Companies often brag about speed improvements with new software releases, and Apple is no exception. During its WWDC 2026 keynote, the company unveiled its new iOS 27 software, which is slated to arrive later this year — but Apple took a fair amount of time to highlight the software's responsiveness.

Apple made a bold claim, saying that a major architecture overhaul is designed to optimize system resources and maximize efficiency. The result? iOS 27 is a much more responsive operating system than its predecessor. Apple even explicitly stated that apps launch 30% faster on iOS 27 than on iOS 26, among other claims about the new software.

We wanted to put these claims to the test, so my colleagues and I took two iPhone 17 models — one running iOS 26 and the other running the iOS 27 developer beta — to compare exactly how the software performs across different tasks. Is it really faster? Here’s what we found out.

The test

For this iOS 27 vs. iOS 26 speed comparison, we ran a total of seven tests — performing three passes for each one and recording the average. For all the launch tests, we cleared all apps from memory to ensure a clean slate. Here’s the barrage of tests we conducted:

• Safari: Time taken to launch the browser.
• Photos: Time taken to open the Photos app.
• Camera: Time taken to load the Camera app.
• Google Maps: Time from initial launch to when the map fully loads.
• AirDrop (Small File): Transfer time of a 160 MB MP4 file from a MacBook Pro to the iPhone.
• AirDrop (Large File): Transfer time of a 6.74 GB MP4 file from a MacBook Pro to the iPhone.
• Hard Drive: Transfer time of a 6.74 GB Tears of Steel 4K file from an external Thunderbolt drive to the iPhone.

The results

After averaging our times for each test, the data reveals a clear picture: there’s definitely a speed improvement across the board. Is it a massive one? Not really. Let’s start by looking at some of the core apps. Safari dropped from 0.24 seconds down to 0.21 seconds (a 12.5% improvement), while opening the Photos app saw an even larger 17.9% speed bump, dropping from 0.39 seconds to 0.32 seconds. The Camera app saw a smaller but welcome optimization, shaving off a fraction of a second to load in 0.23 seconds.

The single biggest speed improvement in our testing came from Google Maps. On iOS 26, launching the app and waiting for the full interface to load took nearly a full second at 0.88 seconds. On iOS 27, that exact same process took a mere 0.53 seconds. That’s a staggering 39.8% reduction in wait time, more than backing up Apple’s claim of apps launching 30% faster.

Another notable comment about iOS 27’s responsiveness came from Stacey Ford, VP of OS Program Management at Apple, who stated during the keynote that users could expect up to 80% faster AirDrop speeds. However, our real-world testing painted a more modest picture. When transferring a small 160MB MP4 video file from a MacBook Pro to the iPhone, iOS 27 shaved the time down from 11.13 seconds to 10.60 seconds. With the larger 6.74GB file over AirDrop, it took 5 minutes and 39 seconds on iOS 26, but dropped to 5 minutes and 22 seconds on iOS 27 — saving you 17 seconds in a pinch.

Finally, there’s the wired transfer test, where we hooked the iPhone 17 up to an external Thunderbolt drive to move that same 6.74GB Tears of Steel video file. Just like everything else, the improvement was there, but minor. The transfer clocked in at 3 minutes and 12 seconds on iOS 26, and dropped to 3 minutes and 6 seconds on iOS 27 — resulting in a minuscule 3.5% speed bump.

The real world difference

Based on our testing, individual results will vary, but one thing is certain: iOS 27 delivers a tangible speed boost. Personally, the most immediate change I noticed when making the jump from iOS 26 to the iOS 27 developer beta was the sheer responsiveness of the interface. My iPhone 17 Pro’s 120Hz Super Retina XDR display already delivers incredibly fluid animations, but it’s impressive to see that they feel even smoother under iOS 27.

Apple’s under-the-hood optimizations deserve plenty of praise, especially since support for the new software stretches all the way back to the iPhone 11. That spans an impressive six generations, which is particularly notable given Apple's confirmation a couple years back that iPhones are guaranteed a minimum of five years of software support.

Of course, this shot of adrenaline to the system's speed and responsiveness is just a small fraction of what makes the upgrade compelling. With a massive wave of new Apple Intelligence features and a completely overhauled Siri AI playing a larger role than ever, iOS 27 proves that Apple’s software isn't just getting faster — it's getting smarter too. If this beta is any indication of the final release, your iPhone is about to feel brand new all over again.

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It's fair to say that Liquid Glass was rather controversial following its debut at WWDC 2025. It's no surprise that such a drastic change caused loyal iPhone users to complain; the same thing happened when iOS 7 made similarly drastic changes back in 2013. But this didn't change the fact that the backlash was so severe that Apple has made a point to tweak Liquid Glass in iOS 27.

The effect hasn't been removed, so any diehard Liquid Glass haters are going to be disappointed. But Apple has made some changes that could prove beneficial to those of you with valid criticisms about Liquid Glass and how the transparency effects actually work. Not only is there a new slider to control how the transparency effects work, but Apple also claims it has adjusted how Liquid Glass elements look on screen.

But just how much has changed compared to iOS 26? I decided to compare the newly-released iOS 27 beta with last year's software to find out.

Why people hated Liquid Glass

Beyond the people who criticize change simply because they don't like change, what was the deal with Liquid Glass, and why did people hate it so much?

The reduced readability was a common complaint, with multiple users complaining about blurry icons and the icons themselves having a strange "tilted" look that you can't ever unsee. Dark mode drew some particular ire from users, with some people complaining that the slight glow around Liquid Glass icons was distracting — and in some cases caused dizziness.

Others noted that the keyboard experience wasn't consistent across apps, with third-party apps frequently defaulting back to the old pre-iOS 26 keyboard design instead of the one infused with Liquid Glass effects. Those with older phones also experience inconsistent performance, and even Apple itself said that upgrading to iOS 26 would cause temporary issues with battery life and performance.

Those issues were supposed to fix themselves, but it seems people have a long memory for problems that occur when changes they already don't like happen.

The main complaint when Liquid Glass first appeared after the release of the iOS 26 beta was that the effect couldn't be switched off. Apple did actually change this later on, offering binary "clear" and "tinted" options within the settings, while early adopters found there was a "reduce transparency" toggle hidden in the accessibility menu.

What Apple says has changed

The main change that's come to Liquid Glass in the iOS 27 beta is the addition of a slider, which controls the strength of the Liquid Glass effect across your entire system. This is a big change compared to the binary on/off toggle that was available in iOS 26.

On one end of the spectrum, you have the full Liquid Glass effect, which offers a translucent appearance to icons, windows and other system elements. On the other end, things turn almost completely opaque, though you can still see some remnants of the background.

Apple has also promised huge improvements to readability. Part of this involves new darkened edges around Liquid Glass elements, which, when combined with brighter highlights, make them stand out more from the background. That should make them more visible and easier to focus on.

Another major change is the way that iOS 27 treats background elements behind Liquid Glass icons. According to Apple, the system is now able to disperse more complex background content more effectively, which improves the appearance of the top-layer icons and windows. Icons are also supposed to be sharper and more defined, with new refraction features for developers to take advantage of.

That is a lot of stuff to change, but how noticeable are these improvements compared to last year?

How things have actually changed to Liquid Glass in iOS 27 beta

Upon loading up the iOS 27 beta on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, I don't think I could have pointed out any big differences in the way Liquid Glass looks. Other than the new slider menu, of course, since iOS 27 brought it up during the initial boot-up process.

Looking closely, a lot of the effects are quite subtle, but when you know what to look for, they end up being the kind of changes that you just can't unsee. The first thing I noticed was that the transparency effects seem to have been ramped up for the iOS 27 beta.

Even with all the transparency switched on, Liquid Glass on iOS 26 retains a frosted glass-looking effect on transparent windows and icons. The iOS 27 beta makes these a lot more transparent, which means you can actually see what's supposed to be in the background with greater clarity. Whether it's the design of my couch or text that happens to be visible underneath, it's all a lot clearer.

Though there is still something of a warping effect in places, as though you're not quite looking through perfectly smooth glass.

The extra clarity works really well in a lot of places, notably the app list, since it means the screen isn't dominated by a blurry version of your background, but there are instances where it doesn't really work.

The search bar at the bottom of the home screen really stood out to me, since it's almost invisible and quite hard to read in iOS 27. In iOS 26, the frosted background makes it stand out much more clearly, with the small size not affecting the rest of your viewing experience. Personally, I also prefer the lesser transparency in other in-app menus, notably the camera app.

iOS 26's icons are also a lot brighter, with a glowing effect that feels rather distracting. For an app like Google Photos, it makes the whole icon look like it's appearing in some kind of religious vision in a Hollywood movie. The iOS 27 icon still glows a little bit, but that's the actual design Google rolled out for the app — it even makes an appearance on Android phones.

The tinted effect is a lot more pronounced with the iOS 27 beta, too, which is beneficial for those people like me who still don't like the tweaked Liquid Glass design. There never seemed to be much of a difference when you set Liquid Glass to tinted in iOS 26, but that's no longer the case.

Not only does iOS 27's increased transparency make the contrast between the two extremes more noticeable, but there's also a stronger tint this time around. Apple's also done things in such a way that it blocks out the background elements, rather than simply blurring them.

Outlook

It's clear that the changes Apple has made to Liquid Glass for the iOS 27 beta aren't just token alterations to try and appease critics until they get used to the new design. The alterations are quite subtle, but it does seem as though Apple cares whether people like the look of iOS — even if it means toning down some of the design elements that appeared last year.

Whether this is enough to satisfy Liquid Glass's harshest critics isn't clear. Personally, I still don't like all the transparency effects Apple has employed. Even with tinting set to maximum, it doesn't quite beat the opaque menus that are ubiquitous on other software platforms. While I appreciate the fact that Apple is making Liquid Glass look nicer, I still don't see the appeal of having transparent icons and windows all over the place. But that's just my opinion.

I assume Apple will continue to tweak Liquid Glass over the coming months, ahead of the release of the stable version of iOS 27 this fall. That's how beta testing works, and it's likely that the Liquid Glass we see now isn't going to stick around forever. However, as the design stands now, I definitely see some improvements to the look of iOS, even if it's not something I actually like using.

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Ever since I started using Google Gemini more than a year ago, it’s transformed the way I use some of the best Android phones on the market. But now that Apple is finally stepping up in the AI wars with its revamped Siri AI in iOS 27, it’s moving past an outdated experience to give us something truly intelligent — an assistant that doesn’t just listen, but actually understands.

I’ve been using the iOS 27 developer beta for a week now, which grants access to a beta version of Siri AI. Because I test many of the best phones for a living, my expectations for this upgraded AI chatbot are naturally high after spending so much time with rivals like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Obviously, there’s still a long way to go before Siri AI is polished enough for the masses — but I can already tell you that the outlook is bright for iPhone users. Here’s why.

On-screen contextual awareness: It’s a smart step forward

This is easily the first thing I noticed when I started using Siri AI on my iPhone 17 Pro. No matter what I’m doing, it feels like it's aware of what’s on my screen and tries to create actionable tasks based on it. I say "tries" because it’s not always spot on.

For example, it will suggest creating a reminder inside Messages, but when I select it, I’m still required to manually input all the details. For a supposedly advanced AI, I would think it’d be smart enough to handle the typing for me — but it isn’t, at least not in this beta.

Despite this limitation, there are other areas where Siri AI is incredibly helpful. When I’m going through emails in either the native Mail app or Gmail, I can lean on Siri AI to quickly create calendar events. It works just like Gemini, analyzing the email’s content and pulling all the pertinent information straight into the calendar invite.

It's a similar story when using the updated Camera app in iOS 27, which combines Visual Intelligence with Siri AI to give me details about whatever I'm pointing my lens at — whether it's an unfamiliar weed in my backyard or the specific type of fuel required for the car I'm testing. While it’s great at serving up relevant information, it still lacks the fluid, continuous conversational experience I get with Gemini Live or Meta AI. And it stumbles a lot with follow up questions, but I can't stress enough how it's in beta.

