iOS 27 to Focus on Cleanup and Battery Life Improvements as Siri Delays Continue [Report]

Apple's long-awaited Siri overhaul is taking longer than expected. The company had internally aimed to deliver its biggest generative AI upgrades with iOS 26.4 this March, but those plans have shifted. Instead of arriving in a single release, key features are now being divided between iOS 26.5 and iOS 27.



According to Mark Gurman, the delay affects the most advanced Siri capabilities Apple previewed in June 2024, including the assistant's ability to access personal context and interact with on-screen content. Internally, Apple had targeted a spring debut for those features, but engineering challenges have pushed parts of the rollout further into the year.


If some elements ultimately arrive with iOS 27 this fall, it would represent over two years between Apple's initial announcement and full delivery. The company first outlined its revamped Siri vision at WWDC 2024 as a major step forward in bringing generative AI deeper into the system.

Apple is also leaning on its recently announced partnership with Google to power portions of the new experience. Gemini models are expected to handle some generative tasks while Apple continues rebuilding parts of its own AI infrastructure. Publicly, Apple has emphasized privacy as a central pillar of its approach, even as development timelines stretch.

Looking ahead, iOS 27 — internally codenamed "Rave" — is shaping up to focus heavily on refining the operating system itself. Gurman reports that engineers are removing legacy code and rewriting parts of the system that have accumulated over time. The emphasis appears to be on stability and performance rather than major visual changes.

Engineers are specifically targeting battery life improvements as part of this process. The goal is to squeeze more runtime out of existing devices by cleaning up the code, rather than just relying on new hardware to boost efficiency.


The broader software reset comes as Apple prepares new device categories. Rumored products include a foldable iPhone and potentially touchscreen Macs, both expected later in the year.