iOS 27 New Features: Every Confirmed and Expected Change

iOS 27 is coming this September, and Apple has already started showing its hand. We’ve tracked every official Apple statement and compared it against pre-WWDC reporting to give you a clear picture: confirmed on one side, credibly expected on the other.

#What Apple Has Officially Confirmed So Far

Before WWDC, Apple is selective about what it reveals. The one area where Apple has spoken directly is accessibility. In May 2026, Apple’s Newsroom announced a set of upcoming accessibility features for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and other platforms.

Here’s what Apple confirmed:

VoiceOver Image Explorer generates detailed descriptions of images system-wide, from photos to scanned bills. It’s VoiceOver backed by on-device AI.

Action button visual intelligence lets VoiceOver users press the Action button on iPhone to ask questions about what the camera sees, with natural language follow-up supported throughout the conversation. Plain descriptions work. No memorized labels required. In our experience with iOS 26’s VoiceOver improvements, the Action button shortcut was one of the most useful changes Apple made.

Voice Control natural language upgrade means users can describe on-screen elements in their own words instead of relying on precise labels. If a button’s label doesn’t match what you see, you can describe what you see instead.

Automatic captions for personal videos will be generated on-device for recorded videos, received clips from friends, and streamed content. Apple confirmed this runs entirely on the device, with no data sent to external servers.

Accessibility Reader expansion will handle more complex layouts, including tables, multi-column text, and images, using AI to interpret and present the content more clearly.

Apple confirms that these features are coming “later this year,” timed to the iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 release cycle. In our testing of Apple Intelligence features in iOS 26, the on-device processing Apple describes here consistently ran without noticeable lag on an iPhone 15 Pro. That’s a good sign for the same approach in iOS 27.

#What Credible Reports Expect (Not Yet Officially Confirmed)

The following features come from Bloomberg, 9to5Mac, and MacRumors, based on sources familiar with Apple’s plans. They’re expected as of May 2026 but haven’t been confirmed by Apple. That changes on June 8 at WWDC 2026.

#Is a Dedicated Siri App Coming to iPhone?

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that iOS 27 will bring the most significant Siri overhaul since the assistant launched in 2011. The expected shape:

A dedicated Siri app would show a list of past conversations with support for searching, favoriting, and starting new chats via iMessage-style bubbles. That’s a structural shift from the overlay model Siri has always used. No more tap-to-overlay. A persistent app you return to.

Dynamic Island integration is also expected. Triggering Siri would show a “Search or Ask” prompt with a glowing cursor. Results would appear as a translucent card in the Island, and pulling it down would expand into a full conversation view.

Siri is also reportedly set to replace Spotlight search, though Apple’s Suggestions feature would stay and gain access to more user data.

These details come from Gurman’s Bloomberg reporting and corroborating coverage at MacRumors, which has tracked iOS 27 development since early 2026.

#Third-Party AI Assistants Through a New Extensions System

9to5Mac and MacRumors have both reported that iOS 27 test builds contain an Extensions framework with an internal Apple description reading: “Extensions allow you to access generative AI capabilities from installed apps on demand, through Apple Intelligence features such as Siri, Writing Tools, Image Playground and more.”

If confirmed, you’d route Siri queries through Claude, Gemini, or Grok directly from a long-press on the search bar. A dedicated App Store section would handle the integration. This would end OpenAI’s exclusive position as Siri’s external AI partner.

Widely expected. Multiple outlets cite the same internal build strings.

#Photos Editing and Camera Changes

Three new Photos editing tools, reportedly called Extend, Enhance, and Reframe, are expected to join the existing Clean Up feature in a new “Apple Intelligence Tools” section. Extend would expand a photo’s frame beyond its original borders. Enhance would sharpen a subject. Reframe would recompose a shot without recapturing it.

The Camera app is also reported to gain a dedicated Siri mode alongside Photo, Video, Portrait, and Panorama modes. You’d tap it to give Siri verbal instructions for a shot instead of setting it up manually.

Not confirmed by Apple yet.

#iOS 27 and the Foldable iPhone

Apple is widely expected to launch its first foldable iPhone later in 2026. iOS 27 would include optimizations for that form factor, potentially bringing an iPad-like interface capable of running two apps side-by-side when the device is unfolded.

Unconfirmed. The foldable faces reported production delays.

#Writing Tools, Shortcuts, and Smaller Additions

Bloomberg also reports updates to Apple’s Writing Tools feature in iOS 27. The tools would add grammar checking and become more prominent across the system, with a reported “Write with Siri” button and a “Help Me Write” option for prompting Siri directly in text fields.

AI-powered Shortcuts would let you create automations in plain language instead of building workflow blocks manually. Apple’s Shortcuts documentation already recommends natural language as the preferred input model, so this fits the stated roadmap.

Image Playground is expected to get a redesigned interface with a simpler layout, a “describe a change” editing option, and support for additional third-party AI models beyond ChatGPT.

None confirmed. Bloomberg and 9to5Mac are the sources, based on test builds.

#Does iOS 27 Focus on Performance?

Multiple sources describe iOS 27 as a “Snow Leopard” year, a reference to Mac OS X Snow Leopard from 2009, which focused on under-the-hood improvements over new features. Apple’s engineers are reportedly prioritizing bug fixes, code cleanup, and general system stability alongside the AI additions.

This framing is expected, not confirmed. Apple rarely announces performance work before WWDC.

In our testing across iOS 26 point releases on an iPhone 14 and iPhone 15, incremental updates consistently cut background app reload times and improved Face ID unlock speed. If that pattern continues, the “Snow Leopard” framing has real substance behind it.

#iOS 27 Compatibility and Supported Devices

Apple hasn’t announced the iOS 27 compatibility list yet. The cutoff is expected to stay close to iOS 26. Check iOS 27 compatible iPhones for the latest device reports.

Timing your upgrade around the beta? The iOS 27 beta release date page tracks both the developer and public beta schedules. And before you install, should you install the iOS 27 beta is a fast decision guide covering device risk, backup status, and whether you actually need early access or just want it.

Current baseline: see iOS 26 supported devices.

According to Apple’s iOS 26 announcement, iOS 26 matched iOS 25’s list almost exactly. Apple hasn’t been aggressive about dropping older hardware recently.

#How Does iOS 27 Compare to iOS 26?

iOS 26 introduced the Liquid Glass design system and brought Live Translation, visual intelligence updates, and Workout Buddy on Apple Watch. Apple’s iOS 26 release was its biggest visual redesign in years. iOS 27, by contrast, appears to focus less on what you see and more on what Siri can do with the context of your conversations and installed apps.

If the Siri overhaul arrives as reported, it would change how iPhone handles queries at a structural level, not just cosmetically. iOS 26 gave Siri better individual answers. iOS 27 would give Siri memory across sessions, a dedicated app interface, and access to third-party AI models. That’s a fundamentally different product.

Need to roll back? The downgrade iOS 27 beta to iOS 26 guide has the full process.

#Bottom Line

Start with the accessibility features. They’re the only iOS 27 additions Apple has officially announced, and they’re substantive. VoiceOver Image Explorer and the Action button improvements are real, confirmed, and coming this fall.

Everything else (the Siri app, the Extensions framework, the Photos tools) is credible reporting from Bloomberg and 9to5Mac, not Apple’s own words.

Watch the WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8 (10 AM Pacific). That’s when Apple confirms or cancels each of these reported features, and when developer betas become available to test immediately.

Beta timing is on the iOS 27 beta release date page. Bookmark it for the developer build drop on June 8.

#Frequently Asked Questions