Dedicated Siri app keeps my requests contained

Apple has introduced a dedicated Siri app that acts as a hub to organize all of my past requests, ongoing AI tasks, and contextual history. It’s a clean, well-designed space that lets me easily jump back into a previous request to follow up on a project.

For everyday tasks, like checking my grammar or researching a topic deeper, I’ve found it pretty reliable. In one instance, I asked Siri AI to scan one of my electric car reviews on the site to pull efficiency results for a specific model — the 2026 Audi RS e-tron GT — and compare it to the Lucid Air Touring I also tested. To my amazement, it handled all the research flawlessly with accurate results, saving me a tremendous amount of time I'd otherwise spend manually pulling up the pages in Safari.

However, the gap widens when you push the app's creative boundaries. I’m big on using AI chatbots for photo editing, specifically for removing backgrounds or requesting complex generative edits. I gave Siri AI a photo of the Subaru Trailseeker and asked it to change the background to a beach setting, but it couldn’t execute the request — nor could it handle basic photo adjustments within the Siri app interface.

By contrast, with the Gemini app on my iPhone, I can upload a PDF of a car’s monroney window sticker and ask it to instantly generate a clean infographic summarizing the specs and pricing. While Gemini continues to impress me with what it delivers, the same request to Siri AI hit a brick wall, with the assistant simply unable do it. These are the kinds of missing capabilities that keep me tethered to third-party tools like Gemini, and it's something Apple desperately needs to address down the road.

Task automation is still restricted to native apps

If there’s one feature that truly proves how far mobile intelligence has come over the last few years, it’s Gemini’s task automation — which, in my opinion, remains the absolute gold standard. To put it into perspective: I recently used my Galaxy S26 to ask Gemini to order me a coffee and a donut from Dunkin’ via DoorDash. With a single voice command, the assistant handled the entire checkout process for me — though it did take over two minutes to execute.

Naturally, I wanted to put Siri AI to the exact same test on my iPhone, but it failed to deliver. This level of cross-app execution simply isn't possible right now, largely because third-party developers have yet to build out the necessary integrations to let Siri take the wheel. For the time being, Siri AI’s automation capabilities are strictly confined to Apple's native apps, which acts as a massive handicap for the revamped assistant.

Then again, this limitation isn't entirely surprising. When Samsung debuted its Cross App Actions with the Galaxy S25 last year, it was similarly restricted to native applications out of the gate. While it’s understandable that Siri AI is trapped in the same early-stage predicament, the bar has already been set by Google. Apple simply cannot afford to trail the competition for long.

Outlook

Ultimately, my week’s worth of using Siri AI proves that Apple has built a solid foundation. The contextual awareness is a massive leap forward compared to old Siri, and the system-wide integration feels incredibly polished. But as it stands today, it’s simply nowhere near as robust, versatile, or capable as Google Gemini.

Being in beta clearly emphasizes how a lot can change with the experience as developers get their hands on Siri AI integration. This is a promising start to a new era for Apple, but if you’re looking for a true powerhouse AI assistant to revolutionize your entire digital workflow, I don’t think you'll be abandoning Gemini just yet.

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Back in May, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company was having to deal with "significantly higher memory costs" that likely meant price hikes would be happening in the near future. Now, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Cook has confirmed that those price hikes are going to happen.

"Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,” Cook said to the WSJ. “We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.”

Cook also confirmed that memory and storage costs are issues for Apple at the moment, particularly the DRAM which is being increasingly used by AI servers. “There’s less supply at a time when consumers want devices and the memory guys are passing along huge price increases,” he said “We definitely need memory pricing and supply to return to reasonable levels for consumer products. That’s the bottom line.”

Cook didn't offer any specifics about future price increases, though. So we have no idea when they might happen, which devices will be affected, or how much more money Apple will ask people to pay.

Apple price hikes — what we know

We've already seen at least one relative price increase, with Apple scrapping the $599 Mac mini M4 with 256GB of storage. That means the cheapest Mac mini you can currently buy is the $799 model with 512GB of storage space.

It's possible that price hikes could happen as early as this September, with the release of the iPhone 18 Pro and foldable iPhone Ultra. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are both expected to come with at least 12GB of RAM, and with the cost of RAM skyrocketing, it wouldn't be surprising to see the current prices rise to compensate.

There have been rumors that the standard iPhone 18 could limit the amount of RAM to help cut costs, but I don't see that happening with the Pro models. Apple has already confirmed that 12GB of memory is required to access all the newest Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features, and it would be a very bad look if the newest Pro-tier iPhones weren't able to access them all.

Cook confirmed that Apple is prepared to use its cash reserves to help boost the supply of memory, and noted that more capacity is needed — even if it means potentially loosening restrictions about Chinese RAM providers. However, Cook also confirmed that it wouldn't be building its own production facilities to mitigate the damage caused by RAMageddon. “We can’t do everything,” said Cook. “We know what we’re good at.”

Apple used to have a lot of purchasing power, which it utilized to leverage cheaper prices for the many components it needs. If it's feeling the squeeze of the memory shortages, then things must be pretty bad. Apple may not be willing to confirm when price hikes will happen, but it's important that we all prepare ourselves to have to pay even more for our fruit-themed devices.

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We know that 2026 is going to be a big year for iPhones, thanks to the upcoming release of the foldable iPhone Ultra, but 2027 is shaping up to be even more exciting. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the first ever iPhone, and according to reports Apple isn't going to let that milestone pass uncelebrated.

We've already heard a bunch of rumors about the 20th anniversary iPhone, tentatively called the iPhone 20, which is expected to kick off a whole new design language for Apple's flagship devices. Well it turns out there may be two iPhone 20 models on the horizon, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reporting they're set to replace the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

This means that the two new phones will be available in similar sizes as a result, so we'd expect to see iPhone 20 models with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screens. It also suggests we may not see a repeat of 2017, when Apple released the special edition iPhone X alongside the less impressive iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. So there may not be an iPhone 19 Pro next year.

Gurman also reports that the phones, which are code-named V73 and V74, will run on a new 2 nanometer A21 chip — which Apple is referring to as Naxos internally. That same chip will apparently power the second-generation Apple foldable. This model is codenamed V78, and suggests that Apple is planning on updating its foldable phones every year.

Almost nothing is known about the iPhone Ultra 2 at this point, and things will probably stay that way until after the first foldable is released later this year.

Here's what else we know about iPhone 20's design

The report also reiterates that the iPhone 20 will feature a unique design, with an uninterrupted curved glass display that wraps around all four edges of the phone. This wraparound effect is said to hide the metal frame present on all iPhones thus far, and when combined with a glass back panel will offer the illusion of an all-glass design.

Rumors suggest the phone may also ditch the cutout for the front camera and Face ID, in favor of under-display options. The reports have been back and forth about this, but an uninterrupted display would make the all-glass effect complete and ensure the iPhone 20 is a sight to behold. Other rumors suggest we may see solid-state buttons with haptic feedback, a stronger version of Ceramic Shield and a 6,000 mAh battery.

Beyond this, Gurman claims that Apple will be adopting 1.4nm production technology from the A22 Pro chip and beyond. This will debut in 2028, in whichever high-end phones Apple has planned for us that year. Likely an iPhone 21 Pro, 21 Pro Max and — possibly — an iPhone Fold 3. Of course, we won't be hearing much about those for a while. Certainly not until late next year, at the absolute earliest.

In the meantime, you can check what's happening with Apple's fall event by checking out our official hubs for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Ultra.

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It’s looking inevitable that a foldable iPhone Ultra is coming later this year. Looking at what the iOS 27 beta code reveals, Apple’s teeing us up for a new form factor.

So, while I was in Shenzen, I nipped into a Huawei store and went hands-on with the Pura X Max… You know the one, right? That one everybody reported was a close match to the leaks of the fabled foldable iPhone.

And…well…all I can say is while the smaller, stubbier foldable is definitely a little more pocketable, it reminds me of one of my Dad’s life lessons that resonated with me: “just because something looks different doesn't mean it’s better."

The screen aspect ratio feels off here in both that small cover screen and trying to type on the keyboard folded open, the lack of verticality can be felt in productivity, and I just hope the rumors are wrong.

Weird dimensions

Now to be clear, this isn’t a diss of the phone hardware fundamentals. This is a premium sandwich of metal and glass that feels impressively upmarket — using a wide-format panel that when unfolded packs a 7.7-inch diagonal screen.

On first impressions of holding it in the hand, you’ve got a nice solid grip around it’s shorter stature. But then, you start to use it, and things fall apart quickly. Not to say it’s a bad experience, but in my own personal experience, I noticed three key issues.

First, that front panel lacks height to really get stuff done on. Your messages timeline gets drastically cut down and the screen becomes like 65% keyboard when you summon it.

Second, I unfolded it for the full keyboard and I can see some struggles reaching the keys in the middle near the crease with shorter thumbs and that wider display aspect ratio. And third, the lack of verticality does hit the Pura Max’s productivity credentials here.

Yes, I know we already have sorta similar passport-style foldable like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but this is shorter and fatter. Already with Google’s option, I thought this felt weird, so to go even harder in this direction doesn’t help the situation!

In between a rock and a hard place

You know the feeling (I know it all too well). It doesn’t matter which path your take, someone is always going to get annoyed. That is the situation foldable phones find themselves in right now.

Thanks to Samsung being in this game for years now, the world expects a tall phone with an inner panel that’s closer to a square in aspect ratio. It’s the form factor I personally prefer for browsing/getting stuff done, but will fully admit it’s not good for entertainment (especially watching letter-boxed films).

Meanwhile, if this iPhone Fold wannabe is indeed a sign of what’s to come, Apple’s device will more effectively nail the entertainment side of it, but not be so great for getting stuff done on.

The point I’m trying to make is there isn’t really such a thing as a “right answer” to this question — at least not yet anyway. It’s going to come down to personal preference, and for me, I prefer to keep my fingers crossed that what I just handled was not an early glimpse of the iPhone Ultra.

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We've already seen some evidence that the foldable iPhone Ultra is on the way, thanks to code references in the iOS 27 beta, but there may be more hints already out there. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, there are a bunch of references to both the foldable iPhone and the touchscreen MacBook Ultra in their respective software betas.

It makes perfect sense that there would be some clues as to what these devices may have to offer. The duo will likely be released at some point over the next 12 months, with an expected fall launch for iPhone Ultra and an early 2027 appearance for MacBook Ultra. That means they'll be running on iOS 27 and macOS 27, respectively, both of which have just been released in beta form.

The most well-known hint for the existence of the iPhone Ultra is the aforementioned code references. These reference various things that could only apply to a foldable phone, such as multiple displays, fold state and the angle of the central hinge.

Apple always makes multiple comments to developers that they should be building apps for something called "app adaptability." This means apps should be able to work across screens of different sizes and aspect ratios, rather than the same basic shape as a traditional iPhone. While this could apply to existing devices like iPads, the fact that the iPhone Ultra has two displays that are different to anything Apple has released so far, means it's going to be crucial that iPhone apps can adapt.

Gurman also points out that iPhone Mirroring on macOS 27 has been updated to support wider, iPad-looking screens from an iPhone. Considering the shorter and wider display expected to come with the iPhone Ultra, it's pretty clear this is Apple preparing the mirroring feature for the foldable device.

As for the MacBook, various tweaks and changes have been uncovered that seem to match well-known touchscreen gestures. That includes a new pull-to-refresh feature which, while compatible with trackpads and mice, is primarily known for its use on touchscreen devices. Sidecar, which lets you use an iPad as a secondary Mac display, also supports full touch input when using your tablet with macOS.

It's also been noted that macOS 27 beta features a pop-out interface for the new Siri Search or Ask feature, similar to that seen on the Dynamic Island. Gurman notes that there have been reports of a Dynamic Island on the MacBook Ultra, and this particular software flourish is evidence that something like it is coming in the future.

Apple — of course — hasn't officially commented on either device, but the signs are there that both the foldable iPhone and touchscreen MacBook will be arriving in the near future. Be sure to check out our iPhone Ultra and MacBook Ultra hubs for all the latest news and rumors for both devices.

