Is your iPhone ready for iOS 27? The biggest AI features expected at WWDC 2026 and rumored compatible devices

Apple is all set to hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. In signature Apple fashion, the tech giant has continued to stay mum on the new features it will unveil at the event but, if history is anything to go by, one should expect to see the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS in action.

Here’s everything you can expect from Apple’s biggest software launch of the year next month.

iOS 27 expected features:

1) Snow Leopard-style update:

As per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s next big software update will reportedly follow the philosophy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which was released back in 2009. That update focused on subtle improvements and quality control rather than headline-grabbing announcements, and the same could be true for iOS 27 as well.

Apple will reportedly focus on reducing bugs and improving performance across iPhones, iPads, and Macs with iOS 27. The company could also prioritize optimizing the software for the upcoming iPhone Ultra/Fold, which, with its rumoured 7.8-inch screen, may behave more like an iPad than a traditional iPhone.

2) Siri makeover:

Apple first announced plans to revamp Siri with iOS 18, but that version never fully arrived. However, after striking a deal with Google, Apple is now said to be bringing a redesigned Siri with not just the previously promised features but also a host of new upgrades.

Here are some of the upgrades Apple could bring to Siri:

Siri in Dynamic Island: Siri is expected to receive a visual redesign currently being tested internally. The new interface was also seemingly hinted at by the glowing visual effects in Apple’s WWDC teaser. Reports suggest Siri could find a place inside Dynamic Island, which may expand with a “Search or Ask” prompt alongside a glowing cursor effect when activated.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes that the glow seen in Apple’s WWDC teaser could be a hint at Siri’s new look.

Personal context: Personal context was one of the headline features Apple originally promised for Siri. With iOS 27, the assistant is expected to gain deeper system-level capabilities.

Reports suggest Siri may be able to control functions across iPhones and Macs while using personal information from messages, notes, and emails to deliver more contextual responses. Apple is also said to be working on enabling Siri to complete actions within apps, including fetching news updates or performing web searches.

Extensions: Apple first gave ChatGPT access to Siri by routing difficult user queries through OpenAI’s chatbot. That capability could now expand further with a new ‘Extensions’ feature that may allow users to plug in third-party AI assistants such as Claude or Gemini.

Reports suggest these extensions could be offered through a dedicated App Store section, allowing users to choose their preferred chatbot experience while creating a new revenue opportunity for Apple.

Dedicated Siri app: Siri is also expected to get a dedicated chatbot app, bringing it closer to competing with ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. The app could include the ability to turn voice mode on or off, upload images and documents, remember past conversations, and search through chat history.

The app is also said to include Apple Messages-like disappearing controls that would let users choose how long conversations are retained, with options including 30 days, one year, or forever.

The feature could still carry a ‘beta’ label when it launches.

Visual Intelligence upgrades:

Apple could also be preparing a bigger push around Visual Intelligence in iOS 27. Reports suggest Siri could get a dedicated mode inside the iPhone camera app, potentially sitting alongside options like Photo, Video, and Portrait.

The feature is expected to let users point their camera at objects or surroundings and ask questions using third-party AI tools such as ChatGPT. Apple is also reportedly testing support for actions like triggering a Google reverse image search directly from the camera interface.

Nutrition tracking:

The camera app may also gain new utility-focused features. One of them could allow users to scan nutrition labels on food packaging and automatically add dietary details to the Health app.

Apple is also said to be working on smarter recognition tools that can scan business cards and instantly save contact details into the Contacts app.

AI-powered photo editing:

The Photos app could also be in line for a major AI upgrade in iOS 27 by bringing some editing tools Android smartphone makers have offered for years.

Reports suggest Apple is developing a new “Apple Intelligence Tools” section within the Photos editing interface.

The new section is tipped to include three tools: Extend, Enhance, and Reframe.

Extend: Users may be able to expand an image beyond its original boundaries and generate additional background content.

Enhance: Apple is reportedly working on an AI-powered enhancement tool capable of improving colour balance, lighting, and image quality automatically.

Reframe: The Reframe tool may focus on spatial photos and allow users to alter perspective after an image has already been captured.

Compatible iPhones:

Reports suggest iOS 27 could be available on all iPhones released after the iPhone 12. However, the new Siri features may remain limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later models due to Apple Intelligence requirements.

Here’s a list of devices expected to support iOS 27:

iPhone SE (3rd generation)