Apple Launches iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate 27 Featuring Siri AI

Apple has released its 2026 major annual operating system updates, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27. The flagship feature across most of these releases is Siri AI, a context aware overhaul of the company's assistant based on large language models. The new Siri can respond to natural language requests, explain on screen content, and search a user's personal history such as emails and text messages. It also features a dedicated Siri app and a new visual appearance resembling a glass orb. While one source notes that Siri AI is driven by Apple developed AFM 3 models, another reports that the foundation models were developed from the ground up with Google's Gemini models, though Apple maintains that no user data is shared with Google.

Additional AI capabilities include the generation of Safari extensions and Shortcut automations from prompts, as well as new photo editing options. However, these Apple Intelligence features are limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer, along with select iPads. Regarding hardware compatibility for the base OS updates, iOS 27 supports iPhones from 2019 and newer, including the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE second generation. iPadOS 27 support varies, excluding the 8th generation iPad and 5th generation iPad Mini.

Design updates include refinements to the Liquid Glass interface. Users now have a slider to adjust the transparency or opacity of the design across the operating system. A center leaning source describes these changes as a much needed polish pass to address user feedback, while a center left leaning source frames the release as focusing more on stability and quality of life improvements rather than the major visual splash of the previous version.