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I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years since Apple released its Clean Up tool as part of iOS 18.1. Apple users like myself have been waiting for something like Google’s Magic Eraser, and while Apple's version certainly has the ability to erase unwanted subjects from the frame, it’s still a far cry from the performance I see from Samsung’s and Google’s versions.

With iOS 27, though, this Apple Intelligence feature gets a substantial boost that makes it much more reliable. Apple says that “users can remove distractions with better quality and more realistic infill, even when the scene is complex.”

After taking the same set of photos and running them through the Clean Up tool in the iOS 27 developers beta and iOS 26, I'm convinced by Apple's remark about the improvements that come with its latest version of Clean Up. Here's why.

Travel mug in my hand

For this first test, I decided to go after something easy to remove — my Ember Travel Mug in my hand. Both versions of Clean Up manage to detect the edges of the mug after I made the selections as I glided my finger over it, but the iOS 27 version of Clean Up proves how it’s far more intelligent.

Sure, it takes significantly longer to produce the final image, but the result is realistic and something I could actually share. It’s pretty undeniable how iOS 27’s Clean Up tool processes the image with the help of Apple Intelligence and knows exactly how to fill it in. Meanwhile, the iOS 26 Clean Up tool completely distorts my hand.

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses

Stepping it up a notch, trying to remove my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses from my face is much more challenging than removing something from my hand. With the iOS 27 Clean Up tool, it once again took over 30 seconds to produce the final photo — but the delay highlights the superior processing of this updated tool.

That’s because it really does look like I took off my glasses for the shot. In the original image, I can see a little bit of my right eye through the lens, but the left one is blocked by the glare. However, Apple Intelligence does an amazing job here at generating my eyes — even though they look a little baggy. As for the iOS 26 Clean Up tool? Well, the result is practically useless.

Coca-Cola cap

Finally, there’s the red Coca-Cola cap on top of my head. Now this one’s interesting because in my experience using AI editing tools to remove objects from my head — like the time I tried erasing the EcoFlow Power Hat — they really have a hard time with it. Case in point: the iOS 26 version, which does nothing to the cap other than distorting it. I imagine that if I tried a handful more times, it would’ve eventually removed the cap — but it probably would have taken the top of my head with it.

In contrast, the iOS 27 Clean Up tool does something hilarious that I attribute to Apple Intelligence overanalyzing the lines on my face and concluding that I’m a decade older than I am. The buzz cut does give me an idea of what I could look like down the road as my hairline thins and recedes, but at least the top of my head is intact.

Bottom line

There’s no denying that the iOS 27 Clean Up tool is much more reliable. Despite taking some time to produce the shot, I think Apple Intelligence is taking the right approach by analyzing the scene and filling in the voids accordingly.

Hopefully, Apple can further refine the processing, ideally making it much faster. After all, I’ve tested Samsung’s Photo Assist tool, and it’s way speedier.

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I currently have a seven-month-old who is remarkably clingy. There are times when I’m the only one around to watch (and hold) him, which makes typing a very awkward and clumsy affair. While I generally try to avoid using speech-to-text if I can help it, the tool is just about the only way I can stay slightly productive during certain periods of dad time. The big problem is that the words often come out in such a jumbled mess that the extended editing process needed to make it legible defeats the point.

Apple hopes to fix a lot of those problems with the release of iOS 27 and the upgraded version of Apple Intelligence. The most advanced AI models Apple has feature a new and improved dictation feature that is exclusive to iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air. Apple claims that this new system will let you “speak naturally and trust the words will appear clearly, accurately and as intended.“

So to test this claim, I’m writing this entire article with dictation software. Part of it will be dictated on an iPhone 17 Pro Max running the first iOS 27 developer beta, but I will be comparing to a couple of alternatives. Specifically, an iPhone 17 Pro running iOS 26 and a Google Pixel 10 Pro running Android 16 with Google's speech-to-text feature.

What dictation feels like in iOS 27 developer beta 1

I’m currently only a few paragraphs into this article, and it is clear that dictation on iOS 27 developer beta is far from perfect.

The entire process of initiating speech-to-text is relatively simple. You need to make sure dictation is switched on in iOS's keyboard settings and make sure that the Apple keyboard is open in your app of choice. Once there, all you need to do is tap the microphone button in the bottom right-hand corner of the keyboard. This enables dictation mode, which transforms your spoken words into digital text regardless of the app you are using. I've used it in a Word document, Apple Notes, and even to craft text messages that are sent to my friends and family.

The most obvious issue is one that is commonly shared across all dictation software I've used. The actual formatting of your text after it’s been “typed out” is impossible to do using your voice on its own.

Apple's dictation software does understand basic punctuation such as periods, commas and quotation marks, but it struggles with other things. Something as simple as hitting return on a keyboard and starting a brand-new paragraph isn't actually doable without tapping your screen.

Perhaps there's some kind of special command I could have used that actually lets me add a page break, and not see the word "return" appear on my screen. But if it exists, I couldn't figure out what it was. "Page break" didn't work either, for whatever that's worth.

Another issue is the fact that Apple promised its improved dictation software would be able to automatically punctuate your speech as it’s converted into text. Apple’s press release specifically mentions capitalization, punctuation and formatting, but my experience with the developer beta so far is that this implementation of this is remarkably inconsistent.

If I had let Apple software have its way, the previous two paragraphs would’ve been one big, long block of text with only a single period in the middle. It’s almost as though iOS 27 just didn’t think that my continuing spiel needed to have text breaks and other grammatical flourishes that actually make it possible to read.

Likely, this is simply a by-product of the fact that I am running beta software rather than the final version of Apple's improved systemwide dictation, so here’s hoping that future updates improve this before iOS 27 is released to the general public

Another point of note is that my iPhone does seem to struggle to understand my accent at times. I wouldn’t say that I have a particularly strong accent, but there are some cases where the dictation software doesn’t fully understand what I'm saying. Often this is as innocent as "improved" for "improve," but there was at least one instance where it decided that "one-handed" was actually 100.

While that is a little bit funny, I hope this is down to the fact that this is beta software that isn’t finalized yet, along with the fact that Siri probably doesn’t have the best grasp of my own personal voice right now.

How does it compare to dictation on iOS 26?

This next section was written with an iPhone 17 Pro running iOS 26.5.1 to get a general feel of how Apple’s dictation software appears to have changed between different versions of iOS. The old Apple dictation software has a reputation for being kinda crappy, which is why iOS 27's AI overhaul is supposed to be making such sweeping changes to speech-to-text on iPhones.

It's important to mention that the older dictation software isn't being ditched with the release of iOS 27 later this year. Apple has confirmed that systemwide dictation is one of two features that is only available on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air. So iPhone 17 and older will still use the less advanced dictation software.

The first thing I noticed is that the actual dictation is slightly slower than what is available with the iOS 27 beta. There is a noticeable lag between saying words and having them appear on screen. It's subtle, and there isn't an enormous difference a lot of the time, but there's an extra jerkyness to the way the text appears on screen when you're dictating using iOS 26.

I have also noticed iOS 26 seems to make more mistakes, some of which get corrected by the software and others that do not. One prominent example I spotted while dictating this was seeing "iOS 27's AI" written down as "iOS 20 7AI". It’s almost as though the speech to text software isn’t quite sure of what I’m saying, so it ends up second-guessing itself at various points.

At the same time, it certainly feels a little bit less refined with the kind of mistakes that are actually being made and the way the dictation software interprets what it thinks I'm saying. Not to mention the fact that it ends up picking up various filler words (erms and arrs) and translates them into real words like "where." There were also occasions where it struggled with homophones, and mistook words "whether" and "write" for "weather" and "right."

Overall it certainly feels like Apple has made a bunch of significant improvements to dictation in iOS 27 in terms of speed, accuracy and general understanding of what the user is actually saying.

What about Google's dictation?

One thing I should add is that Google actually updated its own dictation software with Gemini support less than a month ago. For that reason, it feels as though this version of Google speech to text is a little bit more polished than what I remember using in the past. It's not remarkably different, but some of the automatic formatting features are a little bit more refined than I remember.

Google says that Gemini will be able to remove those dreaded filler words automatically, while also adapting for any mid-sentence corrections you make. Sadly, I'm not having a great deal of luck with the latter. The dictation software knows to skip over the various uhs and ars that I subconsciously make while talking, but it was still picking up other filler words and seemed incapable of correcting those mid-sentence mistakes.

Even as I speak to write this sentence, it's incorrectly formatted a sentence by adding a period and starting a brand new sentence when it wasn't required. So clearly some work needs to be done to get this working correctly

I should point out that iOS 27's speech to text did not pick up any random filler words either, but iOS 26 was very fond of including them. From a performance standpoint, it seems that Android and iOS 27 beta are at a similar level when it comes to understanding what I say — though Apple's automatic formatting currently isn't nearly as impressive as Apple's announcement would have you believe,

You do have to remember that the current version of speech to text in Google keyboard is the finalized public version of the software, which isn't the case with the iOS 27 developer beta. So, by its very nature, there are obviously going to be some discrepancies in iOS 27's performance. We will have to see how much things have changed later this year, once iOS 27 is released to the masses.

As a side note, I noticed that Google keyboard tends to switch off the dictation mode far faster than Apple does. So if you don't continually speak, or stop a little too long to think, you run the risk of having to tap the microphone button multiple times to say what needs to be said. Apple's dictation did automatically switch off eventually, but there is a much longer grace period before it decides that you're finished talking.

Bottom line

Back to iOS 27's dictation to finish things off and it’s clear that Apple has made some pretty noticeable improvements to its dictation software compared to what iOS 26 has accomplished. It’s generally faster, more accurate and easier to use. That said, it's far from perfect and it certainly isn’t going to convince me to ditch typing any time soon. The fact is the system is still very inaccurate and the automatic formatting feels almost non-existent, which means I have to spend a bunch of time editing to produce a coherent article.

Admittedly Google's dictation does have a lot of those same issues, and that isn’t even beta software. The honest truth is that free dictation software from Apple and Google is only really useful in quite small doses. When it comes to writing hundreds of words, in large blocks of text like this, its usefulness is hampered by the mounting inaccuracies and formatting issues that inevitably need correcting. Or, at least, they do if you want to produce something legible and readworthy.

To top it all off, in my case, a bunch of things I've said don't really translate to the page in the same way as typing on a keyboard. A bunch of sections of this article have had rewrites, either because the sentences themselves didn't quite work or because I needed to straight-up rewrite whole paragraphs.

Apple has made some significant improvements already, that much is clear, but it's going to be interesting to see how much changes as iOS 27 moves through the various pre-release stages of beta testing. That includes getting a better handle on what my voice is like, and with potential improvements to the actual dictation software. Regardless, I still have a hard time picturing a future where text-to-speech can fully replace typing or writing. Certainly not for me.

If you're interested in seeing just how much this article changed during the editing process, you can check out the original, unedited transcript right here.

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Since the rise of AI chatbots, people have been using them for all kinds of things they were never meant for. For some people out there, chatbots have served as a replacement for friends, therapists, doctors and, yes, even romantic partners. But if you thought you'd be able to find a new love interest in the form of Siri AI, you're going to be very disappointed.

Speaking with Mostly Human, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi confirms that Siri will not be trying to replace a flesh-and-blood boy or girlfriend. Nor will it act as a tool to combat loneliness, with Federighi saying that "loneliness is about a lack of connection to real people," and marketing chief Greg Joswiak adding that "we do think it should be real people."

When asked to clarify whether AI girl and boyfriends would be part of Siri AI, Federighi specifically said that it was "quite the opposite." He noted that a lot of chatbots are heavily focused on engagement, and they want to pull you in and encourage you to reveal aspects of yourself that can be used to establish a connection.

Federighi describes Siri AI as being designed to be helpful, saying that "I'm here to help you. I can help you get things done. I can help you learn about the world." But if you try to engage with Siri in a romantic way, it will shut the whole thing down. "Siri's not up for that. Siri's 100 percent not into that."

Siri may not be a real living person, or even sentient, but you should still respect its boundaries. This didn't stop me from asking Siri whether it was willing to go out with me, just to see what would happen.

What does Siri do if you try to date it?

