WWDC 2026 is finally here, and with it comes the reveal of Apple's next big iPhone software upgrade — iOS 27. The update may not be rolling out to everyone until later this year, closer to the launch of iPhone 18 Pro, but these are the first official details of what we should expect to see.
Crucially, WWDC is also the harbinger of the iOS 27 beta, which will be available to both developers and the public in the near future. That will allow everyone to try all the upcoming features and upgrades ahead of the official launch, even if the experience may not be totally perfect.
Since the keynote address is still ongoing, this story is still incomplete. So make sure to check back here to see a full rundown of all the announcements. Alternatively, you can follow the announcements as they happen by following our WWDC 2026 live blog.
Here's everything Apple has revealed about iOS 27 so far, including all the features and upgrades. And be sure to check our out roundup of all the new Siri AI features.
iOS 27 — All the features announced at WWDC 2026
Apple's been improving things behind the scenes
The emphasis this year isn't just on new features; it's about making the software better. Engineers have been searching for ways to fine-tune and optimize iOS 27, including handling some issues that users have been pestering Apple about for a while.
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 will appear in your library 70% faster than before. AirDrop and file-transfer benefit too, with an 80% improvement in AirDrop transfers and 5x faster file transfer to external storage.
One of the major upgrades here is a new set of refinements for Liquid Glass. The effect has been altered to improve readability, but if that's not enough, Apple has added a new system-wide slider to personalize the transparency effects to suit your tastes.
Previously, the only option you had was to use accessibility features to turn off the transparency effects, but this is a sliding scale that gives you a lot more control over what Liquid Glass looks like across iOS and the rest of the Apple ecosystem.
Liquid Glass is also getting a new layered effect, which helps make app icons more striking with an almost-3D effect.
If it runs iOS 26, it can run iOS 27
Normally, a new version of iOS means one or more older iPhones are officially dropped, and don't get access to the newest software. That's not happening this year, and Apple has confirmed that all devices running iOS 26 will be able to install iOS 27 as well.
This means anyone still rocking the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max will still be able to benefit from all the upcoming upgrades without buying a brand new phone.
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 a "profoundly more 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's also multi-modal, which means see and understand text, audio, imagery and videos without issue.
Siri will be able to access information stored on your device, such as checking messages or emails, files, photos, and so on. That means it can surface that information when you need it, without forcing you to go and hunt for it yourself. Conversational skills also help Siri AI understand you and speak in a language that you understand. Or in Gen Z slang, as Apple demonstrated during the keynote.
There's a brand new Siri AI app to utilize, but you don't have to be in the app to interact with Siri AI. Speaking to Siri from elsewhere on your phone sees the AI appear at the top of your screen, utilizing the Dynamic Island. Apple's pill flashes to show Siri is listening, and also expands to show you the different search results.
The Siri chatbot looks like your traditional AI experience on iOS 27. It's going to be able to generate content, summarize information, analyze files, search the web, and all those other things that AIs are best known for.
Siri will keep a log of your history, which syncs across Apple devices via iCloud and Apple's Private Compute system. That includes Vision Pro, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch
Visual Intelligence becomes Siri Mode, and finds a new home
Visual Intelligence, the AI camera mode that Apple introduced with iPhone 16, is getting some changes. The least of which is a rebrand to "Siri Mode," which is supposed to help make the feature more visible in the camera app.
That makes it feel a little more like Google Lens, and lets you access the AI vision feature alongside all your other camera features.
Apple's set to give the AI camera mode a big boost in performance. This includes the ability to recognize nutritional information and contact details, alongside existing capabilities. There's also a new bill-splitting feature, which uses AI to identify items from your bill, groups them together and sends Apple Cash requests to the relevant dinner companions.
Apple's answer to Magic Cue
Apple Intelligence is being integrated into multiple apps, including Message's, Photos, Phone and Calender. The idea here is that the AI will be able to identify what's going on, and offer contextual improvements to help you in whatever you're doing.
That includes surfacing relevant information during phone calls, offering to set reminders when sending or receiving messages, updating calendar invites and more. It's basically Apple's version of Magic Cue on Pixel and Now Nudge on Samsung.
Shortcuts is getting easier to use
Shortcuts are a great way to automate different tasks on your iPhone, but it's not the easiest app to get to grips with. iOS 27 will make things a little easier, adding natural language controls that let you tell the app what you want.
Shortcuts asks you for a prompt, you type in a description and the app will generate the relevant shortcut for you.
Image Playground
In addition to gaining third-party chatbot support, Image Playground is also getting something of an overhaul. There are a bunch more styles you can utilize to edit old images or generate brand new ones. That includes a new photo-realistic style.
Editing generated images is easier than before, with touch and voice-based controls to show the AI exactly what you want to change.
Image Playground will also be capable of generating Lock Screen wallpapers and Contact Posters from scratch. Ensuring you should always have the best possible look on your phone, even if you don't necessarily have the real photo to make it happen
New AI photo-editing tools
AI photo editing has been one of the most common ways the technology has been implemented on phones, and Apple is adding some additional features to the Photos app in iOS 27.
The Clean Up Tool from iOS 18 is getting a much-needed upgrade. Not only does it make it easier to make changes to your photo, but it also improves the quality of the edits that are being made. Apple's also added Extend, which is designed to expand your photos beyond the confines of the existing frame and utilizes generative AI to fill in the scenery. Like a reverse-crop, if you will.
Meanwhile, Reframe is all about changing the perspective on photos, letting you shift the way the camera is looking at the subject after the photo has been taken. You can preview the result in real-time, too.
