iOS 26 brought a much-needed UI refresh for iPhone users with the Liquid Glass redesign and several feature additions. However, a new report suggests Apple is planning a strategic shift for 2026. The Cupertino giant is reportedly prioritising performance stability and battery life over new features with iOS 27.
iOS 27 will focus on refinements and AI over major changes
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed that Apple is largely focusing on the underlying software quality with iOS 27. The brand aims to iron out the major creases that made the iOS 26 update largely disappointing for iPhone users.
To achieve this, Apple is said to primarily focus on cleaning up the underlying code, reducing bloat and boosting the overall performance and software stability. This will also significantly improve the battery life on Apple iPhones.
Gurman outlines three major focus points for iOS 27 – removal of legacy code, interface tweaks for stability and subtle upgrades to older apps for performance optimisation. If true, this will seriously disappoint fans who have been expecting major changes to iOS 27.
However, iOS 27 will still be a major OS update, as it is expected to become the testing ground for Gemini-powered Siri. Even a recent report indicated that Apple is delaying Siri and Apple Intelligence features to iOS 27, originally slated for iOS 26.4.
With these quality improvements in the pipeline, iOS 27 could become the most refined software experience in recent times. Additionally, if Apple manages to transform Siri into a full-fledged AI chatbot with iOS 27, the upcoming OS update will become the first AI-driven update since Apple Intelligence's announcement in 2024.
That said, it is too early to say exactly what iOS 27 will bring. Gurman's report has also not provided any additional information on the same. With the WWDC 2026 event expected to happen in June this year, we expect Apple to reveal its plans for iOS 27 anytime soon.