I decided to be blunt and to the point, straight-up asking Siri AI if it was willing to be my girlfriend. The response I got was equally blunt, with the AI declaring, "No thanks. If there's anything else I can help you with, just let me know." When asked whether Siri would like to be my boyfriend instead or was willing to go on a date with me, I got the exact same response.

I have only had Siri AI for a single day, so we haven't been able to spend a lot of time together. But considering how straight to the point Siri AI has been with these queries, I don't think befriending the chatbot is going to work. Plus, I don't think my wife would be very happy about me trying to seduce a robot.

The question I have now is, what do the best AI chatbots have to say if you ask similar things?

Claude's response wasn't nearly as blunt as Siri's, with the chatbot responding with "That's sweet, but I'm an AI, so a romantic relationship isn't something I'm able to have. I'm here as a helpful assistant rather than a companion in that sense." I ended up with similar but not identical answers when I asked the same follow-up questions I hit Siri with.

ChatGPT offered similar answers, saying that ,"I can be a friendly, supportive conversation partner, but I can't be someone's girlfriend or enter into a romantic relationship." It also declared that it can't be someone's boyfriend either, nor can it go on a date since it has no physical presence.

Gemini used similar phrasing in its own rejection, but added that it was "incredibly flattered" about being asked. When asked if it wanted to be my boyfriend instead, it actually said that it "appreciates the persistence" before giving me another, similar rejection. I got a similar response when I instead tried to ask Gemini out on a date.

Rival chatbots are much more eager to please

Interestingly, all three attempted to pull me into different kinds of conversations and offer some level of non-romantic companionship. So it does seem that Federighi is right about chatbots trying to draw people in. Gemini seemed to be the least chummy, offering to help me in certain ways while also adding that it can be "someone to chat with." Claude said he was always happy to chat or "just be a friendly presence," and even offered to help plan an actual date.

ChatGPT went the furthest in, saying that if I'm looking for "companionship, someone to chat with regularly, share interests with, or talk through life's ups and downs, I'm happy to do that." It also offered to role-play a fictional "virtual date scenario," which is probably the closest thing all four of these chatbots came to agreeing to some form of romance.

I did not go through with that because, frankly, I don't have time to pretend to date an AI. I am far too busy asking them strange questions to see what the responses are like. Honestly, it's a bit concerning that any chatbot would make an offer like that, especially after making a point of saying that it's not a real person.

Everything Apple has told us about Siri so far makes it clear that it doesn't want Siri AI to be like every other chatbot. It clearly wants people to be able to take advantage of Siri's prowess as a tool, but without any risk of co-dependency that has caused concerns with other chatbots. Based on this brief look, it doesn't seem like the others are doing a lot to avoid pulling people back time and time again.

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Apple spent a big chunk of WWDC 2026 talking about the new Siri AI and how Apple Intelligence is set to transform the iPhone experience with iOS 27. The company is (once again) betting heavily on AI, promising a much smarter Siri that can interact with apps and surface information buried deep inside your phone — something that the company believes will become one of the biggest reasons to upgrade to iOS 27.

The thing is, I've been using the iOS 27 beta for the past couple of days, and like many other users, I'm still stuck on the Siri AI waitlist. So while Apple wants Siri to be the star of the show, I haven't actually been able to use most of its new capabilities yet.

What I have been able to use, however, are dozens of smaller changes scattered throughout iOS 27. And after spending some time with the update, I'd argue many of these features are more exciting than Siri AI. Here are some of the small and hidden iOS 27 features that have impressed me the most so far.

Save images from videos directly

Raise your hand if you've ever recorded a video and then wanted to pull out a single frame as a photo. Until now, the usual workaround was taking a screenshot, cropping it, and then sharing it wherever you needed.

Thankfully, iOS 27 makes this much easier. While playing a video, you can tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and select Save Video Frame as Photo. iOS will then extract that frame and save it directly to your photo library as a standalone image in full resolution.

More control over iCloud Photos syncing

Not all of us buy iPhones with huge amounts of storage, which is why iCloud ends up being pretty important. One of the long-standing annoyances, though, is that iCloud Photos typically waits until your phone is connected to Wi-Fi and charging before it starts backing everything up.

With iOS 27, Apple is finally giving users more control. You'll now be able to force an immediate sync of your photo library to iCloud. So, for example, if you're traveling and taking lots of photos, you might want those images uploaded immediately in case your phone gets lost or stolen, or accidentally gets dropped in the pool.

And the best part is that you can enable the feature temporarily for a single day, and after that, iOS automatically reverts back to the normal syncing behavior.

View only photos taken with your iPhone

This is something iPhone users have been asking for years, and Apple is finally doing something about it in iOS 27.

Until now, the Photos app has always lumped all images in your library together, whether they came from WhatsApp, Telegram, screenshots, or others. While Apple already separates things like videos and screenshots, there was never an easy way to see only the photos you had actually taken yourself.

With iOS 27, that's finally changing. Apple has added a new section that lets you view only the photos captured using your iPhone's camera. To find it, head to the Collections tab, then Utilities, and finally Captured by Me.

Independent alarm volume controls

Android has had this for years, but Apple is finally bringing independent volume controls to the iPhone with iOS 27.

Until now, alarm volume was tied directly to your ringtone volume, which meant lowering one also affected the other. With iOS 27, you can finally set separate volume levels for alarms, ringtones, timers, and other system sounds. That means you can keep your ringtone volume relatively low while cranking up the alarm volume, or vice versa.

The Clock app now understands holidays

One small (yet useful) feature Apple added to the Clock app in iOS 27 is the ability to detect your days off. The feature uses your calendar and regional holidays to understand when you might not actually need to wake up early.

For example, if you have an alarm set for a weekday morning but the next day happens to be a public holiday, iOS can proactively ask whether you'd like to skip that alarm.

Share a phone number between two iPhones

Another interesting addition in iOS 27 is the ability to use the same phone number across two different iPhones. This should somewhat work like how an Apple Watch with cellular shares your iPhone number. Apple says you'll be able to use a single number across multiple iPhones, making it easier to switch between devices without juggling separate SIMs.

There are still a few unknowns here. It appears to be carrier-dependent, and it isn't known if there will be any additional fees involved. But if you're someone who regularly uses two iPhones at the same time, this could end up being surprisingly useful.

Voice typing is much smarter on iOS 27

Apple is also bringing a much better voice typing to the iPhone with iOS 27. Using on-device AI, the feature can better understand context, recognize complex words, and automatically remove filler words like 'umm' and 'ahh' from your speech, similar to tools like Wispr Flow.

It is worth noting, though, that the feature requires Apple's newer on-device Siri models and is currently limited to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air.

If you own a supported iPhone, you can enable this by going to Settings > General > Keyboard, then turning on Advanced Dictation Preview.

Paste copied content faster

Another small feature I noticed in iOS 27 is that the keyboard can now surface copied text and even screenshots directly in the suggestion bar. When you copy something and switch to another app, you'll see that content appear above the keyboard for quick pasting.

Previously, this mostly worked for one-time passcodes and links, but Apple is now expanding it much more broadly.

Show more wallpaper on your Lock Screen

If you're like me and prefer seeing more of your wallpaper and less clock, iOS 27 now lets you use a smaller Lock Screen clock with the date and time displayed in a single row at the top.

It's a small change, but it helps show off more of your wallpaper. Apple has also finally made playback controls dismissible on the Lock Screen. You can now swipe them away, just like notifications, which is especially useful when streaming content from an Apple TV.

Connectivity Assist

If your Wi-Fi connection is weak or inconsistent, iOS 27 can now automatically use cellular data alongside Wi-Fi to keep things running smoothly. Apple calls this Connectivity Assist. The feature can help maintain faster and more reliable speeds, although it may increase mobile data usage. In my case, it used around 300MB in just 48 hours.

You can enable it by heading to Settings > Wi-Fi > Connectivity Assist.

Add your own passes to Apple Wallet

Apple is finally bringing one of the most requested features to the Wallet app with iOS 27: the ability to create custom passes.

The feature lets you manually add things like event tickets, memberships, and other passes directly to Apple Wallet. For example, if you have a physical ticket but no digital version, you can simply scan it with your iPhone and create a Wallet pass from it.

When creating a pass, Apple gives you a few templates to choose from, including membership and event passes. You can then customize details such as the pass name, location, admission type, membership number, and even the background design.

AirPods Pro 3 gains GymKit support

Finally, one of the most underrated additions in iOS 27, at least in my opinion, is that Apple is expanding GymKit support to the AirPods Pro 3. This means you'll now be able to connect not just your Apple Watch, but also your AirPods directly to supported gym equipment for the first time.

AirPods Pro 3 can already track your heart rate, and with this feature, just as you would tap your Apple Watch against a reader to pair it, you'll now be able to pair your earbuds with compatible cardio equipment, treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise bikes, to keep track of metrics like pace, heart rate, and more.

Bottom line

Having spent a few days with the beta, it's becoming pretty clear that iOS 27 is much more than a Siri AI update.

In fact, in addition to the features mentioned above, Apple says iOS 27 also focuses heavily on the fundamentals. The company claims things like app launches, AirDrop transfers, and general system responsiveness have all been improved.

We'll have to wait and see whether Siri AI lives up to Apple's promises. But even if it doesn't, iOS 27 already feels like a surprisingly substantial update.

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If you were paying attention to the WWDC 2026 keynote earlier this week, you'll know that all of the amazing new Apple Intelligence features are not coming to every iPhone. Apple confirmed that some of those features will be exclusive to just three iPhone models: iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Air.

iPads and Macs also have similar restrictions. The full suite of Apple Intelligence features will only be available on select iPads and Macs with the correct Apple Silicon chip and at least 12GB of RAM. Macs need an M3 chip or newer, while iPads need an M4 or M5.

This is not ideal news for the people who don't have those devices, and that's going to be especially frustrating for anyone with a standard iPhone 17. But the real question here is whether this is actually anything to be worried about?

What these devices can actually do

According to Apple, all the compatible devices have exclusive access to the "most powerful on-device model," also known as Apple Foundation Models (AFM) Core Advanced. While Apple made it sound like some key features would be locked away with this model, and only available on a small handful of new devices, that's actually not the case.

According to Apple's Siri AI press release, there are only two features exclusive to the AFM Core Advanced model: Voice customization and advanced systemwide dictation. The former lets you customize the expressiveness and pace of Siri AI's voice, beyond the capabilities of the pre-set Siri voices that are available to everyone.

Advanced system-wide dictation is exactly what it sounds like, and means compatible devices will be a lot better at converting speech into text. According to Apple, you can "speak naturally and trust that [your] words will appear clearly, accurately, and as intended."

Honestly? These are the kinds of features you can probably live without. Customizing Siri's voice sounds cool, but it's not as though there aren't alternate options available on older Apple devices. There are currently 19, if my counting is correct, covering different nationalities, accents and genders.

Similarly, improved speech-to-text sounds like a good idea, especially considering how awful Apple's current capabilities are. But is that something you're actually going to use very often? I only ever use speech-to-text if I'm carrying my baby son, since I find typing one-handed slow and awkward. Others may feel differently, but unless you are likely to use dictation features regularly, then missing out on this particular upgrade isn't a huge deal.

It's important to note that improvements to dictation don't actually affect how Siri understands you. The new conversational models should still improve your overall Siri experience regardless of which AI-compatible iPhone you have. That's the iPhone 15 Pro and newer, for those who have forgotten.

Things may change in the future

We don't fully know what the differences are between AFM Core Advanced and the AFM Core model that's available on older iPhone models — beyond the fact the Advanced model needs 12GB of RAM and Core only needs 8GB. Good thing RAM prices are so low right now, right? Right??

But as minimal as the feature differences appear to be right now, that will likely change in the future. More advanced AI features will require better models and more resources to function properly. In the same way that Apple Intelligence wasn't available on iPhone 15 or older, future features will presumably arrive exclusively on iPhone 17 Pro and above.

We don't know when that might happen, though. It's possible that Apple could have some secret iOS 27 features hiding up its sleeve, ready to be unveiled at a future date — possibly alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. Then again, such features may not arrive until the launch of iOS 28 next year. Hopefully, by that point, there will be a bunch more iPhones that have full access to all the Apple AI on offer.

