iOS 27 is Apple's big software update of the year, and it brings major changes to get excited about. From the new Siri AI, which is context-aware and more conversational, to the Describe a Shortcut feature and AI-powered editing tools in the Photos app, there is a lot to look forward to. So let us walk you through everything new in iOS 27, from new changes to eligible devices and the release date, in this roundup.
Everything New in iOS 27 Update
There is a lot to unpack with this update, especially all the new and improved Apple Intelligence features announced by Apple along with some other big changes.
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Siri AI and the Dedicated Siri App
iOS 27 introduces the new Siri AI, which is more conversational and context-aware and can provide deeper personalised recommendations based on your locally stored data, like photos, mail, messages, notes and more, which was originally promised in 2024 with the launch of the iPhone 16 series.
It also has a new interface appearing as a bubble surrounding the Dynamic Island, showing a "Search or Ask" field. Users can activate this feature with a new swipe-down gesture from the Dynamic Island.
iOS 27 also features a dedicated Siri app for the first time since its arrival on the iPhone 4S. It allows users to have back-and-forth conversations with Siri.
The app supports both text and voice modes and also understands the context of the screen thanks to Google Gemini integration in Siri.
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Adjust Siri's Pitch and Tone
To make the new Siri sound less like a monotonous AI assistant, Apple added a new menu to let users adjust the Pace and Expressivity in Siri's Voice. This makes Siri sound more natural than before. To customise Siri's voice, head to Settings > Siri > Voice to adjust its tone.
However, this option is only available on the iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and the iPhone Air for now.
The iOS 27 developer beta 4 expanded the list of voices to 7 if you selected the American English option. However, only 2 of them support the pace and expressivity customisations for now.
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Siri in the Camera App
Talking about Siri, it is also coming to the Camera app with a new Siri mode. Users can find Siri Mode alongside Photo, Video, Portrait, Time Lapse and other options. Users can click a picture of anything and get details about it in real-time, along with web results from Siri.
There's also a new Visual Intelligence option added within the Siri menu in the Settings app. It includes an option called "Highlight to Image Search".
It is turned off by default, but enabling it allows users to search for results similar to the subject, but the data will be shared with third parties.
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Siri in iOS Keyboard
Users will also find a new Write with Siri suggestion when opening the keyboard in Mail, Messages, Notes and other apps.
It also upgrades the existing Writing Tools with Siri, as it can now proofread, rewrite, and provide suggestions on your text.
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Changes in Liquid Glass on iOS
With the iOS 27 update, Apple is providing more control to adjust the intensity of the transparency effects in liquid glass. There's a new Liquid Glass slider that lets you keep the transparency or change back to a frosted look in older iOS versions, and it also applies to third-party apps.
New Features in the Photos App
The Photos app in iOS 27 gets an improved search to look up images in natural language. You can be as specific as you want to. Shared albums now also allow contributions from Windows and Android devices.
The Photos app gets a new Apple Intelligence tools section in iOS 27 with two new AI-powered features:
- Extend: Extend generates additional image content beyond the original frame, for example, filling in surrounding scenery or a close-up shot of a landmark.
- Reframe: Reframe is designed primarily for spatial photos and lets users shift perspective after a shot is taken.
- Improved Clean Up Tool: The existing Clean Up tool in iOS 27 has received a new High Quality option, offering cleaner and more accurate object removal by sending the image to cloud servers.
These iOS 27 features work with all images, whether they are shot from an iPhone or imported from other sources. They also support RAW-format images.
Edit Images in Natural Language
Another upcoming iOS 27 feature will allow users to edit images using natural language. So, you can say 'improve lighting and tone down the contrast', and it automatically applies these changes.
New Pro Res Log Format Support
With iOS 27 developer beta 4, Apple added support for Log 2, which is the latest format that retains more information in the video file.
Users can pick between 'Log' and 'Log 2' within the camera settings. However, this option is only available for Pro models.
