It was Monday, 10 June, 19:00 and the start of what I consider to be the most fun Apple global annual event—WWDC! For several years, this has been the place for IT professionals to get their hands on the latest OS versions among other things and, as a Technical Apple Expert, this means getting to test out all the new and coolest features throughout the summer before they are officially launched.
These new features and functionalities will be made available to the public in autumn and as a business, it’s important to be ready, which is why I’d like to tell you more about WWDC 2024 in this blog.
WWDC 2024 highlights for IT admins
Alongside the keynote presenting the latest new features for end users (which I’m sure you’ve all seen by now), there were also several interesting sessions for IT admins over the course of the week, which may not have drawn quite the crowd as the keynote, but were great for techies like us! Here are the highlights:
Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager
It’s hard to image schools and businesses without these tools and this year, Apple has announced it is expanding the features offered by both by, for example,offering support for Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro!
The biggest changes though are related to Managed Apple Accounts (previously known as Managed Apple IDs). It is now possible to set it up so that all newly created Apple Accounts are managed and captured without having to connect to an IdP.
One feature that was frequently requested was the ability to transfer data from a personal Apple Account to a Managed Apple Account and this is now possible, but it must be done within 30 days. After this point, the data will remain in the personal account which is then renamed. Make sure to think about storage capacity and apps purchased!
Activation Lock
One thing that IT admins found incredibly frustrating is devices being lockedby end users turning on Activation Lock. You can get round this using MDM by generating a bypass code or contacting Apple with proof that your business actually owns the devices, but that eats up so much time. Thankfully, with a new feature that’s all in the past! It is now possible to disable Activation Lock from Apple Business and School Manager.
Device management
Safari Extensions
Safari Extensions allows you to customise web browsing and leverage additional apps and with the new operating systems, these can be managed via MDM.
Software updates
It is now possible to deploy software updates to the iPhone, iPad and Mac using declarative device management, which means an end to configuring profiles and software update commands. What’s more, it will also soon be possible* to enrol devices via MDM in beta programs, which is pretty handy!
Managed Device Attestation
Already using Managed Device Attestation? If so, there are now new hardware requirements:
- iPhone, iPad and Apple TVs with an A11 Bionic chip or newer
- Macs must have an Apple silicon processor.
macOS
There are some exciting updates coming for macOS including:
- Passkey and hardware security key support during enrolment
- Improvements to Kerberos and Platform SSO
- Access restrictions to external data
- New capabilities for systems running macOS 15 on a virtual machine.
iOS and iPadOS
There are also some improvements being rolled out for iOS and iPadOS including:
- The ability to apply configurations to invisible apps and those secured by Face ID/Touch ID or an access code via MDM
- In-house app installations that are not deployed through MDM require a device reboot to be trusted
- New capabilities to configure data networks and eSIMs
- Improvements to stolen device protection.
This is just a taster of the new updates that are coming over the next few months. Want to find out more? Get in touch! I’ll be happy to tell you more.
*Disclaimer: It’s possible that not all features will be available in Europe.
WWDC 2024 highlights for end users*
A number of cool new features for end users were also announced during the keynote. Here are my favourites:
macOS Sequoia
(Alongside Yosemite and El Capitan etc., it’s another name of a place I’ve visited!)
- Phone mirroring
- Passwords app – No more third-party password mangers!
- Topographic maps and hiking trails in Maps
- Smart notes features include integrated calculator capabilities
- Overhauled Photos apps – Collections automatically groups your shots by theme
- Home app – With robot vacuum cleaners!
iOS & iPadOS 18
- Redesigned home screen – Put your apps wherever you want them!
- Passwords app – No more third-party password mangers!
- Secure apps with Face ID or Touch ID
- Clearer Control Centre
- Overhauled Photos apps – Collections automatically groups your shots by theme
- Sort and group e-mails automatically!
- Say goodbye to motion sickness
- Automatically open doors with your iPhone or Apple Watch.
watchOS 11, tvOS17 & visionOS 2.0
Watch:
- More in-depth health-related features
- New watch faces
- Automatic widgets.
tvOS:
- Redesigned Control Centre
- FaceTime with Continuity Camera
- New screen savers
- Find my remote
visionOS 2.0
It’s not available in the Netherlands yet, but we hopefully won’t have too long to wait. It was, however, launched at the end of June in France, Germany, the UK and a handful of other countries.
As every year, there was a “wow” moment.
I’ve already seen the possibilities offered by apps like ChatGPT, Dall-E and Copilot, but Apple has built AI functionality into its operating system so you get it free as standard!
It’s called Apple Intelligence. My words cannot do it justice, so take a look at this video instead.
* Not all the features and functionalities mentioned are currently available (in the Netherlands).
Luc Janssen
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Can’t wait to try out these features and functionalities either? Need help to make sure everything is properly tested and ready for your employees to use? Just get in touch! I’ll be happy to help you create a plan to test the new software and share feedback with Apple!
Luc Janssen