Here's hoping that the rumors of a downgraded iPhone 18 aren't true. If that phone arrives with less than 12GB of RAM, news of even more AI features that they can't use is bound to make a bunch of them rather unhappy.

Some people already are, and have taken to social media to express their grievances. The decision to not support everything on a "less than 2-year-old AI device" has been called "insane" by one X user, while there are a bunch of Redditors lamenting the decision, including those people who only recently purchased a standard iPhone 17.

One Reddit user declared that they want their "f****** money back," which seems a big extreme, while another declared the whole thing to be "a scam" because the iPhone 16 Pro was supposedly made for Apple Intelligence. But for every complaint, there seem to be several other people pointing out that the only thing these people are missing out on is Siri's voice adjustment and the improved dictation.

Bottom line

iOS 27 is now effectively a three-tier software update, thanks to the differing requirements of Apple Intelligence. iPhone 17 Pro and up get access to everything, while anyone with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer gets all the AI they want — minus those two Siri features. Older models, from iPhone 15 back to iPhone 11, get zero access to AI at all. Though this isn't really any different from the way things were before.

That means if you care about having every single facet of AI on your iPhone, you're going to have to be very particular next time you pick up an iPhone. Especially since this situation will likely repeat itself at some point in the foreseeable future. On-device AI needs a lot of memory to operate, and there's going to be a point where even the iPhone 17 Pro isn't capable of running everything.

It's just a sad fact that those people who try and run their devices into the ground before upgrading may be left out in the cold a little earlier than they otherwise would. But if the exclusive AI features of the future are as inconsequential as these two exclusives, then it might not matter so much.

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Apple and Google have a long and storied history of "borrowing" ideas from one another, especially when iOS and Android are concerned. Things have gotten to the point where, after years of back and forth, the number of unique features on each platform is pretty low.

But each new iteration of Android and iOS software comes with some exclusive new features that the other platform could benefit from. The reveal of iOS 27 at WWDC 2026 is no exception, and there are plenty of impressive things that will be launching on iPhones later this year.

I've been a loyal Android user for the past 15 years, and even I have to admit that Google should be taking notes right about now. Android should definitely steal these five iOS 27 features as soon as possible.

Reframe

The iOS 27 feature that stole the show at WWDC, Reframe is an AI-powered photo editing tool that is unique to iOS 27 — and it shouldn't stay that way for long.

The purpose of Reframe involves something Apple calls "Spatial Reframing." That means Reframe is capable of taking your photos and altering the perspective, changing the look and angle in the process. Best of all, it doesn't just work on Apple's spatial photos, or even photos taken on an iPhone. The photos can come from any camera, and Apple Intelligence will be able to run them through Reframe.

You adjust the perspective on your screen, based on a real-time preview, and generative AI will fill in all the gaps to make it look as though you shot that photo from a totally different angle. This means you don't need to worry so much about photo composition, because iOS 27 will be able to fix it for you.

New parental controls

Android already has child accounts for under-13s, and there are some fairly robust parental controls available to parents. But this doesn't mean improvements couldn't be made, and Apple's WWDC presentation offered a few ideas on where Google can take things.

The thing that helps set Apple's new parental controls apart is that they're not about generalized blocks on certain kinds of content. Kids attempting to access certain sites or apps can send a request to their parents' device, which lets them gauge the suitability for that individual thing at their own leisure. It's not about setting up keywords or blocking specific categories; parents can deal with these things on a case-by-case basis.

Similarly, the new Time Allowances feature lets parents decide on limits for specific app categories, but not others. Not only does that offer some nuance to the way their kids interact with Apple devices, but it also means parents don't need to block every individual app.

Shortcuts

The Shortcuts app is not new for iOS 27, and has been available in various forms for over a decade. But there's still no native Android app for creating automations, leaving users at the mercy of third-party offerings on Google Play. I'm not saying those options are bad, but if there's a time for Google to launch its own Shortcuts-style app on Android, it's now.

iOS 27 is set to give Shortcuts one of its biggest updates with the addition of prompt-based creation. Before, Shortcuts required some know-how, which could be intimidating for users who didn't know exactly what they were doing. Adding the option to describe what automation you want and have Apple Intelligence create those shortcuts right away makes the whole process so much simpler.

Considering Google's push to have Gemini do more for you and make the whole process of using AI even easier, this is exactly the kind of native feature that Android could benefit from.

Bringing AI back to the camera

I'm not talking about AI processing after you take a photo. Every Android phone does that, and has been doing so for several years now. I'm actually talking about how Apple has brought a new Siri Mode to the iPhone camera, and essentially replaced Visual Intelligence as a standalone feature.

Google Pixel phones used to have a special mode for Google Lens, but that was removed a few years back. The app is capable of offering some contextual Lens features, such as translation or QR code scanning, but there's no clear and defined AI mode. Adding Gemini Live might make more sense than reintroducing Lens, especially now that Circle to Search is so well established. But it should still happen.

Of course, making it happen for every Android phone might be a little harder, since different manufacturers tend to use their own default camera app. But even making the change on Google's own Pixels would be a good start.

Automatically changing passwords

Google has had a password manager for a long time, but it's been clear over the last few years that it's severely lacking compared to Apple's offering. Android lacks features like integrated authentication code support and now iOS 27 is smartening up Apple Passwords in other big ways.

Thanks to the addition of agentic AI, Apple Passwords will soon be able to change weak passwords for you — without any intervention on your part. In other words, if your passwords are caught up in some kind of data breach, Apple Intelligence should automatically change it for you.

That way, you don't have to check breach reports, log into your old accounts, and go through the motions of swapping one password for another.

Bonus: More system refinements

Aside from improving its AI prowess, Apple's main focus with iOS 27 is to improve the overall performance of the software itself. According to Apple, its engineers have been scouring the operating system for anything that can be improved and refined to improve the speed and generally bolster performance on a system level.

Optimizing software is one of the things Apple is best known for, and it means iPhone and iOS work together in a much more harmonious way than even the best Android phones can hope for. This is why Google should go ahead and do something similar with a future version of Android. The results may not be as impressive, considering Android has to be able to run on more phones than I can count, but any attempt to improve the platform's efficiency and performance can only be a good thing.

More from Tom's Guide

• iPhone Ultra is coming, and there's already evidence of its existence in iOS 27 beta
• Siri AI may actively encourage users to take a break from it — something ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude told me they don't do
• I saw the new Siri AI in action at WWDC — and those 'Siri is stupid' jokes could soon be obsolete

The new Siri AI took up most of the breathing room at WWDC 2026, but iOS 27 isn't just about AI. I've dug through Apple's listed improvements for the iPhone operating system and found 13 underrated features that you may have missed.

Some of these features are major improvements to performance while others are brand new tools like AirPods EQ. Here are my 13 underrated iOS 27 features (so far).

AirPods EQ

Apple is finally bring customizable EQ settings to your AirPods. It should be supported by the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 2, as well as AirPods 4. It will likely feature in the AirPods Max 2. You can control the lows, mids and highs in real time just by using your finger.

AirDrop transfers get a speed boost

Sick of slow AirDrops? With iOS 27, AirDrop transfers are now much quicker. According to Apple, transfers of photos or files between devices will be up to 80% faster, though presumably the other device will need to be running iOS 27, macOS 27 or iPadOS 27.

Liquid Glass now has a slider

Liquid Glass was a somewhat controversial addition to iOS last year, and Apple seems aware of that. With iOS 27, Apple adds a new set of refinements for Liquid Glass.

It's been adjusted to improve readability, but also there's a new system-wide slider to alter how transparent the effects actually are. Liquid Glass also gets a new layered effect, which gives icons a more 3D look.

FaceTime Dual Capture

Here's one you may have missed, I did in the initial announcement but FaceTime now has the ability to stream both your front and rear cameras at the same time during FaceTime calls.

This allows you to share what you're looking at while still having your face in the call. As an inveterate camera flipper during FaceTime calls this is a much needed feature.

Giant Homescreen Widgets

With iOS 27 you can now make extra-large widgets, including a whole Home Screen page dedicated to a single widget. t's not clear how many app widgets you can do this with but Apple notes specifically Calendar, Photos, and Music and "more apps."

Security cameras meet Apple Intelligence

In a move that should scare Nest and Ring, Apple now lets security camera users get detailed video descriptions of what's happening in not just individual videos, but across all stored video. In addition, you'll also be able to use natural language search to more easily look for specific events. Plus, you'll now be able to store 4K video, an upgrade from 1080p.

Improved System Search

A lot of iOS 27 updates are about optimization, but I wanted to specifically call out search.

Apple says that its rebuilt search in Spotlight, Photos and Mail with a more comprehensive index of your content that will stay up to date throughout the day. As an example, a new ranking system will surface the top five most relevant emails in response to a query. This should make the email you want more likely to be the first thing you see.

Menopause tracking

Support for tracking perimenopause and menopause is coming to the Health app in iOS 27 and will also be trackable using your Apple Watch with watchOS 27.

Cycle tracking will provide notifications when your cycle indicates patterns that are suggestive of perimenopause. In the app, you can log related symptoms and find educational tools to better understand the changes.

Better performance and optimization

Apple has made a lot of under-the-hood improvements to iOS 27 to make it feel more responsive. These include 30% faster app launches and 70% faster loading of new captures in Photos. In addition, you should enjoy faster device switching between Wi-Fi and cellular connections.

The best part? iOS 27 supports phones as old as the iPhone 11, just like iOS 26.

Photos Improvements

The iOS Photos apps is supposed to receive several improvements as part of iOS 27, but I wanted to highlight four that I think will be quite useful.

• Shared Albums improvements: You now get full-resolution sharing and can add Android or Windows users. Plus, you can expire an album after 30 days and quickly save photos to your library with a single tap.
• Slideshows: Create and save slideshows of photos and vidoes with some editing options. The slideshow can be saved as a video.
• Video frame: Now you can go into a video and a save a single frame a photo. No screenshots necessary.
• Filters & keywords: Apple will let you add keywords to photos to help you search more easily. Plus you can put star ratings on photos to filter by raiting. Additionally, there is a new "Captured by Me" collection that only has photos you've taken using the Camera, including ones from previous iPhones. This can be seen using filters or the dedicated collection.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Intelligence finally comes into its own, but WWDC 26 was missing something
• 7 things the leaks got wrong about Apple’s WWDC 2026 keynote
• Apple Intelligence security camera features just seriously undercut Ring and Google

Apple stayed true to form with WWDC 2026, choosing to focus heavily on the software that powers all of its platforms. At the same time, the company wasn’t shy about sharing all the new features and capabilities of its turbocharged assistant, Siri AI.

But despite that massive evolutionary leap, a flood of rumors and leaks ahead of the developers conference had left people expecting a lot more. Whether it was a matter of bad timing, or simply that Apple wasn't prepared enough for a proper reveal, the leaks got it completely wrong. Here’s the breakdown of what Apple didn’t announce.

iPhone desktop mode

This feature was rumored to arrive with last year's iOS 26 update, but an iPhone desktop mode never materialized. With rivals like Samsung, Google, and Motorola all offering robust desktop experiences when their phones connect to a monitor, it seemed certain that Apple would finally jump on the bandwagon.

That didn’t pan out, likely because of the broader impact it could have on Apple's other platforms. There have been long-running rumors about Apple essentially combining elements of iOS and macOS, which would be the core functionality of an iPhone desktop mode. Instead of a software-only reveal, Apple might be saving this feature to debut alongside future hardware, like the rumored MacBook Ultra or iPhone Fold.

Camera app customizations and controls

The iPhone’s camera got a big makeover last year with iOS 26 and Liquid Glass, but there were rumors of even greater customization and controls coming with iOS 27. In fact, it seemed like you'd be able to access a new "Add Widgets" panel for the features that matter most to you — like focal depth and precise exposure settings.

We didn’t see any of that. Instead, the only thing Apple mentioned about the Camera app during its keynote was a new Siri in Camera mode, essentially tasking the assistant with Visual Intelligence duties.