Rating System in Photos App
iOS 27 developer beta 3 added a new rating system in the Photos app, allowing users to rate their images out of 5 stars, with the rating badge appearing on every photo.
It can be enabled from Settings > Apps > Photos > View options > Show Rating Controls. However, it is unclear what it is for right now.
Describe a Shortcut with Prompts
The Shortcuts app is also getting Apple Intelligence integration, as users can now describe shortcuts in natural language. Just dictate a prompt, and the app will use AI to generate a new shortcut, making it easy for many users to make and use their own custom automations.
In earlier betas, the Shortcuts app would open Describe a Shortcut by default. But with iOS 27 developer beta 3, users can pick to open the older Shortcuts editor instead from Settings > Apps > Shortcuts.
This has become one of my favourite iOS 27 features, as it makes creating shortcuts easy on my iPhone.
Intuitive Child Safety Features
iOS 27 is bringing child safety features to the next level, allowing parents to select a few essential apps and set up Ask to Buy so the kids don't make unwanted purchases. Kids will also need permission from parents to open websites with the new Ask to Browse feature.
Parents can also set time allowances or schedules, letting their kids use games or social media apps for a specific period only.
Apple is even letting parents change any regular account to a kid's account if required.
Real-time Context During a Call
The Phone app pulls relevant context related to a call and shows results in real time. For example, if you received a call from Amazon, it shows order details from the Messages or Mail app about your delivery.
Create a Pass in Apple Wallet
Another new iOS 27 feature is Create a Pass in Apple Wallet. It allows users to create a digital pass by scanning a QR code, ticket or gym membership card.
The feature includes customisation tools for styles, images, colours, and text fields. The second developer beta added the option to select individual colours and textures for each pass.
Smarter Bill Splitting
Apple is also introducing smarter bill-splitting tools in Apple Cash that generate payment requests after scanning a receipt.
This would let users split a restaurant bill directly from the Wallet app without needing a third-party service.
Apple Wallet Insights
With iOS 27 developer beta 2, Apple Wallet received a new insights feature that lets you look back on your spending habits. It will let users "connect accounts to Wallet to see spending insights, recurring transactions, account balances, and more". However, the feature is not fully implemented yet.
Safari Updates
Safari is getting automatic naming for Tab Groups based on content, which means your open tabs will be organised automatically by topic. Users should also see a new Safari start page, with four tabs covering favourites, bookmarks, a reading list, and browsing history.
Apple Health Upgrades
The Cycle Tracker feature in Apple Health can notify you about symptoms of perimenopause when you log your cycle patterns in the app on iOS 27.
Image Playground Redesign
Image Playground is getting a redesigned interface in iOS 27, with fewer controls and a new "describe a change" option for editing images that have already been generated. But the biggest change is that you can move objects inside the image anywhere you want without affecting the rest of the photo.
Image Playground on iOS 27 lets you add people from your photo library to create custom images. It also uses improved AI models to generate more realistic, lifelike images with resize options, including landscapes and wallpapers. This allows users to generate custom wallpapers for the device with Image Playground.
What's New in Screen Time
Apple has also made it easier to quickly check which apps you use the most in the Screen Time app on iOS 27. Now, your most-used apps will appear in a bottom shelf, letting you keep tabs on them at a glance.
Performance and Stability Improvements
iOS 26 had a lot of bugs upon its launch, and several users complained about issues long after the public release. Apple is fixing that with iOS 27, with up to 30% faster app loading speeds by preloading the data, 70% faster image loading in the Photos app and 50% faster file transfers in AirDrop.
Apple is also using an optimised CPU scheduler to improve performance on older iPhones like the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and the iPhone 13 series.
Custom EQ Support for AirPods
iOS 27 also adds support for custom EQ, as in equaliser tuning for AirPods. This has been a much-requested feature, allowing users to set their own sound tuning based on their listening preferences.
AirPods are also getting more control over the Listening modes. iOS 27 developer beta 3 added a new slider that lets users switch to more noise cancellation or more transparency.
