iOS 10, macOS, watchOS 3 and more announcements from Apple's WWDC

Another year, another story. Apple’s WWDC this year was filled with updates for practically all the operating systems which include iOS, Mac, Watch and Tv. But, apart from the regular updates, Apple introduced new methods via which it would be simpler to use Apple devices.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest announcements made this year, by Apple.

1. iOS 10

The new iOS 10, which is termed as ‘biggest release yet’ brought in a refreshed look with a slew of new features. iOS 10 brings updates to Messages, Home app, Photos, Music and News and opens Siri, Maps, Phone and Messages to developers.

The Messages app is now touted to be more expressive and fun with animated and personalised ways to message friends and family. It includes powerful animations, such as balloons, confetti or fireworks that can take over an entire screen to celebrate a special occasion as well.

Now, users can try out an invisible ink to send a message, which will only be revealed after a friend swipes over it, and for added personalisation, handwritten notes. Tapback will now create a quick and simple way to respond with a tap and rich links lets you see content inline and play media without leaving the conversation.

iOS 10 brings the App Store to Messages, opening up for developers to create new ways for users to communicate in a thread, including stickers to be peeled and pasted into conversations, the ability to quickly personalise GIFs or edit photos, send payments or schedule dinner or a movie respectively. Photos now has locally-processed facial recognition to help organize your pictures in your storage.

Siri brings new QuickType features as well, including contextual predictions to surface relevant information based on location, calendar availability or contacts; and predictive typing supports multiple languages without switching keyboards too. The Phone app adds integration for third-party VoIP calls, voicemail transcription and a new caller ID extension for spam alerts.

Developer previews for all four OS updates are available right now with public betas in July. The final updates will be available later this year.

2. macOS

OS X has now been renamed macOS, and this iteration will be called Sierra. The biggest highlight would be the fact that Sierra will also bring Siri to the desktop. Users will be able to try out voice commands to find any data on the desktop such as files, messages and more.

It also offers an integration with iCloud, which makes everything from the desktop and documents folder available on the iPhone and iPad. Additionally, “Universal Clipboard” allows users to copy content, including text, images, photos and video from one Apple device and paste it in another. In an all new turn of events, Apple Pay comes to the Mac in Sierra.

macOS Sierra takes the Tabs feature from Safari and makes it available across Mac apps that support multiple windows, including Maps, Mail, Pages, Numbers, Keynote and TextEdit, and even third-party apps. With Tabs, users can now browse multiple locations in Maps, copy and paste between pages documents in full screen, or jump between multiple email drafts in Mail too.

macOS Sierra now lets users float videos from Safari or iTunes in a window over your desktop as you work, and even resize, drag and pin video to any corner of the screen.

The developer preview of macOS Sierra is available to Apple Developer Program is now available, while the final version will be available for free from the Mac App Store later this year.

3. watchOS 3

The new update, watchOS 3 brings in tons of new abilities and is said to be seven times faster than the previous OS. Applep introduced a new feature called scribble allows users to write words on the display and Apple Watch will convert the handwriting to text.

On the Watch, one can press the side button and access the new Dock, with their recent and favourite apps. Right from the Dock or the watch face, users can launch their native and third-party apps and have the information in the app updated and ready for viewing. Similar to iOS, users can also swipe up from the watch face for the improved Control Center and can continue to swipe down for Notification Center and swipe left or right to switch out a watch face.

With watchOS 3, it is now possible to share, compare and compete with friends, family as users can now receive notifications about their friends’ progress, including completed Activity rings, finished workouts and earned achievements.

In watchOS 3, the Activity app experience is now optimised for wheelchair users as well. Wheelchair pushes for users to contribute to all-day calorie goals, the “time to stand” reminder is now “time to roll” and there are dedicated wheelchair-specific workouts.

Apple introduced a new Breathe app which encourages users to take moments in their day to do short deep breathing sessions. It guides users through deep, full breaths in sessions lasting one to five minutes and on completion, they will receive a heart rate summary.

Lastly, SOS in watchOS 3 enables users in critical situations around the world to initiate a call with emergency services through their iPhone or while on Wi-Fi, and notify their emergency contact by pressing and holding the side button respectively.

watchOS 3 will be available later this year as a free update to Apple Watch. However, Apple Watch requires iPhone 5 or later running iOS 8.2 or later.

4. Apple Music redesigned

Apple Music now has an all-new design, and claims to offer clarity and simplicity to every aspect of the experience. The Library, For You, Browse and Radio tabs have been redesigned and a Search tab has been added to make finding music a bit easier. One will also find curated playlists and new sections to help users find new music as well. Users can also read song lyrics now.

5. Maps redesigned

Maps in iOS 10 is now open to developers with new extensions. Apps including OpenTable can integrate bookings into Maps, and services like Uber can make it easier for users to book a ride, without leaving the Maps app. Apple claims that Maps is even smarter with new intelligence that proactively delivers directions to where users most likely want to go next, based on your routine or appointments on your calendar. Once a route is planned, Maps can search along the route for gas stations, restaurants, coffee shops and more and provides an estimate of how the stop impacts the length of your trip.

6. Siri is now open to developers

With iOS 10, Apple introduced SiriKit, which helps developers design their apps to work with Siri for messaging, phone calls, photo search, ride booking, personal payments and workouts. Siri can also be used to control CarPlay apps, access climate controls or adjust radio settings within automakers’ apps as well.

The announcement at Apple's annual developer conference in San Francisco marks a new approach for Apple, which has largely kept its services self-contained on the iOS mobile operating system. The new feature will debut on the iOS 10 operating system expected later this year.

7. tvOS

Apple’s tvOS now boasts over 1,300 video channels and over 6,000 apps. The new update brings about a new Sign-In mode that helps users log onto all their network apps all at once. There’s also a new remote app for iPhone. Users can use Siri to make genre-based searches on Apple TV, and even search YouTube.

8. Apple Pay is coming to the Web

Apple Pay can now be used to make secure and private purchases on websites using Safari, in addition to paying in-stores and within apps. Users can authenticate a purchase through Touch ID, similar to the Apple Watch. The company announced that Apple Pay will soon enter Switzerland, France, and Hong Kong.

9. News app updated

Apple’s News app saw an update too. It offered a resigned interface and added the ability to subscribe to certain channels and now offers lock screen notifications. It is said to have 2,000 publications and over 60 million monthly readers. A new section called Featured Stories includes articles which have been specially picked by the editor.

10. HomeKit

Apple introduced a new Home app that will help organise your connected home setup, and offers support for new categories of gadgets as well, including thermostats, security cameras, smoke detectors and more. It also integrates itself into Control Center. Users need to swipe up and then over to access a dedicated smart-home section.