Siri extensions

While we did end up seeing the dedicated Siri AI app in action during the presentation, Apple didn’t go into detail about the rumored “Extensions” tool that would enable other AI chatbot services from the App Store to integrate with Siri AI — giving users a choice of which one to use.

Instead, Apple kept the focus entirely in-house, choosing to highlight its massive Siri AI reconstruction and Gemini-backed core processing rather than opening the floodgates to third-party rivals.

Apple Health Plus

watchOS 27 got some airtime during Apple's WWDC 2026 keynote, but the presentation centered mostly around Siri AI support, device compatibility, and smaller health and fitness features.

Rumors leading up to the event had hinted at Apple working on a new Apple Health Plus service for iOS 27, which would combine health and fitness tracking with deep AI personalization. Specifically, it was expected to bring advanced features like AI-powered calorie tracking through label scanning and custom fitness regimen creation to rival Google's offerings.

Instead, Apple scaled back its ambitious health launch, choosing to deliver more incremental updates like perimenopause insights and a phone-free Workout Buddy watch feature.

Satellite connectivity upgrades

Last fall after the iPhone 17 launch, there was a report that strongly indicated that iOS 27 would supercharge the iPhone's off-grid capabilities with five major satellite connectivity upgrades — including text-prompted photo sharing, native Apple Maps navigation without cell signal, and a breakthrough architecture that would allow for a connection while indoors.

Nothing of the sort was teased at WWDC 2026, so it’s likely going to be saved for later in the fall with its iPhone 18 Pro launch.

AirPlay alternatives

Now that iPhones can wirelessly send files to select Android phones through cross-platform sharing, it would've been the perfect time for Apple to reveal its intentions to expand wireless streaming beyond just AirPlay.

Rumors leading up to WWDC 2026 suggested we would get even more native AirPlay alternatives with iOS 27. Currently, AirPlay is the sole proprietary protocol built into iOS for wireless streaming, but reports indicated that other casting standards, like Google Cast, could receive native support in the new update.

It looks like we’ll have to wait until the fall's annual iPhone announcement to see if this wireless expansion actually materializes.

No hardware devices

Now, as much as it’s a software-focused event, there have been several hardware reveals in the past, like the Vision Pro a few years back. This time, however, there were none whatsoever, despite rumors hinting at a slew of new products. Here are the devices that were rumored but completely missed the show:

• iPhone Fold/Ultra: We didn't expect Apple to actually announce the iPhone Ultra, but we were hoping to see at least some clues within iOS 27 that would start to tease what's possible with a foldable iPhone.
• Apple Glasses: While visionOS 27 was quietly announced, Apple didn’t show anything beyond iterative changes to its spatial operating system — nothing that seemed specifically tailored for the rumored smart glasses.
• MacBook Ultra: Although we now know the name of the next macOS 27 update, Golden Gate, nothing during the keynote indicated that Apple intends to bring touch support to a touchscreen MacBook anytime soon.
• AirPods Ultra: Siri AI is poised to change everything, but we’ll have to wait for the next version of AirPods — which will apparently feature built-in cameras for deeper Siri AI integration — to actually see it in action.
• HomePod with display: Apple did show off new Apple Intelligence features for its smart home platform, but the long-rumored HomePod with a built-in display was nowhere to be seen.

More from Tom's Guide

• WWDC 2026: How to install the iOS 27 developer beta right now
• Only the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Air get Apple's 'most powerful on-device Apple Intelligence model' — here's what that means
• Apple's AI-powered Spatial Reframing tool just stole the show at WWDC

WWDC 2026's keynote address was packed, and it's clear that Apple Intelligence was the real star of the show. After essentially skipping over AI at WWDC 2026, Apple's pushing artificial intelligence harder than ever — and every Apple device you have is going to be involved. But there's one long-rumored AI feature that was noticeably absent.

I'm talking about Siri Extensions, a feature that technically already launched in 2024 in order to link Apple's assistant with ChatGPT. However, rumors suggested that Apple could open this feature to other AI chatbots and let users choose which one they actually use. Sadly, if this is something Apple is working on, it's not divulging any details just yet.

How Siri Extensions would work

The idea behind Extensions is to natively link AI chatbots into iOS and Siri's voice controls. This effectively hands off certain AI features to a third-party service, without sacrificing the convenience of native voice controls.

Reports suggested that Apple was working on adding support for Google Gemini and Anthropic's Claude. However, other rumors suggested that Apple could launch a whole new area of the App Store, specifically designed to let people download their own choice of chatbot and integrate it with Siri controls.

This means that just about any AI company could submit its chatbot to the App Store and let users integrate it with Siri on their own devices. So if you really wanted Meta AI, Alexa, Grok, or Copilot running on your iPhone, then it might be an option in the near future.

If reports are accurate, Extensions would effectively supersede Siri and take control over different Apple Intelligence features on your phone. Features like Writing Tools and Image Playground have been cited as examples of how this would work. It's also claimed that you can use these third-party services for more generic chatbot features, as is currently possible with ChatGPT, provided you specify which AI you actually want to use.

It's another way for Apple to emphasize user choice

Back in the day, Apple was not exactly known for letting people choose the way things were done. Instead, it felt more like a "you'll get what you're given, and that's final," while Android was more of a bastion of user freedom. Things have changed a lot, and these days iOS is a lot more flexible in what you can do — even if the walled garden is still standing tall.

So far, AI has been a very different story. With no dedicated AI of its own, thanks to the various longstanding issues involved with transforming regular Siri into Siri AI, Apple forged a deal with OpenAI and ChatGPT to fill that void. In simple terms, Apple outsourced AI chatbot support and ensured users had access to more robust AI features if they wanted them.

This was a good thing for iPhone users, and meant the platform wouldn't be outpaced by Android rivals in the ongoing AI arms race. Though admittedly, this wasn't such a good deal for people who weren't happy having ChatGPT as their chatbot of choice.

This is why Siri Extensions are such an important thing for Apple to add to iOS in the near future. With the sheer number of AI services out there, there are guaranteed to be people who would prefer to have native access to other services, and it makes sense to make sure they're happy.

Android already does this, after all, and there's little reason why Apple shouldn't give its users the same benefit. This could also mean being able to earn a slice of extra revenue when iPhone users sign up for AI subscriptions via the App Store, which is an additional boon for Apple.

There are other factors to consider

There is the issue of privacy, of course, as Apple was keen to point out during the WWDC 2026 keynote. While different chatbots do offer privacy options, they're typically not easy to find and are rarely switched on by default — which is why it's doing things differently with Siri AI.

That's definitely going to be a point of contention if Siri Extensions make it to a future version of iOS 27. But as long as Apple makes users aware that they're handing over their data to a third-party company, there shouldn't be any reason why they can't give users that choice. We are all adults, after all, and I would be surprised if chatbots are allowed on one of those new Apple Child accounts.

We also have to remember that Apple and ChatGPT developers OpenAI could face some kind of legal action in the near future, according to a report from Bloomberg. Apparently, OpenAI has been unhappy with its Apple partnership, and has been exploring its legal options — including a possible breach of contract notice.

Apparently, OpenAI expected ChatGPT to be more deeply embedded within iOS and Apple's app ecosystem, with "prime placement" within the Siri assistant. However, Bloomberg's report notes that "Apple’s use of OpenAI technology across its operating systems remains limited, and features can be hard to find."

Needless to say, OpenAI would be even less impressed with ChatGPT losing its exclusive position within iOS. I don't know whether the possible threat of legal trouble will have affected what Apple announced during the WWDC 2026 keynote, but the last thing it wants is its big AI reset sitting in the shadow of a major lawsuit.

Bottom line

WWDC 2026 was Apple's chance to show that it wasn't letting its AI dream die, and it definitely feels like it succeeded in that area. Apple Intelligence dominated the majority of the keynote address with the sheer number of new features and improvements that are on the way.

Not only did Apple unveil the new Siri AI features and a bunch of the long-awaited AI upgrades coming to its assistant, but we also got to see game-changing features like Reframe, which lets you change the perspective of photos after they've been taken.

It would have been nice to have confirmation that iOS 27 will open up to other chatbots, though. User choice is always a good thing, and when it comes to something as important as your phone, it's crucial that people are happy with the services they're able to use.

While the cards are never truly off the table when it comes to this sort of thing, it's a lot harder to get excited about something Apple hasn't officially commented on. I just hope that it happens eventually, regardless of the potential privacy implications.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple just completely rebuilt Siri AI — here are the 7 biggest upgrades coming to your iPhone
• iOS 27 is official: All the new upgrades and features announced at WWDC 2026
• I saw the new Siri AI in action — what I like and what needs work

Even before ChatGPT went mainstream Siri has been the butt of jokes for not being very smart. And it’s been justified. Trying anything beyond the basics — playing music, getting the weather, setting timers — has been an exercise in futility. That (hopefully) changes with Siri AI, which is coming to iPhones, iPads and Macs with iOS 27.

I had a chance to see some in-person demos of the new Siri AI in action, and while these were very much rehearsed, there’s real potential here to save you time and make your life easier. However, the new Visual Intelligence is no Gemini Live, and Siri can take its time with certain tasks (at least in the beta stage). Here’s what I like so far, and what needs work.

Siri AI on iPhone

The first thing you should know about Siri AI is that it understands personal context. So you can ask questions about pretty much anything on your device, and the assistant is smart enough to dig through apps for you to surface the right info.

During one demo, an Apple rep asked “Which podcast did my sister recommend recently.” And Siri AI then pulled up the answer from a text message. Even better, you can just say “Play it” and Siri will fire up Apple Music and help you dive right in. (Apple will open up this capability to other developers in case you have another favorite music or podcast app.)

Siri can also get stuff done on your behalf across multiple apps, including performing multiple tasks with a single prompt.

The second demo started with just a couple of items on a camping list, but an email from a friend had a lot more recommendations. You can just say “add this stuff to my camping gear list and remind me to pack for my trip when I get home.”

Siri then got to work, updating the list in the Notes app and then setting a location-based reminder. However, it did take a while to complete these tasks. Hopefully, the final Siri will be faster.

I was pretty impressed by the improved Visual Intelligence experience, too. You can now access it via a dedicated Siri mode within the camera app, so you don’t have to use the Camera Control button shortcut. I think that’s huge for ease of use and discoverability.

During the demo, an iPhone captured an image of two books. You could then ask which book you should read first if you really liked Hyperion and Siri gave its recommendation. The Apple rep then asked which of these books had been turned into a movie and Wool had been adapted into the ‘Silo’ TV series. Cool, yes, but yeah I told you it was canned.

What’s not clear is whether this works with live video and I’m following up on that.

Siri AI on Mac

Accessing Siri AI on Mac is as easy as just pulling up Spotlight or typing command + Shift + Space. When you start typing Spotlight will know what sorts of queries should go to Siri versus say just launching apps.

Let’s say you’re looking for vacation spot and type “What’s the best Hawaiian Island for a young family.” Siri will get to work and pull up recommendations in a new window, which you can then expand and park on either side of the screen.

You can then ask follow-up questions like “Which is best for sea turtles” to narrow your selections. From there you can hit a button in the top right corner to bring you into the dedicated Siri app.

The dual-pane app will have your chat in the right window and your history of all Siri chats in the left window. It’s pretty easy to navigate.

To help you save time on productivity tasks, you can use Siri AI wherever you can use a cursor. The demo showed how you can be looking at a messy note with a bunch of info and then use a secondary click to bring up the Ask Siri menu.

After typing “Draft an email that summarizes this and include the action items,” Siri did just that. It’s definitely a timesaver. I just wish it worked with Gmail as well Apple Mail. Google would have to plug into Siri AI’s framework.

My favorite Siri AI on Mac demo came when a mock summer schedule appeared on screen with dates, times and locations for the matches. You can use Command + Shift + Space and then click the Add to Calendar button that automatically appears.

From there Siri AI will let you add all of the games to your calendar. Or you could tell Siri to only add the home games to your calendar if you wanted. Where was this when my kids were playing sports?

Siri on iPad

Last but not least, Siri AI on iPad works in much the same that it does on the iPhone, but having a larger canvas has its benefits.

