Apple Previews iOS 27, Siri AI, Parental Controls, and Software Updates

Apple today previewed its upcoming software releases for WWDC26, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27. The updates include the next generation of Apple Intelligence, the new Siri AI assistant, expanded parental controls, performance improvements, and design refinements across Apple platforms.

Apple says the new features are available for developer testing starting today. A public beta is coming next month, and the updates will be released as free software updates this fall.

Apple Intelligence and Siri AI

Apple says the next generation of Apple Intelligence uses a new privacy-focused architecture and powers Siri AI, a new version of Siri for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro.


Siri AI can use personal context to search across messages, emails, photos, and other apps; answer questions about onscreen content; retrieve current information from the web; and take action across apps. Apple is also adding a dedicated Siri app that lets users revisit conversations and privately sync history across products with iCloud.







Apple Intelligence is also adding new features across everyday apps, including image editing in Photos, tab organization and Notify Me in Safari, Image Playground updates, and contextual suggestions in Messages and Mail.

Parental Controls and Screen Time

Apple is expanding parental controls with new child safety tools. Child accounts can enable age-appropriate protections across the system, and Setup Assistant lets parents choose which apps are available to a child from the start.


Ask to Browse lets kids request permission before accessing a new website in Safari across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Communication Safety, which already blurs nudity in Messages and FaceTime and is enabled by default for users under 18, will also intervene to block gore or violent content in shared images or videos.









Time Allowances let parents set daily limits across Entertainment, Games, and Social Media app categories, with recommendations based on guidance from clinical and child development experts. Schedules let parents manage which apps are available at different times of day, and Screen Time has been redesigned with an at-a-glance view of a child's average device usage and top apps.

Performance and Design Updates

Apple says iPhone and iPad apps launch up to 30% faster, Photos load up to 70% faster after being taken, and AirDrop transfers are up to 80% faster. Network transitions between cellular and Wi-Fi are being improved, and browsing and transferring files between external drives and iPad is up to five times faster.

Search has been rebuilt in Spotlight, Photos, and Mail, while Mail adds a new ranking system for Top Hits. Apple is also adding a Liquid Glass slider in Settings, letting users adjust the interface from ultra-clear to fully tinted. App icons have been updated, and macOS is getting a more uniform toolbar, edge-to-edge sidebars, and colored sidebar icons.

Other New Features

iCloud Shared Albums add cross-platform photo sharing with full-resolution support. The Health app adds support for perimenopause and menopause in Cycle Tracking, including notifications about cycle deviations inclusive of perimenopause.

On Apple Watch, Apple is adding a dynamic app grid with icons for five Siri-suggested apps, a new tap gesture for opening a widget in the Smart Stack, and a Find My app that consolidates Find Devices, Find Items, and Find People.

AirPods users will get custom EQ, while AirPods Pro 3 users can use expanded Apple GymKit functionality to sync heart-rate data through iPhone. Apple Vision Pro can turn panoramas into spatial scenes for personal Environments, and connecting to Wi-Fi is up to three times faster. Apple Maps is adding an enhanced Flyover experience that combines aerial imagery with AI.

Availability

The new software features are available for developer testing today, with a public beta coming next month and a free public release this fall.

Apple Intelligence will be available this fall on supported products set to a supported language with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27. Supported languages include English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Apple Intelligence and Siri AI will be available on iPhone 16 models or later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini with A17 Pro, iPad models with M1 or later, Mac with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch Series 10 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3 when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone nearby.

Siri AI developer testing starts today across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and visionOS 27, with watchOS 27 support coming in a future developer beta. Siri AI will be available as a beta later this year for users with a supported device set to English.

Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro users in the EU will be able to access Siri AI when set to a supported language, but Siri AI will not initially be available in the EU on iOS or iPadOS. Siri AI and the other new Apple Intelligence features will not be available in China while Apple works through regulatory requirements.

Apple says some Apple Intelligence features, including image generation, have daily usage limits because they rely on server models. Increased access is available with most iCloud+ subscription plans, which also include Apple Intelligence support for compatible Home cameras.