WWDC 2026 is finally here, and with it Apple’s next big iPhone software update – iOS 27. The update might not be available to everyone until the iPhone 18 Pro launches, but these are the first official details we can expect.
Essentially, WWDC is a precursor to the iOS 27 beta, which will be available to developers and the public in the near future. This will allow you to try out all upcoming features and updates before their official launch, even if the experience isn’t perfect.
This story is still incomplete as the main text is still ongoing. So check back here to see the full rundown of all the announcements. Alternatively, you can follow the announcements by following our WWDC 2026 live blog.
Here’s everything Apple has revealed so far about iOS 27, including all the features and updates. And check out our roundup of all the new Siri AI features.
iOS 27 — All Features Announced at WWDC 2026
Apple is improving things behind the scenes
This year’s emphasis isn’t just on new features; It makes the software better. Engineers are looking for ways to fine-tune and improve iOS 27, including addressing some of the issues that have plagued Apple for a while now.
Apple promises smoother animations, better responsiveness and improved speed across the platform. This includes 30% faster launch times for iPhone and iPad apps, and photos appear in your library 70% faster than before. AirDrop and file transfer benefit, 80% improvement in AirDrop transfers and 5x faster file transfer to external storage.
One of the major upgrades here is a new refinement to the liquid glass. The effect has been tweaked to improve readability, but if that’s not enough, Apple has added a new system-wide slider to customize transparency effects to suit your taste.
Previously, the only option you had was to use the accessibility features to turn off transparency effects, but this is a sliding scale that gives you more control over how Liquid Glass looks across iOS and the Apple ecosystem.
Liquid Glass gets a new layered effect that makes app icons look even better with an almost 3D effect.
If it runs iOS 26, it can run iOS 27
Typically, a new version of iOS means that one or more older iPhones are officially abandoned and no longer have access to the new software. That won’t happen this year, and Apple has confirmed that all devices running iOS 26 will be able to install iOS 27.
Anyone still rocking the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max can benefit from all the upcoming upgrades without having to buy a brand new phone.
The all new Siri AI is finally here
The biggest news of the night is that Apple has finally figured out how to update Siri for the AI era. Siri AI, as it’s officially called, is now an “incredibly capable assistant.”
This new version of Siri is contextually aware, with the ability to learn about you and understand what’s happening on your screen. It is multi-modal, which means you can see and understand text, audio, images and videos without any problem.
Siri can access information stored on your device, such as checking messages or emails, files, photos, and more. This means that you can publish that information when you need it, without forcing you to go and find it yourself. Conversational skills help Siri AI understand you and speak in a language you understand. Or in Gen Z slang, as Apple explained during the keynote.
There’s a brand new Siri AI app to use, but you don’t need to be in the app to interact with Siri AI. When you talk to Siri from another location on your phone, you can see the AI appear at the top of your screen using Dynamic Island. Apple’s tablet flashes to show that Siri is listening, and expands to show you different search results.
The Siri chatbot looks like your traditional AI experience in iOS 27. It can create content, summarize information, analyze files, search the web and do all the things AIs are well known for.
Siri keeps track of your history synced across Apple devices via iCloud and Apple’s private computing system. That includes Vision Pro, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch
Visual intelligence turns into Siri mode and finds a new home
Visual Intelligence, the AI camera mode that Apple introduced with the iPhone 16, is getting some changes. The least of which has been renamed to “Siri Mode” to help make the feature more visible in the camera app.
It makes it feel a little more like Google Lens and lets you access the AI vision feature along with all your other camera features.
Apple is set to give a big boost in performance to the AI camera mode. This includes the ability to identify nutritional information and contact details with existing skills. There’s also a new bill-splitting feature that uses AI to identify items on your bill, group them together, and send Apple Pay requests to related dinner companions.
Apple’s answer to Magic Q
Apple Intelligence is integrated into many applications including Messages, Photos, Phone and Calendar. The idea here is that AI can recognize what’s going on and provide contextual improvements to help you with whatever you’re doing.
This includes displaying relevant information during phone calls, setting reminders when sending or receiving messages, updating calendar entries, and more. It’s basically Apple’s version of Magic Q on the Pixel and Nudge on the Samsung.
Using shortcuts becomes easier
Shortcuts are a great way to automate various tasks on your iPhone, but they’re not the easiest app to use. iOS 27 makes things a little easier, adding natural language controls that let you tell the app what you want.
Shortcuts asks you a prompt, you type a description, and the app creates an appropriate shortcut for you.
Picture playground
With third-party chatbot support, the image playing field is also being tweaked. There are many styles you can use to edit old images or create brand new ones. It also includes a new photo-realistic style.
Editing generated images is easier than ever, showing the AI what you want to change with touch and voice-based controls.
Image Playground will have the ability to create new lock screen wallpapers and contact posters. Making sure your phone always looks its best, even if you don’t have an actual photo to back it up
AI photo editing is one of the most common ways the technology is implemented in phones, and Apple is adding some extra features to the Photos app in iOS 27.
The Clean Up tool gets a much-needed upgrade from iOS 18. This not only makes it easier to make changes to your photo, but also improves the quality of the edits made. Apple’s addition of Extension is designed to expand your photos beyond the bounds of the existing frame and uses AI to fill in the scenery. Like an inverted crop, if you will.
Meanwhile, reframe means changing the perspective of photos, allowing you to change the way the camera sees the subject after the photo is taken. You can preview the result in real time.
Other AI upgrades are underway
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