Apple has revealed that the company will host its WWDC 2024 conference on June 10. And like every year, we know what to expect: Software, software, software (and maybe one more thing). Yes, the company will unveil iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15. But since it’s a few months away and Apple isn’t spilling the beans on what will come with these updates, we did some sleuthing to get every crumb of information we can muster.
So without further ado, here’s every rumor we know about macOS 15 so far, including details on its release date, new features, possible name, and more.
macOS 15 likely release date
Release dates are not much of a mystery when it comes to Apple, and in the case of its operating systems like macOS, you don’t need Sherlock to solve it. Every macOS update has launched in the fall since OS X Mavericks in 2013. From then up until macOS Sonoma, which is the current OS, every update has launched between September and November. That pretty definitively sets a window for the release of macOS 15, but we can’t narrow it down further than that just yet.
macOS 15 possible name
We likely won’t learn what macOS 15’s official name is until it’s revealed on June 10 at WWDC, but it is being internally referred to by the codename “Glow.” However, these codenames don’t track with the official name. Internally macOS Sonoma was referred to as Sunburst, which doesn’t have much to do with a city in California. Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura were the previous nine official macOS names, so we know it’ll be named after a location in California, but that’s about it.
Back in 2023, Parker Ortolani of Vox Media tweeted a collection of place names in California that Apple has trademarked but hasn’t used yet. Here’s the full list:
Diablo
Condor
Tiburon
Farallon
Miramar
Rincon
Pacific
Redwood
Shasta
Grizzly
Skyline
Redtail
Sequoia
Mammoth
Skyline would be a fun choice for this year with the rumored AI additions, really get the Terminator fans stirred up with concerns about Skynet, but I don’t know if Apple’s that playful.
macOS 15 likely supported devices
Last year macOS Sonoma dropped support for 2017 Mac products without a Retina display and any 12-inch MacBook. Unless the company pulls a surprise out on us, we’re expecting a drop in support for any products launched in the year after. So if you’re sporting a 2018 Mac, you’ll likely be stuck with macOS Sonoma. Here’s our predicted list of supported devices:
MacBook Air (2019 or newer)
MacBook Pro (2019 or newer)
iMac (2019 or newer)
iMac Pro (all models)
Mac mini (2020 or newer)
Mac Pro (2019 or newer)
Mac Studio (all models)
macOS 15 rumored features
Apple hasn’t announced any macOS 15 features officially yet, so all we have to go on are leaks and rumors. Keep in mind, that any of these might not be true, and even if they are in development, last-minute changes happen. Nothing is above being canceled under certain circumstances, so without further ado, let’s jump into the rumored features.
MacRumors reported that Apple is working on new accessibility features according to their industry sources. One of these features lets a user map a custom phrase to a specific accessibility setting. If it’s set properly, saying the phrase will activate a trigger, potentially turning on VoiceOver, Voice Control, Zoom, and more.
Custom font sizing will also come to more apps, including Books, Weather, News, Stocks, and Tips. Until now, the feature was only available for Calendar, Finder, Messages, Notes, and Mail. This might also come to the macOS menu bar, but MacRumors’ source claims its inclusion is still up in the air.
Live Speech is rumored to receive a “categories” section, allowing users to organize phrases through named categories with around 20 icons. It’s hard to say exactly what this will look like in practice, but it will be cool to see.
MacRumors continues to report that Freeform, which is essentially a collaborative whiteboard app, might also get an update called “Freeform Scenes.” These can be named and edited, allowing for individual sections of the whiteboard, which can be used with other users with compatibility through iCloud, even if you go to other sections of the board. This will also include a new UI that allows for easier navigation between each Scene, alongside keyboard shortcuts to Save (Shift + Command + S), Next Scene (Option + Command + ]), and Previous Scene (Option + Command + [).
macOS 15 features we’d like to see
With every new feature Apple adds to macOS, the laundry list of desired features simultaneously shrinks and grows. Last year macOS Sonoma finally introduced widgets, allowing users to place important feature blocks directly on the desktop. But now, users desperately want the ability to stack them atop one another, allowing them to sift through without having too much clutter at one time.
Beyond that, we’d love to see more consistency between apps on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It once made sense why certain devices had dedicated apps, as something like a MacBook traditionally wouldn’t be used to track your health when you’re on the move.
But now that the company has thinned the line between devices, allowing connections between a MacBook, iPhone, and iPad, it would make sense if the same apps available on one were also on another. There is no Health, Fitness, or Translate app on macOS and that should change. It’s also strange that iOS notifications aren’t visible on macOS.
And while this isn’t something I’d like to see as much as it is something Apple will likely go all-in on, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company introduced a new AI-powered application. Many companies are investing in this technology one way or another, with a Bloomberg rumor from Mark Gurman suggesting that the company will unveil its strategy on June 10 at WWDC. This isn’t a surprise whatsoever, and it wouldn’t shock us to see it integrated into macOS 15.
