Apple confirms WWDC 2026 – and brings advertising to Apple Maps

Apple has announced in a press release that this year's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 8 to 12, 2026. While the developer conference is mainly planned as an online event, there will be a press conference at the opening on June 8, as in previous years, which will be broadcast live from Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

Apple promises AI advances and exciting new software. Traditionally, Apple uses WWDC to present major operating system updates for the iPhone, including the iPhone 17 ($792 on Amazon), iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, so on June 8, Apple is likely to show what new features iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 and watchOS 27 have in store before the updates are expected to be released in September or October. If you don't want to wait that long, you can usually try out a beta version of the new operating systems shortly after WWDC.

At least one new feature is likely to be less popular. As Bloomberg has learned, the iPhone manufacturer is planning to display advertising in Apple Maps in the future. Similar to Google Maps, companies that pay money are to be displayed first in searches, with the top placement for popular search terms such as "restaurant" or "sushi" being auctioned off to the highest bidder in each region. Apple is expected to earn a total of $8.5 billion from advertising in 2026. According to Bloomberg's sources, the advertising placements in Apple Maps will be officially announced before the end of March, before they are displayed in Apple Maps from the summer.