WWDC’26 is here, and so is iOS 27 along with other OS updates from Apple. And as has been anticipated from the Cupertino giant, Apple announced several AI-heavy features for iOS 27 along with the entire OS ecosystem. More importantly, similar to iOS 26, iOS 27 compatibility goes back to iPhone 11, making it the larges ever compatible line-up of phones ever announced by Apple.
Apple Intelligence across all of Apple’s software ecosystem is getting a massive upgrade, thanks to the Google Gemini collaboration.
But First, Siri AI
As expected, Siri is now getting much needed AI superpowers, becoming deeply contextual and gets a cool new voice-makeover that is far more expressive than the dated robotic voice we have been accustomed to. Also, Siri is now ‘SiriAI’. SiriAI can read from your screen, give contextual answers without forgetting what you just asked and can easily navigate between apps, as was apparent in live demos across the WWDC 26.
Apple is also making SiriAI far more personal than before. The assistant can now understand information from apps like Mail, Messages, Calendar, Notes, Photos and Files to help answer questions or complete tasks based on your own data. In one demo, Apple’s VP of Engineering Mike Rockwell showed SiriAI pulling up an address that had been shared earlier in a conversation, without the user having to manually search through messages.
Apple also demonstrated how SiriAI can work across apps to complete tasks for users. In another example, SiriAI was asked to find specific photos taken at a particular location and then share them with a group. The entire process was completed without opening the Photos app. This ability to understand context, locate information across apps and perform actions on behalf of users is one of the biggest upgrades coming to Siri. Beyond the intelligence upgrades, SiriAI is also getting a major voice makeover. Apple says the assistant now sounds significantly more natural and expressive than before, with users even getting the option to customize how expressive they want Siri to be. The iPhone maker says SiriAI will launch first in English, with support for additional languages arriving later.
In terms of availability, a beta version of Siri AI shall be available soon, while regional availability of all Apple intelligence features is highly restricted, special in the EU and China. Additionally, all iPhone models will not get all features, limited by their hardware.
iOS 27
Apple has officially unveiled iOS 27 at WWDC 2026, and one of the biggest surprises is that no iPhones have been dropped from the supported devices list. Despite months of rumours suggesting that the iPhone 11 series could lose support this year, Apple confirmed that iOS 27 will work on the same iPhones that support iOS 26, including the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The main highlight of iOS 27 is Apple’s expanded AI features. The company unveiled a much more capable Siri AI, which can have more natural conversations, understand what is displayed on a user’s screen, remember previous interactions, and work more closely with apps and personal information. Apple is also bringing more AI-powered features to apps like Photos, Safari, and Passwords.
Along with its AI push, the tech titan used the iOS 27 announcement to show several broader priorities for its software ecosystem, including family safety, personalization, and health features. The company is expanding parental controls with more Screen Time options, improved app permission requests, and additional tools that give parents greater oversight of how children use their devices. At the same time, Apple is also refining the visual experience in iOS 27 with updates to its Liquid Glass design language. A new customization slider lets users adjust the interface between Ultra Clear and Tinted Glass, offering more control over transparency and readability.
Beyond these features, iOS 27 introduces several smaller but meaningful additions. For example, the Health app gains menopause and perimenopause cycle tracking, AirPods receive custom equalizer controls for more personalized audio, and Apple Maps gets a major upgrade to Flyover mode with richer visuals and more detailed city views.
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Ashutosh is a Senior Writer at The Tech Portal, largely reporting on new tech, and intersection of technology and business. Ashutosh’s career spans across nearly a decade of technology writing across multiple platforms and languages.
