Apple WWDC 2021 date announced – here's when you'll see iOS 15

tim cook
(Image credit: Apple)

The Apple WWDC 2021 dates have officially been announced, with the big keynote taking place on Monday, June 7, according to Apple's official announcement.

Apple's developer-focused conference will happen in an online-only format for the second year in a row due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This means that while developers from around the world won't be able to attend in person, everyone will be able to tune into the announcement-packed WWDC 2021 live stream starting June 7 (it's usually at 10am PDT). Developer sessions will run from June 7 to June 11.

TechRadar will of course point you to that Apple live stream as well as run a live blog of everything Tim Cook and company say on June 7.

iOS 15 and macOS 12 expected to headline

The iOS 15 update was among the announcements teased today. Okay, Apple didn't name the software upgrade in its press release, but the company did say "WWDC21 will offer unique insight into the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS."

The expected iOS 15 and macOS 12 preview at WWDC 2021 will be our first glimpse at where Apple is taking its iPhone and macOS operating systems. As always, you should expected leaks about both to happen right before the WWDC dates.

You won't go home empty handed. We should get release dates for the iOS 15 beta – both the developer beta and public beta. The developer beta is usually available by the end of the Apple keynote, while the public beta often launches in late June, allowing everyone to go hands-on with Apple's incoming software.

We also expect to hear about more minor software updates such as iPadOS 15 and watchOS 8 as well.

Overdue Apple WWDC hardware announcements

No, you won't see iPhone 13 at WWDC 2021. Apple's developer conference is set up to be more of a software showcase. However, in years past, we've seen the Cupertino company unveil brand new iPads, MacBooks and even the HomePod.

We haven't had an Apple event in 2021, which has raised eyebrows. We've been expecting an event dedicated to iPad Pro 2021, Apple AirTags and the all-new iMac and AirPods 3. We're still unsure what that means for a 'Spring' Apple event that's rumored to take place in April.

If there's going to be a 'One more thing' announcement from Cook, it could be a very early tease of Apple's VR headset that's rumored to be in development. The Apple CEO loves to talk augmented reality (AR) at every conference, and beta hardware like this is ideally suited for the developer audience that tunes into WWDC.

Matt Swider