CUPERTINO, Calif. Apple opened its Worldwide Developers Conference 2026 today with the announcement the tech world has been waiting years for: a fundamentally rebuilt Siri. At WWDC 2026, Apple officially unveiled iOS 27, introducing a revamped Siri experience, expanded Apple Intelligence features, and a series of design and usability improvements for iPhone users. The update is expected to reach devices publicly in September, coinciding with the anticipated iPhone 18 launch.
All devices currently running iOS 26 will be able to install iOS 27 as well-meaning anyone still on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max will still benefit from the upcoming upgrades without needing to buy a new phone. Some advanced Apple Intelligence features, however, will remain exclusive to newer hardware due to processing requirements.
The Siri Overhaul Apple Promised and Delayed
For years, Apple teased a smarter, more capable Siri. The AI upgrade was originally announced back in 2024 and was set to arrive as part of iOS 18, but Apple faced significant issues getting everything to work. Today, it finally landed.
The new Siri, officially called Siri AI, is now designed to be an AI-based companion with an updated interface, a dedicated new app, new ways to interact with it on iPhone, and additional smarts including being built upon Google’s Gemini AI model.
The practical difference is significant. When you ask Siri a question, it now displays rich text cards on screen with more information than before, and it’s smart enough to pull personal context from various apps — notes, text messages, calendar entries and more when you ask relevant questions. Apple also claims the new Siri can handle multiple commands at once: checking the weather, reviewing your calendar, and sending a text all in a single request.
Users can still speak to Siri as before, but they can now also chat with it on iPhone the way they would with ChatGPT, Claude, or other chatbots. Apple has built a dedicated Siri app for this, along with a new swipe-down gesture that brings users directly to an “ask” interface from the top of their screen. The assistant also takes up residence in the Dynamic Island, appearing with a new animation whenever a user activates it.
The Siri app will also serve as a hub for past conversations, and users can upload a photo to give Siri more context for queries. Like Messages on iOS, the Siri app will auto-delete chats after a user-defined period.
Liquid Glass Gets More Controllable
Apple executives kicked off the iOS 27 portion of the keynote by addressing Liquid Glass the controversial translucent design language introduced in iOS 26. Users will now be able to further customize Liquid Glass windows, primarily to improve readability, after complaints emerged last year that the new design was difficult for some users to navigate.
A system-wide transparency slider gives users far more control over the Liquid Glass effects, rather than being forced to choose only between the transparent and opaque options previously available. The feature was reportedly planned for iOS 26 but was cut due to technical limitations.
A Smarter, More Searchable iPhone
A new Search index in iOS 27 will catalog the information on a user’s iPhone so they can search for things more easily part of Apple’s broader push to make iOS devices feel more personalized.
The Camera app is also receiving a redesigned, customizable interface with a new “Advanced” mode and widgets, plus a dedicated Siri option for Visual Intelligence. Autocorrect is being expanded to offer grammar-focused alternative word suggestions, in a move that draws comparisons to Grammarly. Apple Wallet is gaining a new “Create a Pass” option alongside an Apple Cash bill-splitting feature.
New Child Safety Tools
iOS 27 introduces a meaningful set of parental controls. Parents will be able to select “essential” apps that kids can access, and children can “ask to browse” certain websites that parents must then approve. Parents can set a list of approved contacts for their kids, and children can request that new contacts be added subject to parental sign-off. New “time allowances” will let parents control how much time kids spend on specific types of apps, including social media, with Screen Time Schedules that can vary day to day.
macOS 27 and Safari Across Platforms
Most of the new Siri integrations on iOS will also be available on macOS 27, with Siri AI now integrated into Spotlight. Users will be able to start a Siri conversation on their iPhone and continue it on their Mac thanks to the dedicated Siri app, which spans Apple’s platforms. A new “organize tabs” feature is also coming to Safari across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS using AI to automatically group browser tabs by topic, such as shopping, travel, or work.
macOS 27 will only be compatible with Apple Silicon, meaning Macs running Intel processors are officially being left behind.
When Can You Get It?
The first developer beta of iOS 27 is available starting today, with a public beta expected in the coming weeks. The stable public release is expected in September 2026, arriving alongside what is expected to be the iPhone 18 lineup.
For iPhone users who have been waiting patiently for Apple’s AI ambitions to match the competition, today’s announcements represent the most substantive step forward the company has taken. Whether the rebuilt Siri now powered by Gemini and packaged in an interface designed to rival ChatGPT can close the gap that has opened over the past two years remains to be seen. But the wait, at least, appears to be over.
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