Apple today released iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, the latest operating system updates for iPhone and iPad. The software is available for free on all compatible devices and can be downloaded over the air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
It may take several minutes for updates to propagate to all users due to high demand on launch day.
iOS 27 can be installed on all iPhones running iOS 26, which includes iPhone SE 2 and iPhone 11 series and later. iPadOS 27 is available on iPad Pro 2nd generation and later, iPad Air 4th generation and later, iPad mini 6th generation and later, and iPad A16.
The updates introduce Siri AI, the smartest and most capable version of Siri. You may need to sign up to use Siri AI after the update, which you can do in the Settings app under the Siri section. Besides Siri AI and a dedicated Siri app, there are updates to the Liquid Glass design and a long list of new Apple Intelligence features.
To use the new AI features, you need an iPhone that supports “Apple Intelligence,” which includes iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, all iPhone 17 models, and all iPhone 18 models. For iPad, Apple Intelligence is available on M series devices and the A17 Pro iPad mini. There are no fees yet for Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features, but Apple may start charging higher usage in the future.
Apple’s release notes for the update are below.
Siri AI (All iPhone 16 models and later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
– A more efficient and conversational version of Siri is being rolled out to users. It helps you find what you need and do more, leveraging features like understanding personal context, app actions, screen awareness, and access to broad global knowledge.
– The new voice experience delivers more expressive, natural voices, and lets you customize expressiveness and rhythm to make Siri more personal using powerful on-device templates on iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro and later.
– Dedicated Siri app provides an easy way to review an existing conversation or start a new one, and privately syncs conversations across your Apple products with iCloud
– Siri Mode in Camera integrates visual intelligence into the Camera app, allowing you to ask questions and take action on what’s in front of you, like sharing a bill or finding nutritional information on a plate of food.
– Write with Siri lets you generate a draft from scratch, edit what you’ve written, or get feedback from Siri virtually anywhere you type. In Messages & Mail, Siri personalizes your writing style based on your relationships and uses unique phrases and punctuation marks that you’ve already used in your conversations with those people.
Apple Intelligence in all apps (all iPhone 16 models and later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
Photos
– Spatial cropping allows you to adjust the composition of a photo after it is taken by virtually changing the camera position
– The extend tool intelligently expands images beyond their edges with a realistic fill, so you can straighten horizons, change proportions or add more space around a subject.
– Clean Up supports removing even larger objects, with more realistic and high-quality results, and you can choose between Quick mode for small imperfections or High Quality for more complex edits.
Safari
– Organize by Topic uses Apple Intelligence to sort your tabs, analyze web pages, and automatically group similar tabs
– Notify Me may periodically check a web page for updates, such as price changes and item availability
– Describe Extension allows you to create a custom extension using natural language to adjust your view of a website’s content or formatting.
– The all-new Image Playground uses a new generative model to create high-quality images in virtually any style, including photorealistic, lets you edit your images using touch and natural language, and lets you generate lock screen wallpapers and contact posters with personalized suggestions.
– Describe a shortcut allows you to use natural language to create a shortcut or refine an existing shortcut
Home
– Summary activity notifications combine related alerts on accessories into a single notification
– Video descriptions of HomeKit Secure Video recordings summarize what’s happening in a clip for eligible iCloud+ subscribers
– Camera Clip Search lets you find specific moments from your HomeKit secure video cameras by searching in the Home or Spotlight app when using an eligible iCloud+ plan.
– Describe an event in Calendar lets you use natural language to create an event, and details such as time, location, guests, and event title are populated using Apple Intelligence.
– Suggestions in Mail help you take actions based on the context of your emails, like getting directions to a restaurant you’ve reserved
– Call context in the Phone app understands when you’re speaking to certain businesses and proactively surfaces relevant information from your apps, like a confirmation code or reservation number.
Accessibility
– VoiceOver enhancements include more detailed and contextual image understanding for photos, charts, and screenshots, a conversational experience that lets you ask questions about your screen or surroundings, and a new way to get answers quickly with the integration of an action button.
– An enhanced Magnifier experience provides conversational visual assistance for visually impaired users, with a high-contrast interface and natural language app controls for zooming and other Magnifier functions.
– Smarter Accessibility Reader uses intelligence to provide better cleaning and formatting of text, images and tables, on-demand summaries and translation
– Flexible voice control inputs help you navigate your device with just your voice by describing on-screen items in your own words, like “tap the gear” or “tap the top right button.”
– And much more, including additional ways to create and edit Genmoji, automatic replay, and more accurate dictation using an in-device template on iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models and later.
Child safety
– An improved setup experience for new child accounts lets parents choose the exact apps their children can access when setting up an iPhone for their child
– Ask to browse gives parents the opportunity to approve each new website before their child can view it
– Extensive communications safety protections help intervene before children see gory or violent content in shared images and videos
– Time allowances help parents set limits on how long children can use entertainment, gaming and social media apps, offering advice based on expert research and tailored to each child’s age.
– Schedules allow parents to choose which apps their children can access at different times of the day, weekdays and weekends.
– Redesigned Screen Time settings give parents at-a-glance information about how their children are using their devices, along with controls to adjust access with just a few clicks.
System Improvements
– Improvements to Liquid Glass improve overall readability, and a new slider in Settings lets you customize its appearance from ultra-clear to fully tinted
– Faster performance in system-wide experiences, including app launches, loading new photos into your Photos library, and AirDrop transfers
– Improved search provides more relevant and comprehensive results in Spotlight, Photos and Mail
– Connectivity Assist enables smoother transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks
And other improvements across apps and experiences, including improvements to iCloud shared albums in Photos, a custom EQ for AirPods, support for perimenopause and menopause in cycle tracking in the Health app, and independent volume settings for alarms and timers.
