WWDC’26 is here, and so is iOS 27 along with other OS updates from Apple. And as has been anticipated from the Cupertino giant, Apple announced several AI-heavy features for iOS 27 along with the entire OS ecosystem. More importantly, similar to iOS 26, iOS 27 compatibility goes back to iPhone 11, making it the larges ever compatible line-up of phones ever announced by Apple.
Apple Intelligence across all of Apple’s software ecosystem is getting a massive upgrade, thanks to the Google Gemini collaboration.
But First, Siri AI
As expected, Siri is now getting much needed AI superpowers, becoming deeply contextual and gets a cool new voice-makeover that is far more expressive than the dated robotic voice we have been accustomed to. Also, Siri is now ‘SiriAI’. SiriAI can read from your screen, give contextual answers without forgetting what you just asked and can easily navigate between apps, as was apparent in live demos across the WWDC 26.
Apple is also making SiriAI far more personal than before. The assistant can now understand information from apps like Mail, Messages, Calendar, Notes, Photos and Files to help answer questions or complete tasks based on your own data. In one demo, Apple’s VP of Engineering Mike Rockwell showed SiriAI pulling up an address that had been shared earlier in a conversation, without the user having to manually search through messages.
Apple also demonstrated how SiriAI can work across apps to complete tasks for users. In another example, SiriAI was asked to find specific photos taken at a particular location and then share them with a group. The entire process was completed without opening the Photos app. This ability to understand context, locate information across apps and perform actions on behalf of users is one of the biggest upgrades coming to Siri. Beyond the intelligence upgrades, SiriAI is also getting a major voice makeover. Apple says the assistant now sounds significantly more natural and expressive than before, with users even getting the option to customize how expressive they want Siri to be. The iPhone maker says SiriAI will launch first in English, with support for additional languages arriving later.
In terms of availability, a beta version of Siri AI shall be available soon, while regional availability of all Apple intelligence features is highly restricted, special in the EU and China. Additionally, all iPhone models will not get all features, limited by their hardware.
iOS 27
Apple has officially unveiled iOS 27 at WWDC 2026, and one of the biggest surprises is that no iPhones have been dropped from the supported devices list. Despite months of rumours suggesting that the iPhone 11 series could lose support this year, Apple confirmed that iOS 27 will work on the same iPhones that support iOS 26, including the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The main highlight of iOS 27 is Apple’s expanded AI features. The company unveiled a much more capable Siri AI, which can have more natural conversations, understand what is displayed on a user’s screen, remember previous interactions, and work more closely with apps and personal information. Apple is also bringing more AI-powered features to apps like Photos, Safari, and Passwords.
Along with its AI push, the tech titan used the iOS 27 announcement to show several broader priorities for its software ecosystem, including family safety, personalization, and health features. The company is expanding parental controls with more Screen Time options, improved app permission requests, and additional tools that give parents greater oversight of how children use their devices. At the same time, Apple is also refining the visual experience in iOS 27 with updates to its Liquid Glass design language. A new customization slider lets users adjust the interface between Ultra Clear and Tinted Glass, offering more control over transparency and readability.
Beyond these features, iOS 27 introduces several smaller but meaningful additions. For example, the Health app gains menopause and perimenopause cycle tracking, AirPods receive custom equalizer controls for more personalized audio, and Apple Maps gets a major upgrade to Flyover mode with richer visuals and more detailed city views.
On the availability front, Apple has confirmed that iOS 27 will be released in September 2026, along with the next iPhone lineup. The company is also expected to roll out the first developer beta shortly after the WWDC keynote, giving developers early access to test the new features and updates.
macOS 27 Golden Gate
Apple also introduced macOS 27 Golden Gate, the latest version of its desktop operating system, during WWDC 2026. Beyond a refreshed interface, the release represents a major milestone for the Mac platform as it becomes the first macOS version to run exclusively on Apple Silicon, officially ending support for Intel-powered Macs after years of transition. The move concludes Apple’s migration strategy that began with the launch of the M1 chip in 2020, allowing the company to fully optimize macOS around its in-house silicon architecture and Neural Engine capabilities.
A major focus of Golden Gate is Apple’s next-generation AI strategy. The update deeply integrates the new Siri AI into Spotlight, turning search into a conversational interface capable of comparing documents, finding information across files, summarizing content, scheduling tasks and creating automations through natural-language commands. Apple has also rebuilt the indexing system powering Spotlight, Mail and Photos, promising near-instant search results and faster system-wide information retrieval. Visual Intelligence is expanding to the Mac as well, allowing contextual actions from screenshots, webpages and on-screen content, while Safari gains AI-powered tab management and website-monitoring features.
