm: USDZ file format will be available for publishers and content creators. Apple suggests the file format can also be used for e-commerce.

10:50pm: Apple introduces a new application called Measure. The new AR application can accurately measure space around. The application is quite similar to Google's AR-based Project Tango.

10:48pm: Adobe is one of the first companies to embrace USDZ AR file format. The new technology has also been integrated with Adobe's Creative Cloud solution for designers and editors.

10:46pm: Apple has tied up with Pixar to launch a new file format for Augmented Reality content. The new file format is called Universal Scene Description Optimised (USDZ).

10:46pm: As expected, Augmented Reality gets a special mention. iOS 12 to get deeper AI integration.

10:45pm: Apple says app load is now much faster. Almost twice.

(Apple)

(Apple)

10:43pm: Apple's iOS 12 to focus on improving performance. iOS 12 will be available to same devices as on iOS 11. This means iOS 12 will be compatible with iPhone models as old as iPhone 5S.

10:43pm: Apple takes a dig at Android's fragmentation issue, says iOS has the fastest adoption rate.

10:42pm: Half of customers upgraded to iOS 11 in 7 weeks.

10:41pm: Apple iOS 12 officially announced.

10:40pm: Tim Cook says WWDC 2018 is all about software.

10:39pm: "Customer at the center of everything we do" Tim Cook on Apple's new approach to improve experience for its users.

10:38pm: Apple's WWDC 2018 begins with focus on developers. Tim Cook highlights Apple's Swift coding programme for developers. Swift is the fastest growing programming language, says Cook.

10:36pm: App Store turns 10 next month. Apple's App Store has changed "our lives", says Tim Cook. More than 500 million visitors per week to App Store, which Apple describes as the world's largest app marketplace.

10:36pm: Apple has 20 million developers around the world, announces Tim Cook.

10:35pm: Apple WWDC 2018 begins. Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage.

10:28pm: The event will start shortly. Apple is running an AV for the audience. The video highlights Apple's growing application ecosystem.

Apple's app ecosystem (Apple)

Apple's app ecosystem (Apple)

10:17pm: Apple CEO Tim Cook is going to deliver the opening keynote at the WWDC 2018. Ahead of the conference, Cook announced the WWDC 2018 student scholarship winners.

Nothing inspires us more than fresh ideas. Meet a few of the 350+ talented #WWDC18 student scholarship winners! pic.twitter.com/XHRQdgCugE

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 4, 2018

10:13pm: Similar to Google's Digital Wellbeing initiative, Apple is expected to launch a set of new tools that will help users control the time spent on mobile applications. The company recently launched a new section on its website called "Families."  The section is aimed giving parents control over their children's screen addiction.