Featured: iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate Now Available, Siri AI Waitlist and More

All Apple products shown at last week’s event except the iPhone Duo are now available, with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5 all launching on Friday.

While new hardware is always welcome, users of existing hardware also benefited from significant upgrades this week with releases of iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate and more. Apple is also already planning iOS 27.1 which will ship with the iPhone Duo next month and iOS 27.2 which will see the first round of significant improvements to iOS 27 for all users, so read below for all the details on these stories and more!

Featured

Apple releases iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 with Siri AI and Liquid Glass update

After last week’s big iPhone event, this week saw the traditional public release of major new updates to Apple’s operating system, headlined by iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.

iOS 27 brings new Siri AI features to users in many countries around the world, along with a variety of other new features and improvements. For a quick introduction to iOS 27, check out our list of 10 features to try first, and when you’re ready to learn more, jump to our overview of the 50 new things your iPhone can do in iOS 27.

And for a more in-depth look at what’s new, our iOS 27 Ultimate Mega Guide links to all the features we’ve rounded up for release.

macOS Golden Gate now available with Siri AI, Visual Intelligence and more

On the Mac side, this week saw the release of macOS Golden Gate 27. The update introduces Siri AI, a smarter chatbot version of ‌Siri‌ with a dedicated ‌Siri‌ app. It also brings visual intelligence to the Mac for the first time and refines the look of the Liquid Glass design update Apple introduced last year.

For a quick overview of what’s new in macOS Golden Gate, be sure to check out our list of 10 features to try first, including Siri AI, easier creation of Safari shortcuts and extensions, performance improvements, and more, then jump to our guide to 50 new features and changes for a closer look.

Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max sold in the US differs in one way

Following last week’s introduction of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, there was some confusion over which cellular modems were included in the devices, it appears Apple’s C2 modem was only included in the iPhone 18 Pro.

Apple then updated its specifications pages for the new models worldwide, making it clear that the C2 is included in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in every country worldwide EXCEPT the iPhone 18 Pro Max in the United States. This device continues to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 modem from the iPhone 17 Pro models, but Apple has yet to explain the reason for this difference.

Reminder: iOS 27’s all-new Siri AI has a waiting list, here’s how to sign up

If you recently installed iOS 27 on your iPhone, you may be wondering where the new and improved Siri AI and dedicated Siri app are. In case you missed it, you need to sign up for Apple’s waiting list in order to get access to these new features.

Keep in mind that while iOS 27 is compatible with iPhone 11 and later, Siri AI is limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later. It is also not available at all in EU countries due to the regulatory battle between Apple and the European Commission over the requirements of the Digital Markets Act.

For those who are eligible for Siri AI, joining the waitlist is a simple process in the Settings app. Once on the list, wait times seem to vary, with some users gaining access to Siri AI within minutes of signing up and others having to wait a few hours or even days.

Apple releases first beta version of iOS 27.2

With iOS 27.0 released, Apple this week released the first beta version of iOS 27.2 and associated updates to developers for testing. Yes, that’s right… iOS 27.2, not 27.1.

The biggest change in the first beta of iOS 27.2 is the new Health app that Apple showed off at last week’s iPhone event, although Apple says it won’t be included in the public release of the update, so the general public will have to wait a little longer for it to be available. For more, check out our full list of everything new in the first beta of iOS 27.2.

iCloud+ now includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and select Apple Music stations in over 100 countries

Apple this week announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader set of services in more than 100 countries.

In some countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade “at no additional cost,” while Family Sharing expands storage, TV and arcade access for up to five people.

The initiative does not include the United States, Canada, Australia, nor is it offered in the United Kingdom and other European markets, but it is clearly more than a promotional offer, since Apple TV and Apple Arcade will stop being sold as individual subscriptions through Apple in the countries where they were launched.

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