Apple has also refined its controversial Liquid Glass design language introduced last year. Golden Gate adds a long-requested transparency slider that lets users adjust interface translucency, while window corners, sidebars and navigation elements have been redesigned for better consistency and readability.
macOS 27 Golden Gate is available immediately as a developer beta, while a public beta is expected to arrive in July through Apple’s Beta Software Program. The final public release is expected in September 2026 along with Apple’s broader operating-system rollout. Golden Gate will be compatible with the MacBook Neo (2026), MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later), MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later), iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later), Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later), Mac Studio (2022 and later), and Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023). Clearly, the update is exclusive to Apple Silicon devices.
iPadOS 27
On the iPad front, Apple brings a significant refresh with iPadOS 27, introducing a revamped Siri experience, intelligent automation tools, and enhanced multitasking capabilities. The centerpiece is a completely rebuilt Siri AI, available through both Spotlight and a dedicated Siri app, capable of maintaining conversation history, understanding on-screen content, searching the web, handling multi-step requests, and performing actions across apps.
Apart from Siri, Apple is doubling down on productivity with a major upgrade to the Shortcuts app. Users can now create complex automations using natural language instead of manually building workflows, making advanced features more accessible to everyday users. Safari also gains new AI-powered tools, including automatic tab organization and webpage change notifications, while system-wide improvements promise faster app launches, quicker file transfers over USB-C, improved AirDrop performance, and smoother multitasking. The update builds on the desktop-style windowing and app management features introduced in the previous generation of iPadOS, further positioning the iPad as a laptop alternative.
Apple is also expanding AI-powered experiences across the system. The Photos app receives smarter editing and cleanup tools, automatic image reframing, and improved collaborative sharing features. Accessibility enhancements include richer captions, better Voice Control functionality, and improved Magnifier support. Meanwhile, parental controls are getting one of their biggest updates in recent years with app-specific schedules, improved communication safety tools, age-aware experiences, and new developer frameworks aimed at improving protections for younger users.
Like macOS 27 Golden Gate, iPadOS 27 is available as a developer beta starting today, with a public beta arriving next month and a wider rollout planned later this year. The update will be compatible with iPad Pro (M4 and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation and later), iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and later), iPad Air 11-inch (M2 and later), iPad Air (4th generation and later), iPad (A16), iPad (9th generation and later), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad mini (6th generation and later), although some AI-powered features will be limited to newer Apple Silicon models.
watchOS 27
For Apple Watch users, Apple is delivering a major intelligence-focused upgrade with watchOS 27, led by the new Siri AI experience that now works across Apple devices with shared context and continuity. Siri can remember ongoing conversations, interpret on-screen content from connected iPhones, and execute multi-step requests more naturally. On the Apple Watch itself, the interface has been refined to surface Siri and frequently used actions more quickly, making the device feel more like a proactive assistant rather than a passive notification display.
In parallel, the firm has improved workout tracking accuracy, expanded running metrics, and added new health insights within its wellness ecosystem. Battery efficiency and app launch performance have also been optimized, while new usability features include a fresh gesture system, improved Find My integration, faster media controls, Guest Key support, and more streamlined settings navigation.
watchOS 27 is rolling out first as a developer beta, followed by a public beta next month. Compatibility for the update includes Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch Ultra 3, though some advanced Siri AI features and on-device intelligence capabilities will be limited to the newer, more powerful models due to hardware requirements.
visionOS 27
Now, for Vision Pro users, Apple is positioning visionOS 27 as a major step toward AI-powered spatial computing. The headline addition is the new Siri AI, which can understand both digital content and elements in the user’s physical surroundings, allowing more contextual interactions inside mixed-reality environments. The firm has also introduced a dedicated Siri app for Vision Pro, bringing the headset in line with the broader Siri redesign rolling out across its platforms.
The update expands the immersive capabilities of Vision Pro with support for panoramic photos as full spatial environments, curved application windows that function like ultra-wide virtual monitors, and faster wireless performance with Apple claiming Wi-Fi speeds up to three times faster in supported scenarios. Apple is also refining the user interface with an extra-small widget size, gaze-based notification expansion, and a redesigned Control Center organized around playback, controls, and immersive environments. Apps like Safari, Freeform, and Apple TV Multiview will be among the first to take advantage of the new curved-window system. The software remains exclusive to the Vision Pro platform.