Major updates incoming for Safari, Health, Maps and iMessage at WWDC 2021

Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference 2021 is only a handful of days away now and the trickle of rumors continues to flow in the lead up. Not a lot is yet known about the changes Apple will bring to its operating systems, including iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12 and watchOS 8. However, we do know that new hardware is likely and now new information from the Wall Street Journal is pointing to major upgrades for certain apps.

Chief among the apps to gain significant new functionality are the Safari browser, the Health app, Maps and iMessage. The latter has been getting significant teasers throughout Apple’s pre-event media hype with lots of iMessage-related imagery. According to the rumor mill, Apple is expected to bring more social media-related upgrades among the changes. Safari is expected to gain additional privacy features, which isn’t particularly surprising given Apple’s renewed privacy push of late.

The Maps app may not necessarily gain a lot of additional functionality, but its current features including indoor mapping, public transport information and cycling routes could be expanded to other markets. The Health app is thought to be picking up food tracking capabilities to help user’s stay on top of their daily intake as well as monitor calorie burn. Still not a lot of detail about the changes to the operating systems themselves, but we only have to wait till June 7 for everything to be officially revealed.

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