Apple released iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 – what’s new and which iPhone and iPad models can be updated

Apple has released the final versions of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. iOS 27 supports even the iPhone 11 and second-generation iPhone SE.

Siri AI has become the main new feature

iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 received a new Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence. The assistant better understands natural speech and conversation context, can search for relevant information in messages, emails, photos, and other user data, analyze screen content, and perform actions within apps.

A separate Siri app has appeared, where conversation history is stored. It syncs via iCloud across Apple devices. Siri has also learned to create and edit text, and on iPhone it now appears directly within the Camera app: the assistant can analyze objects in front of the camera using Visual Intelligence.

However, Siri AI is currently available in beta and supports only English. Apple promises to add French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish in October.

For users in the European Union, there is a more significant limitation: Siri AI on iPhone and iPad is currently unavailable in the EU. Apple has not announced a launch date for the feature in the region.

Additionally, support for Siri AI does not align with support for iOS 27 itself. Apple Intelligence requires iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, models from the iPhone 16 family and newer smartphones, as well as iPhone Air and iPhone Duo. On iPad, Apple Intelligence features work on models with M1 chips and newer, as well as on iPad mini with A17 Pro.

Some Apple Intelligence features that use server-side models have daily limits. These include Siri AI, AI image-editing tools, Image Playground, and Apple Foundation Models in the cloud within Teams. In the future, Apple plans to offer a paid option with increased limits.

iPhone and iPad should run faster

Apple simultaneously made changes to the system itself. According to the company’s internal tests, apps on iPhone and iPad can launch up to 30% faster after the update, recently taken photos appear in the media library up to 70% faster, and file transfer via AirDrop has sped up by up to 80%.

On iPad, file operations and transferring them to an external USB drive can be up to five times faster. Apple has also optimized closing, switching, and dragging windows during multitasking.

The system now switches more smoothly between Wi-Fi and mobile networks. In Messages, sending a large photo or video over a slow connection no longer blocks subsequent text messages.

Spotlight search, Photos, and Mail have been redesigned, and Mail now features a new results ranking system. Apple also updated Liquid Glass: interface elements are more contrasty, and a slider has been added in Settings to adjust the transparency of the design from nearly fully transparent to noticeably tinted.

What else appeared in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27

In Photos on devices with Apple Intelligence, Spatial Reframing has been added to adjust the composition of existing shots, Extend allows expanding the image beyond its original boundaries, and Clean Up has been improved for object removal.

Safari can now automatically group tabs by topic. The Notify Me feature can monitor changes on a web page and, for example, alert you to a price drop or when an item returns to stock.

iCloud Shared Albums now support full-resolution photos and videos, making it easier for Android and Windows users to join via a browser. An equalizer with adjustable bass, midrange, and treble has been added to AirPods settings.

iPadOS 27 received a separate set of changes. The menu bar can now be displayed permanently on the iPad, app names have been added to the status bar, window handling has been improved, and resizing iPhone apps is now allowed. Visual Intelligence lets you highlight an object on the screen with your finger or Apple Pencil and ask Siri a question about it.

Apple also revamped Screen Time. Parents can set separate limits for app categories, create access schedules, and require permission to open new sites via the Ask to Browse feature. Communication Safety now responds not only to nude images but also to scenes of violence and cruelty.

Which iPhones and iPads can be updated

iOS 27 maintains support for all iPhones that ran iOS 26. The minimum models remain the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE. The update is also available for all newer generations, including the iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo.

The situation with iPad is different. Support for iPadOS 27 has been dropped for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro third generation, the 11-inch iPad Pro first generation, the eighth-generation iPad, the iPad mini 5, and the iPad Air 3.

The update is available for iPad Pro 11-inch second generation and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch fourth generation and later, iPad Air fourth generation and later, iPad ninth generation and newer base iPads, as well as iPad mini sixth generation and later.

Updates are now available for free on compatible iPhone and iPad devices via Settings > General > Software Update. As is typical on the day of a major release, the update may roll out gradually to compatible devices.

At the same time, Apple released updates for its other operating systems, including macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and HomePod software 27.