At WWDC 2025, Apple Needs to Rebuild Developer Trust After AI Stumbles and App Store Challenges
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) generated significant buzz last year with the promise of groundbreaking AI capabilities. However, the subsequent execution has been underwhelming, leaving developers and consumers wanting more. As WWDC 2025 approaches, Apple faces the critical task of addressing these shortfalls and rebuilding trust within its developer community.
Over the past year, Apple’s AI struggles have become increasingly apparent. Delays in personalized intelligence initiatives and inconsistent rollout of new tools have hampered the company’s vision. The seamless integration of on-device AI, revamped Siri interactions, and powerful new developer tools, as showcased in 2024, has yet to fully materialize.
The staggered release of Apple Intelligence features has been marred by hiccups. The AI-powered Siri, once touted as a cornerstone of Apple’s AI strategy, has faced delays, undermining its value proposition as a context-aware assistant capable of understanding user behavior across apps. This has left developers unable to fully leverage the new Siri’s capabilities and users unable to rely on its promised in-app actions.
With WWDC 2025 on the horizon, expectations for consumer-facing Apple Intelligence features are tempered. Developers and analysts are primarily seeking incremental improvements, such as smoother AI integration into native apps and tools that empower developers to utilize Apple’s AI effectively. Hopes for significant advancements in Siri functionality remain low.
One promising area for Apple lies in enabling AI-assisted app development. The emergence of tools like Cursor, Replit, and Bolt.new has streamlined code generation, enabling developers, even those with limited technical expertise, to bring their ideas to life more rapidly. AI-powered apps have found the web to be an effective distribution platform. Apple must modernize its approach to empower developers and non-technical users alike.
Ideally, new AI tooling should empower more developers to create apps and list them on the App Store. That would enrich the iOS app ecosystem and open up new revenue opportunities for Apple, which is even more critical now that some of its App Store income is under threat.
While Apple has announced several initiatives, many have yet to come to fruition. Swift Assist, a coding assistant for Xcode, remains in limited release. Additionally, Apple is reportedly developing an Anthropic-powered AI coding tool and plans to open access to its own AI models for developers, aiming to lower the barrier to entry for iOS app development.
Recent legal challenges further complicate the landscape. A U.S. court rejected Apple’s appeal to pause a ruling that requires the company to remove restrictions on linking to outside payment methods for digital purchases in apps and bars Apple from charging fees for such payments. This ruling could incentivize developers to encourage customers to make purchases outside the App Store, potentially at discounted rates.
This ruling could also spur other regulators to put similar pressure on Apple and cull App Store fees for third-party payments. Earlier this week, Apple reported that it generated $1.3 trillion in billings and sales in 2024, with 90% of that value generation happening without paying Apple a commission. But even some percentage of the remaining $130 billion means many billions in revenue for the company.
In light of these challenges, Apple must reaffirm the value of its ecosystem. As WWDC 2025 approaches, the company needs to articulate a compelling vision for the future, demonstrating its commitment to delivering on AI for both end-users and the developers who are central to its success. In an era where AI is accelerating innovation across industries, Apple cannot afford to fall behind.