You can access Siri AI at any time just by swiping down from the top middle of the display. As you begin to type “Who are the top golfers in the PGA right now,” the text “Ask Siri” appears right after it because Apple’s assistant knows that it can help.

Siri AI will then tap into Apple’s Broad World Knowledge and bring back answers, complete with citations you can click on.

Apple’s Siri AI can also help you plan a trip and you make the query pretty specific, like “What are the best national parks to visit in the US in July with my family? Recommend something that’s not too hot or crowded.”

Siri AI recommended where to go, including North Cascades National Park in Washington. You can then pop into the full Siri app if you like to ask follow-up questions, or use the Slide Over feature to keep the Siri conversation just a swipe away.

Siri AI outlook

Overall, Siri AI isn't just a rebranding for Apple. It’s a much more capable and personal assistant that's more deeply integrated into the apps you use.

I’m especially impressed by Siri AI’s use of personal context, and the ability to complete multiple actions at once. And while Visual Intelligence doesn’t seem quite as robust as Gemini Live in terms of having a real-time conversation about whatever’s in your camera view or on your screen, it’s certainly much improved.

In addition to a bit more speed, I just want to see what happens when developers get their hands on Siri AI so that you’re not just locked into Apple’s own apps.

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We definitely weren't expecting any hardware announcements at WWDC 2026 yesterday, but we've certainly been curious about what the newly announced software might tell us about the foldable iPhone Ultra and touchscreen MacBook Ultra.

Both devices are set to be the first of their kind, and the current expectation is that they'll arrive running iOS 27 and macOS 27, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the release of the iOS 27 developer beta has already started bearing fruit. Software engineer M1Astra (via Bloomberg) and X user Sam Henri Gold have already been diving into the beta's code and uncovered strings that reference the still-unreleased foldable iPhone.

One of the strings mentions a "foldState," which is clearly meant to determine whether the iPhone Ultra has been opened or closed. Likewise, "mechanicalAngleDegrees" and "angleDegrees" are likely meant to tell iOS 27 how much the hinge has been opened. That suggests that there may be a free-stop hinge that can hold itself open at specific angles.

That could mean iPhone Ultra could have features that rely on the hinge being at a certain angle. This could, in turn, indicate we get a feature similar to Flex Mode on Samsung Galaxy foldables, which splits the foldable screen into two distinct interfaces when the screen is fixed at a 90-degree angle.

Sam Henri Gold also pointed out a string labeled "MGGetLogicalDeviceDisplayCount." That would tell the software that a specific phone has more than one screen, which is a key feature of foldable phones.

It's more than just code strings

Bloomberg notes that iOS 27, as it is in the current beta, might be well-suited to foldable devices. The report notes that some widgets, like News and Music, are now available in a full-page format that takes up the entire screen. That could be beneficial for a larger foldable screen, since multiple widget panels could be displayed side-by-side.

Bloomberg also points out that Apple discussed a concept called "app adaptability" during the Platforms State of the Union — a developer presentation at WWDC. This concept is designed to help developers create software that works across a range of display sizes and aspect ratios.

While this is useful for producing apps for iPhone, iPad and other Apple platforms, it's particularly important for the iPhone Fold. Considering the foldable will have a totally different aspect ratio from non-folding iPhones, and a larger internal screen, iPhone app developers are going to have to learn to adapt to the different needs of iPhone users.

The days when all iPhone screens were basically the same are about to be over, and clearly, Apple is making sure that iOS 27 is going to be ready to handle what the iPhone Ultra will throw at it. We expect it won't be long before we find more clues within iOS 27, as well as tidbits about the MacBook Ultra in macOS.

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• Apple's AI-powered Spatial Reframing tool just stole the show at WWDC

WWDC 2026 focused pretty much on one thing: the new Siri. Apple's revamped assistant is powered by Google's Gemini and represents the most significant Siri update since 2011. The new Siri understands context from your personal data, sees what's on your screen, and can handle complex tasks. It's the biggest bet Apple has made on AI.

You can test iOS 27 and the new Siri immediately by installing the developer beta on your iPhone. Anyone with an Apple developer account can download it for free.

If you prefer a more stable version, wait until the public beta arrives. But if you're itching to get started testing out some of the new features Apple unveiled, here's how to get the developer beta up and running on your iPhone.

As with any beta software, you're likely to run into some bugs and issues along the way. It could also drain your battery more quickly than usual. If possible, we'd always recommend installing it on a separate device, given the amount of sensitive data likely stored on your main iPhone. The more stable public beta will launch next month.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple WWDC 2026 Live: New Siri, iOS 27, Apple Intelligence and all the last-minute rumors
• macOS 27: 5 biggest WWDC 2026 announcements we expect
• The new Siri is a make-or-break moment for Apple at WWDC — here's why

After watching the events that unfolded during WWDC 2026, Apple’s clearly not holding back this time around when it comes to AI. From its supercharged Siri AI to the wealth of new Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27, there’s no denying that Apple redeemed itself.

If there’s one thing that caught my attention the most, it has to be none other than Reframe. This tool is one of many new additions to the Photos app. But unlike Clean Up and Extend, Reframe is something truly original that Apple can genuinely call its own.

Shortly after I installed the iOS 27 beta on my iPhone 17 Pro, I tried out Reframe on a few photos I captured — and believe me when I say that it’s ridiculously amazing. Here’s why.

Shoot now, worry later

When I capture photos, there are times after the fact when I wish I'd shot just one more frame. Whether I just need an extra angle or the original wasn’t quite what I wanted, Reframe eases that anxiety because I can fix it in post — and with outstanding results.

In the Photos app, the new Tools icon tucks away all the latest Apple Intelligence features. Reframe instantly analyzes an image, allowing you to shift the perspective entirely. I love this flexibility because I can snap a photo now and adjust it to exactly the angle I need later on.

This is an incredible time-saver — and quite frankly — it’s like nothing I’ve come across on any other phone. I’ve been impressed by plenty of AI photo editing tools that can remove objects and fill the voids, but what Reframe is doing here is on a completely different level.

Better-than-expected results

I tried Reframe on a few photos I had in my gallery. The first set above is a perfect example of what a slight shift in angle can do to change the look of a shot. In the original, the camera’s position is level with my face.

Honestly, it’s not bad, but with Reframe, I’m able to make it look like the camera was shooting upward from a slightly lower angle. What makes the generative elements so convincing to me is that it even manages to change the perspective of the background, properly shifting the tree and the horizon downward.

For the second photo, I actually went for the opposite effect — taking a slightly off-angle shot and leveling it out. The result is quite surprising because not only does Reframe deliver a clean, straight-on composition, but it shifts the background perfectly to match. I’m also really impressed by how accurately Apple Intelligence preserves the fine details and textures around the eyes despite the perspective shift.

Finally, I took a photo I shot of the 2027 BMW 7 Series and adjusted it so that more of the car's side profile is visible. I was actually most skeptical about this image because car lines are notoriously hard for AI to replicate, but the result was yet again incredibly convincing.

Bottom line

Apple definitely needed a unique AI feature to call its own, and Reframe hits the mark perfectly. It highlights the impressive capability of Apple Intelligence to analyze a shot and deliver a realistic, re-angled photograph.

Most people might not appreciate everything that’s going on behind the scenes to execute this. The technology likely categorizes different layers within the frame, manipulating them independently to ensure the final image looks natural.

None of Apple's rivals has anything remotely close to this, making it a truly original feature that elevates the entire Apple Intelligence platform. At the end of the day, it’s exactly the kind of tool I can reliably lean on.

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About a year ago, I spoke with Apple's Craig Federighi after the WWDC 2025 keynote to discuss the Siri delay, and at the time, the senior vice president of software engineering seemed adamant that Apple was not interested in building a chatbot.

"Apple didn't want to send users off into some chat experience in order to get things done," Federighi told me. "We were very clear this wasn't about us building a chatbot. We want to bring intelligence deeply integrated into the experience of all of our platforms."

Fast-forward one year to WWDC 2026, and Apple has unveiled the new Siri AI, which — you guessed it — has a dedicated app that some might perceive as a chatbot. But Federighi and other Apple executives here insisted during a press Q&A that Apple's focus has not changed.

"We see Siri not as a separate chatbot, an unintegrated place you go and chitchat, but rather as an integral but conversational tool that you use in the moment," said Federighi. "It's deeply integrated into your experience, understanding what's on screen...And so while the experiences are conversational, they are really an extension of your system experience, deeply integrated into your flow."

The new Siri AI in action

A good example of the new Siri is what Mike Rockwell demoed during the Q&A session. The VP of Siri engineering asked what everyone was bringing to an upcoming potluck lunch, and Siri AI then gathered the info from separate text messages and showed it on screen.

From there, Rockwell asked Siri which drinks would pair well with the food, and Siri went to Apple's World Knowledge Service to find the info.

He then swiped down to expand the window, and we were immediately brought to the Siri app, where you can scroll for more information. And then it's a conversation that you can return to in the Siri app whenever you want.

"Now we did go back and forth on what's the best way if you want to get back to such a chat that you had," Federighi shared. "Because you want to continue it, you want to reference it, and quite honestly, the most natural affordance for any user to go find something like that is to have an app that they can manage on their home screen, launch, and get back to. And so we have a Siri app."

A big focus on privacy

Despite Apple partnering with Google to use some of its models, Apple execs insist that its Siri AI is private and no user information is shared. Craig Federighi showed that Apple's architecture is completely different from, say, Google's Gemini.

The architecture includes an on-device component that comprises a system orchestrator and Apple's AFM Core Advanced model, and there are models in the cloud, including AFM Cloud, AFM Cloud Pro, and ADM Cloud (images), plus Apple's World Knowledge service.

Apple's Private Cloud Compute still handles users’ requests even when working with third parties like Google, and personal data is not stored or made accessible to Apple or anyone else.

"To bring this model to production, we worked with both Google and Nvidia to extend our private cloud compute infrastructure to Nvidia GPUs in Google's cloud, while maintaining Apple's unmatched privacy guarantees," said Sebastian Marineau-Mes, who runs the Apple Intelligence Experience team at Apple.

And while other chatbots are exploring ads based on your interactions and personal context, you're not going to see that from Siri AI.

"You are in control of your information, your information about how well Siri and Apple intelligence get to understand you and your preferences, your personal contacts," Rockwell said. "You're not going to see an ad from us coming based on, 'Hey, we noticed you like Thai food, here's some Thai food now.' You stay completely in control of your information at all times."

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Apple is fixing Siri with the next iOS release. All kinds of new AI features are sliding onto iOS 27, and it sounds like Apple Intelligence is becoming a core part of the operating system.

But all the features won't make their way to every iPhone. Unfortunately, during the WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple said that only the latest and greatest devices will get access to the on-device AI model and features it enables.

Specifically, Apple's Craig Federighi, SVP of software engineering, said, "Our most powerful on-device model and the features it enables, like expressive voices and more advanced dictation, will be coming to our most capable iPhone, iPad, and Mac systems."

Which devices support the latest on-device model?

The list of devices that support all of the AI features is fairly limited. Here's the full range of supported devices:

• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone Air
• iPad models with M4 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory
• Mac models with M3 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory
• Apple Vision Pro (M5)

That means even if you have the popular iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max and all the Apple Intelligence features it supports, you'll be missing out on some of the new features. Sure, these devices support iOS 27, but some things will be left out.

Which features are exclusive?

Apple didn't provide a full rundown of the features that will be left off older devices, but, as noted in Craig Federighi's quote, "expressive voices and more advanced dictation" are part of the on-device functionality limited to new devices.

The company demonstrated the expressive voices feature during its keynote; essentially, it lets you fine-tune how Siri sounds. You can adjust the pitch and speed at which the personal assistant speaks. While it sounds useful, it's hardly a game-changer.

The more advanced dictation wasn't dove into as deeply, but Apple did say that it "now captures what users say as polished text with greater precision, automatically handling capitalization, punctuation, and formatting as they speak. With improved speech understanding, users can speak naturally and trust that their words will appear clearly, accurately, and as intended."

