Apple will offer more ways for people to limit the time they spend on iPhones while introducing features designed to make its products even more indispensable.

The paradox emerged Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference as company executives previewed new versions of free software due out this fall.

The forthcoming controls are aimed at addressing criticism that devices are becoming increasingly addictive and distracting.

Yet Apple made it clear it also hopes to make its devices and services even more alluring — and potentially irresistible — by creating new avenues for its digital assistant, Siri, to serve as a backup brain for users.

The company is also creating more entertainment options and new ways to communicate, including group video chats through FaceTime and more options for the iPhone X's animated emojis.

Apple's new controls will expand on the "Do Not Disturb" options on the iPhone and iPad. The display can also be set to dim automatically just before bedtime.

Other features will provide weekly reports on how much time people are spending looking at their screen each month. Users will be able to set daily time limits on specific apps.

Apple rolled out new support for augmented reality as it unveiled a new format for digital objects that appear to live in the real world.

A broader range of third-party apps will be able to let users invoke Siri for commonly used tasks, much the way competing assistants from Google and Amazon long have.

Apple Watch's software is getting a "Walkie Talkie" voice messaging feature that resembles the alternating one-way voice technology of the past. The watch will also automatically detect workouts without having to launch the fitness app.

Apple is trying to make Macs and iPhones work better together. The company showed off how photos taken on iPhones can instantly appear inside a Mac document.