Featured: WWDC 2026 recap with Siri AI, iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate and more

WWDC 2026 is over and it has brought a number of announcements, the headliner being the new Siri AI feature available both in a standalone app and integrated into most of Apple’s next-generation operating systems.

iOS 27 brings a host of other improvements with a focus on performance, while macOS 27, known as macOS Golden Gate, offers some Liquid Glass design improvements and much more, so read on below for all the details!

Featured

Everything Apple announced at WWDC 2026 in 10 minutes

Apple held its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, showcasing iOS 27, macOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27. It took Apple about an hour and 15 minutes to run through the major new features in the updates, but we’ve got a quicker 10-minute recap for those who want the highlights.

Our recap also includes links to all of our opening day articles, so it’s a great place to stay on top of all the big announcements. And if you want a full recap of the keynote as it happened but don’t want to watch the video, check out our live blog transcript.

Hands-on with Siri AI from iOS 27

The main theme of the WWDC 2026 keynote was the new Siri AI, integrated into most of Apple’s operating systems and bundled with a dedicated app.

Access to Siri AI in developer betas involves a waitlist, so it may take a little before you can start trying it out, but we’ve already given a first look at how it works, so be sure to watch our video.

Apple announces macOS 27 Golden Gate with a new Siri and “tons” of refinements

At the start of Monday’s keynote, Apple made one of the most anticipated announcements of the event, revealing that macOS 27 is called macOS Golden Gate.

Much like Mac OS

Apple says macOS Golden Gate offers faster AirDrop transfers, faster browsing of network files, improved syncing in the Messages app, better Spotlight search suggestions, and other changes that make your Mac “more responsive than ever.”

“With improvements to the very core of the system and improvements to the apps and experiences you rely on every day, macOS feels better than ever,” Apple said.

Apple says iOS 27 adds these 12 new features to your iPhone

The key new feature of iOS 27 is a smarter, more personal version of Siri, but the changes go well beyond that. In a press release this week, Apple outlined additional improvements to Apple Maps, Find My, Apple Wallet, Apple Music, and more.

In fact, a very dense slide shown briefly during Monday’s keynote listed more than 250 changes in iOS 27 and Apple’s other updates.

iPadOS 27 drops support for a wave of iPads

While iOS 27 is supported on all iPhone models that run iOS 26, the iPad line has seen a significant reduction in the number of supported models this year. Every member of the iPad family has seen the oldest model currently supporting iPadOS 26 ditched for iPadOS 27, meaning your iPad will need at least an A14 or M1 chip to be able to upgrade.

The Apple Watch line saw even bigger reductions in the list of supported models, with the Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Ultra 1, and SE 2 not all being retained for watchOS 27. watchOS 27 also removes the Walkie-Talkie app that has been available on Apple Watch since the launch of watchOS 5 in 2018.

The iPhone 17’s 8GB limit costs it these two Siri AI features in iOS 27

In its Siri AI announcement at WWDC 2026, Apple showed off a more powerful on-device AI model that, in addition to standard Siri AI functionality, also powers two exclusive features: more expressive Siri voices and a major accuracy boost for system-wide dictation.

Both require 12 GB of unified memory. Among current iPhone models, this limits the most powerful AI model to the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, alongside iPad models with the M4 chip or later, Macs with M3 or later, and Apple Vision Pro with M5.

That’s right, the standard iPhone 17 is missing. With only 8GB under its belt – the minimum required by Apple Intelligence since its launch – the base flagship model does not meet the new threshold.

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