iOS 27: Everything we know about the fall 2026 iPhone update

What’s coming in iOS 27: At a Glance

• Performance and stability improvements
• New Apple Intelligence features
• New chatbot-style Siri with Gemini integration

Read on for more detail about these changes and what else to expect.

iOS 27 release date: When will iOS 27 be released?

• First developer beta: June 8, 2026
• First public beta: July 2026
• Final version: September 2026

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC keynote on June 8, 2026, where it will showcase the update’s headline features. As usual, the software will then go through several months of testing before its full public release in the fall.

Apple typically launches new versions of iOS in September, often around the second week – making Monday, September 14 a likely release date based on past patterns.

If you want to try iOS 27 early, Apple will make beta versions available shortly after the keynote. The first developer beta is set to arrive on June 8, followed by a public beta in early July.

While installing a beta lets you test new features ahead of release, its worth noting that pre-release software can be unstable. Bugs, performance issues, and app incompatibility are common, as Apple uses the beta period to identify and fix problems before the final version launches.

iOS 27 compatibility: Which iPhones will get iOS 27?

Roman Loyola/IDG

• May drop support for iPhone 11, 11 Pro & Max, and iPhone SE 2020

Leaker ‘Instant (Momentary) Digital’, who has a decent track record for leaking credible information, has indicated via a Weibo post that the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max (launched in 2019) and the iPhone SE 2 (launched in 2020) will not be able to run iOS 27. As we explain in our guide to how long Apple supports iPhones, Apple does tend to drop devices from new OS releases after about seven years, so their omission isn’t really surprising.

Plus, with iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Max having been relegated to the Vintage iPhone list by Apple, it is inevitable that they will not be supported by iOS 27.

That leaves us with a compatibility list that looks like this:

• iPhone 17, 17 Pro / 17 Pro Max (launched in 2025)
• iPhone Air (launched in 2025)
• iPhone 16e (launched in 2025)
• iPhone 16 / 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro / 16 Pro Max (launched in 2024)
• iPhone 15 / 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro / 15 Pro Max (launched in 2023)
• iPhone 14 / 14 Plus / 14 Pro / 14 Pro Max (launched in 2022)
• iPhone SE 3 (launched in 2022)
• iPhone 13 / 13 mini / 13 Pro / 13 Pro Max (launched in 2021)
• iPhone 12 / 12 mini / 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max (launched in 2020)

The iPhone 15 and older will not be able to take advantage of any Apple Intelligence features, as is currently the case.

iOS 27 performance: Stability improvements

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple intends to treat iOS 27 similarly to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, prioritising performance and stability over a long list of new features.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) followed the more feature-heavy Leopard (10.5) update, and focused on refining the system – removing unnecessary complexity, fixing bugs, and improving overall efficiency. While it didn’t introduce as many headline features, it became a popular version of macOS thanks to its speed and reliability.

If iOS 27 is going to follow a similar path as Snow Leopard, users can expect some new features, but a greater emphasis on optimisation, performance and stability, with effort spent on cleaning up the code and improving performance.

Siri in iOS 27: How Siri will improve in iOS 27?

Apple

• Chatbot Siri
• Partnering with Google Gemini

Apple appears to have given up trying to get its new Siri update out as part of iOS 26, and is instead working on an even bigger Siri overhaul for iOS 27.

Reports suggest Apple will turn Siri into a full chatbot, with an an ‘Ask’ button and an interface similar to text messaging and the ability to reference past interactions. It will also integrate more fully with Apple’s apps.

The new Siri will be built on an entirely new foundation model that uses Google’s Gemini as its base, with Apple modifications, enhancements, and guardrails on top.

Apple is also expected to expand Siri’s capabilities related to the smart home, including AI vision recognition features that allow devices to recognize users and what they’re doing while protecting your privacy – these sorts of AI-powered features will be critical to future products like smart home cameras and smart glasses.

Apple Intelligence in iOS 27: Major updates

• Wallet scanning tickets/cards
• Visual Intelligence (nutrition/object recognition)
• Contact info extraction from images
• Safari/app-level AI integrations

While the focus of iOS 27 may be on performance, efficiency, and reliability rather than new features, there is reportedly one major exception: Apple Intelligence will get major updates.

We don’t have much information about what specific AI advancements Apple is working on or how it will be used throughout the OS and Apple’s apps, yet. But Gurman reports iOS 27 will be heavy on new AI features.

In April 2026, some back-end code relating to Visual Intelligence suggested Apple is working on Apple Intelligence features like reading nutrition lables, adding phone numbers and addresses to contacts, adding physical tickets and passes to Wallet, and auto-generating names for tab groups in Safari.

To find out more about Apple Intelligence, read: How to use Apple Intelligence on iPhone and What is Apple Intelligence.

iOS 27 interface changes: Folding phone specific features

We’ve heard of the imminent release of a folding iPhone for more than five years now, but it looks it could actually happen in 2026. The iPhone Fold, or iPhone Ultra, as some are calling it, is expected to be an ultra-premium device with a sky-high price tag—some rumors say as much as $2,400.

Naturally, an iPhone that has a 5.5-inch screen on the outside but then opens to reveal a 7.8-inch display on the inside is going to need some specific iOS changes to make use of it. Not only will the operating system itself need an overhaul to deal with this screen-switching and new aspect ratios, but all of Apple’s built-in apps will need to take advantage of the iPhone Fold’s unique geometry.

We haven’t gotten any rumors about how iOS 27 will adapt to the folding phone, and Apple is unlikely to unveil any new features until the phone arrives in September, but we’ll be looking for clues at WWDC.