In developer beta 4, Apple added the same sliders to the AirPods option in the Control Centre, making it easier to switch to the new listening modes.
AI-Enhanced Home App
The Home app also gets Apple Intelligence integrations, which now enable it to alert you about exactly what is happening on the video footage and provide you with a summary of the same if required. You can also comb through the different recorded footage in the Home app with natural language searches.
With the iOS 27 developer beta 2, Apple added the ability to update Apple TV from the Home app. The option is available in the Update section.
Note: To use the new Apple Intelligence features in the Home app, users will need to subscribe to the 2 GB iCloud Plus plan.
Reply to Individual RCS Messages
In developer beta 2, iOS 27 expanded RCS messaging support, allowing users to reply to a single message in the app, similar to iMessage. Users can press and hold a message in an RCS chat and see the Reply option at the top.
5G+ Support in India
iPhone users in India also get support for 5G+ connectivity with the iOS 27 developer beta 3 update, allowing for faster and more reliable internet speeds with carriers like Jio, Airtel and Vi.
iPhone Fold Support
The rumoured iPhone Fold Ultra will be one of the first devices to launch with iOS 27 out of the box. So, iOS 27 should also bring about several changes to support the bigger foldable display.
This could include multitasking features, like floating windows, split-screen apps, or an iPad-style home screen layout. It is also likely to support some iPadOS apps even though it is running on iOS.
iOS 27 Release Date: Developer Beta vs Public Release
If we follow the pattern from previous years, then Apple will release the iOS 27 update in three phases:
- Developer Beta Release Date: The iOS 27 developer beta 1 rolled out on June 9, 2026, followed by developer beta 2 on June 23, 2026, and the iOS 27 developer beta 3 arriving on July 7, 2026. The iOS 27 developer beta 4 arrived on July 21, 2026, with one last developer beta expected before launch.
- Public Beta Launch Date: The iOS 27 public beta 1 update arrived on 13th July 2026, while the public beta 2 launched on July 24th.
- Official Release Date: The iOS 27 update should be released to all eligible iPhones in September 2026, coinciding with the launch of the upcoming iPhone Ultra and iPhone 18 series.
iOS 27 Supported Devices
The iOS 27 update is coming to over 30 devices, ranging from the latest iPhone 17 and the iPhone Air models to the iPhone 11. Here is a complete list of iOS 27-eligible devices that will get the update.
- iPhone 17, 17e, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max
- iPhone Air
- iPhone 16 , 16 Plus, 16e, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
This means that Apple is dropping support for iPhone XS and older devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is iOS 27 out yet?
iOS 27 is currently available as a public beta, and users can also download the latest iOS 27 developer beta 4. The stable version for all eligible devices will roll out in September 2026 along with the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra (Fold).
Q. Will iOS 27 slow down my iPhone?
No. With iOS 27, Apple has introduced an optimised CPU scheduler along with performance improvements that make app launches up to 30% faster, and older iPhones like the iPhone 11, 12, and 13 series are specifically targeted for these performance improvements.
Q. What is the biggest new feature in iOS 27?
The most significant change is the new Siri AI, which is more conversational, understands the context of the conversation and is also aware of on-screen content. It can also fetch information from the Photos, Mail, Calendar and Notes apps for you. Users can also change its pace and expressivity. However, these customisations are limited to the iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max and the iPhone Air that have 12 GB of RAM.
Q. Can I install iOS 27 right now?
Yes. You can either install iOS 27 public beta 1 or download iOS 27 developer beta 4 to test out the latest features first. But you will require a developer account for that and an iOS 27-eligible iPhone. Keep in mind that beta software can be unstable and is not recommended as a daily driver.
That wraps up everything we have for iOS 27: eligible devices, features and release date. The update might not be as feature-packed, but it is still shaping up to be a big upgrade, and I am sure many Apple iPhone users like me are excited to receive it on our devices. So keep an eye out for the update, and I hope you found this guide useful.
