Apple WWDC 2025 Highlights AI Delays and Developer Challenges

At the close of WWDC 2025, Apple took a lighthearted approach to celebrate its app developers by turning glowing App Store reviews into a song titled “6 out of 5 stars.” While this musical tribute was entertaining, it masked deeper tensions within Apple’s developer community that have been simmering for years.

Apple’s relationship with developers has been strained due to its aggressive defense against regulation and lawsuits targeting its App Store monopoly. Developers have faced high commission fees and limited alternatives for app distribution and payments, fueling frustration and legal battles, such as the recent Epic Games case that forced Apple to allow alternative payment links on the web.

On the technology front, Apple’s AI advancements fell short of expectations. The much-anticipated personalized, AI-powered Siri was delayed, with Apple acknowledging it needed more development time. While Apple introduced AI-powered features like translation in Apple Music and integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT for coding assistance in Xcode, these moves felt incremental compared to competitors like Google, which already offer more advanced AI capabilities in search and visual intelligence.

Apple also enhanced its Shortcuts app with AI features, but this was perceived as a temporary fix rather than a transformative upgrade. Notably absent was any announcement of partnerships with other AI providers like Google Gemini or Anthropic, which had been rumored to bring more robust AI coding tools to developers.

The keynote also conspicuously avoided addressing the ongoing controversy over App Store commissions. Despite the Epic Games ruling and developer calls for lower fees, Apple made no moves to reduce commissions or highlight improvements in payment processing or fraud prevention during the event. Instead, the focus remained on consumer-facing features, such as the launch of a standalone Games app emphasizing social and gaming experiences rather than developer benefits.

Apple’s subtle update to the App Review Guidelines, replacing “alternative app marketplace” with “alternative distribution,” underscored its stance that only the App Store qualifies as a true marketplace. Meanwhile, iOS 26’s default to open the App Store Search page hints at Apple encouraging developers to invest more in paid search ads for app discovery, signaling a revenue-first approach.

Design-wise, Apple unveiled its new Liquid Glass interface overhaul inspired by its Vision Pro VR headset. However, the company offered little guidance to developers on why or how to adapt their apps to this new aesthetic, missing an opportunity to connect this design evolution to future platforms like AR glasses.

In summary, WWDC 2025 was a mixed bag for developers. While Apple’s celebratory tone and incremental AI integrations offered some positives, the event largely sidestepped the critical issues developers face, including App Store economics, meaningful AI innovation, and clear support for evolving app design and distribution models. The musical tribute felt more like a performative gesture than a genuine acknowledgment of developers’ vital role in Apple’s ecosystem.