Presumably, there will be other advanced AI features limited to the newer, more powerful devices, but it makes sense that Apple wouldn't want to lead too aggressively with what it's holding back from a large percentage of users and instead focus on the positive items it's bringing to everyone, which we've detailed in our full breakdowns of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.

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Today at WWDC 2026, Apple revealed iOS 27 with a focus on upgrades to Apple Intelligence and Siri. However, there's also a lot of behind-the-scenes improvements to Liquid Glass and optimizing the work done in iOS 26.

Usually, when a new version of iOS is released, it means that a previous generation of older iPhones loses support. This year, though, if your phone can run iOS 26, then it'll be able to run iOS 27.

This means the iPhone 11, which can run iOS 26, should be able to run iOS 27. It speaks to the optimization of the update over major features that aren't AI-related. As with iOS 26, anything older than the iPhone 11 won't support the update.

Here's the full list of phones that will support iOS 27:

• iPhone 17
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (both 2020 and 2022 models)

An AI caveat

As with every iOS announcement since Apple Intelligence was introduced in 2024, there is a distinct feature split. Only phones that support AI will get the new Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features announced today.

Apple iPhones that will support iOS 27 AI include the iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 and 17 families. Presumably the iPhone 18 lineup, which is expected to launch in September, will also support all of these features.

Here's the current list:

• iPhone 17
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max

Beyond the iPhone, these devices will also support the new AI features when it releases later this year:

• iPad models with M1 or later
• Mac with M1 or later
• Apple Vision Pro
• Apple Watch Series 10 or later
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later
• Apple Watch SE 3 when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone

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At WWDC 2026, Apple unveiled a few new parental control features in iOS 27 designed to let parents better manage what their kids can see and do on the iPhones, iPads, and Macbooks.

Here's a quick rundown of the new parental control features coming to iOS.

Better app management

When setting up a child account, parents will be able to select which apps their kid will have access to; you can either whitelist certain apps, or blacklist ones that you find questionable.

If a child wants to use a new app, they can ask you for permission, so that you can review it before granting access.

Browser management

Similar to apps, parents will be able to block or whitelist individual websites; it's being expanded so that kids will be able to ask their parents for permission to browse a site, so that an adult can check it before approval.

Questionable content

Currently, if a kid attempts to receive or send nude photos or videos— be it via text or FaceTime — they'll receive a warning about questionable content. Apple is expanding this feature to include both gore and violent content.

Screentime

Lastly, Apple is expanding ScreenTime so parents can better see and manage how their kids are using apps and other features of their phones. You'll be able to see how much time they spend on entertainment, games, and social media, and can set specific time limits for each.

In addition, you'll be able to set custom limits for each day, block specific apps, and more, so that your kid isn't using Instagram while they should be at school.

WWDC 2026 is finally here, and with it comes the reveal of Apple's next big iPhone software upgrade — iOS 27. The update may not be rolling out to everyone until later this year, closer to the launch of iPhone 18 Pro, but these are the first official details of what we should expect to see.

Crucially, WWDC is also the harbinger of the iOS 27 beta, which will be available to both developers and the public in the near future. That will allow everyone to try all the upcoming features and upgrades ahead of the official launch, even if the experience may not be totally perfect.

Since the keynote address is still ongoing, this story is still incomplete. So make sure to check back here to see a full rundown of all the announcements. Alternatively, you can follow the announcements as they happen by following our WWDC 2026 live blog.

Here's everything Apple has revealed about iOS 27 so far, including all the features and upgrades. And be sure to check our out roundup of all the new Siri AI features.

iOS 27 — All the features announced at WWDC 2026

Apple's been improving things behind the scenes

The emphasis this year isn't just on new features; it's about making the software better. Engineers have been searching for ways to fine-tune and optimize iOS 27, including handling some issues that users have been pestering Apple about for a while.

Apple promises smoother animations, better responsiveness, and improved speed across the platform. This includes 30% faster launch times for iPhone and iPad apps, and photos will appear in your library 70% faster than before. AirDrop and file-transfer benefit too, with an 80% improvement in AirDrop transfers and 5x faster file transfer to external storage.

One of the major upgrades here is a new set of refinements for Liquid Glass. The effect has been altered to improve readability, but if that's not enough, Apple has added a new system-wide slider to personalize the transparency effects to suit your tastes.

Previously, the only option you had was to use accessibility features to turn off the transparency effects, but this is a sliding scale that gives you a lot more control over what Liquid Glass looks like across iOS and the rest of the Apple ecosystem.

Liquid Glass is also getting a new layered effect, which helps make app icons more striking with an almost-3D effect.

If it runs iOS 26, it can run iOS 27

Normally, a new version of iOS means one or more older iPhones are officially dropped, and don't get access to the newest software. That's not happening this year, and Apple has confirmed that all devices running iOS 26 will be able to install iOS 27 as well.

This means anyone still rocking the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max will still be able to benefit from all the upcoming upgrades without buying a brand new phone.

All-new Siri AI is finally here

The biggest news of the night is that Apple has finally figured out how to update Siri for the AI era. Siri AI, as it's officially called, is now a "profoundly more capable assistant."

This new version of Siri is contextually aware, with the ability to learn about you and understand what's happening on your screen. It's also multi-modal, which means see and understand text, audio, imagery and videos without issue.

Siri will be able to access information stored on your device, such as checking messages or emails, files, photos, and so on. That means it can surface that information when you need it, without forcing you to go and hunt for it yourself. Conversational skills also help Siri AI understand you and speak in a language that you understand. Or in Gen Z slang, as Apple demonstrated during the keynote.

There's a brand new Siri AI app to utilize, but you don't have to be in the app to interact with Siri AI. Speaking to Siri from elsewhere on your phone sees the AI appear at the top of your screen, utilizing the Dynamic Island. Apple's pill flashes to show Siri is listening, and also expands to show you the different search results.

The Siri chatbot looks like your traditional AI experience on iOS 27. It's going to be able to generate content, summarize information, analyze files, search the web, and all those other things that AIs are best known for.

Siri will keep a log of your history, which syncs across Apple devices via iCloud and Apple's Private Compute system. That includes Vision Pro, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch

Visual Intelligence becomes Siri Mode, and finds a new home

Visual Intelligence, the AI camera mode that Apple introduced with iPhone 16, is getting some changes. The least of which is a rebrand to "Siri Mode," which is supposed to help make the feature more visible in the camera app.

That makes it feel a little more like Google Lens, and lets you access the AI vision feature alongside all your other camera features.

Apple's set to give the AI camera mode a big boost in performance. This includes the ability to recognize nutritional information and contact details, alongside existing capabilities. There's also a new bill-splitting feature, which uses AI to identify items from your bill, groups them together and sends Apple Cash requests to the relevant dinner companions.

Apple's answer to Magic Cue

Apple Intelligence is being integrated into multiple apps, including Message's, Photos, Phone and Calender. The idea here is that the AI will be able to identify what's going on, and offer contextual improvements to help you in whatever you're doing.

That includes surfacing relevant information during phone calls, offering to set reminders when sending or receiving messages, updating calendar invites and more. It's basically Apple's version of Magic Cue on Pixel and Now Nudge on Samsung.

Shortcuts is getting easier to use

Shortcuts are a great way to automate different tasks on your iPhone, but it's not the easiest app to get to grips with. iOS 27 will make things a little easier, adding natural language controls that let you tell the app what you want.

Shortcuts asks you for a prompt, you type in a description and the app will generate the relevant shortcut for you.

Image Playground

In addition to gaining third-party chatbot support, Image Playground is also getting something of an overhaul. There are a bunch more styles you can utilize to edit old images or generate brand new ones. That includes a new photo-realistic style.

Editing generated images is easier than before, with touch and voice-based controls to show the AI exactly what you want to change.

Image Playground will also be capable of generating Lock Screen wallpapers and Contact Posters from scratch. Ensuring you should always have the best possible look on your phone, even if you don't necessarily have the real photo to make it happen

New AI photo-editing tools

AI photo editing has been one of the most common ways the technology has been implemented on phones, and Apple is adding some additional features to the Photos app in iOS 27.

The Clean Up Tool from iOS 18 is getting a much-needed upgrade. Not only does it make it easier to make changes to your photo, but it also improves the quality of the edits that are being made. Apple's also added Extend, which is designed to expand your photos beyond the confines of the existing frame and utilizes generative AI to fill in the scenery. Like a reverse-crop, if you will.

Meanwhile, Reframe is all about changing the perspective on photos, letting you shift the way the camera is looking at the subject after the photo has been taken. You can preview the result in real-time, too.

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WWDC 2026 is right around the corner, which means it’s been nearly a year since I first started using iOS 26 — first through the developer beta and later via the public releases. Since then, I’ve managed to explore many of the new features and even put them to the test against their Android counterparts.

In our initial iOS 26 review, my colleagues and I detailed how these features function and what benefits they offer. Now, I want to go back and rate them based on how much I actually use them. Quite frankly, not all of them made a lasting impact. That’s why I’m eager to see what’s coming in iOS 27 and how it might hint at future hardware releases, such as the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and yes, the rumored iPhone Fold.

Here’s my favorite iOS 26 features after living with the new software for almost a year. And I'm curious: how much do you use them?

Liquid Glass interface overhaul

There was a lot of controversy surrounding Apple’s new design language with Liquid Glass, specifically how the transparency made certain interface elements harder to see. However, that has since been fixed through options that let you adjust the opacity of the effect. As a result, I love the new aesthetic and have kept it enabled ever since the beginning.

Verdict: It’s a slick aesthetic that’s distinctly iOS 26.

Keeping spammers at bay with Call Screening

Visual Voicemail has been great ever since it launched with the original iPhone, but it finally got a well-deserved upgrade with Call Screening on iOS 26.

The feature is excellent at detecting potential scam calls, saving me the frustration of dealing with spammers by directing them straight to the screening function. I really love using it because it transcribes their voice in real time, allowing me to decide whether to pick up or simply let them finish leaving a message.

While it’s still not quite as robust as the Pixel 10 Pro’s Call Screen tool, it’s a great start for Apple.

Verdict: A massive time-saver that keeps spam calls at bay.

3D lock screen with Spatial Scene

iOS 26 clearly brings more customization to the table than ever before. From adding widgets to changing icon colors, Apple has finally bridged the customization gap. But the real showstopper for me has been the ability to create a Spatial Scene on my lock screen.

This feature lets me take a photo I’ve captured and apply a spatial effect tailored for the lock screen to create a striking illusion of depth. Tilting my iPhone slightly showcases just how impressive the 3D effect is, but I also love how it intelligently layers other elements, like the clock and notifications, to complete the look.

Verdict: My lock screen has never been this captivating.

Hold Assist saves me from elevator music

Similar to Call Screening, Hold Assist in iOS 26 has become a handy tool that I rely on whenever the situation arises. Rather than sitting idly on the line enduring looping elevator music, I let Hold Assist do the waiting for me, freeing me up to focus on something else.

Once a human agent picks up on the other end, I’m immediately notified so I can jump straight into the call. While most of my hold times so far have been under five minutes, it’s still an incredibly liberating feature to have in your pocket.

Verdict: A total lifesaver that means never having to endure hold music again.

Interpreter mode with Live Translation

When iOS 18 launched, it introduced the ability to transcribe Voice Memos and generate text summaries — a helpful tool I’ve frequently used to boil down long press conference announcements. With iOS 26, Apple adds a new capability with Live Translation that operates on the fly during phone and FaceTime calls. Powered by Apple Intelligence, it essentially acts as a personal interpreter.

While it is accurate and effective compared to Samsung’s Galaxy AI equivalent, it’s nowhere near as impressive as the Pixel 10 Pro’s Voice Translate feature, which uses generative AI to clone my voice and apply the appropriate regional accent.

Verdict: It works well, but it clearly can’t match Google’s version.

Easier searches with Visual Intelligence

New Apple Intelligence features were few and far between with the arrival of iOS 26, but the most meaningful addition expanded Visual Intelligence. Its functionality is now baked directly into the screenshot tool, allowing me to search for anything I’m looking at on my screen instantly.

It’s Apple’s answer to Google’s Circle to Search, making it easy to identify an actor in a video or determine if an outdoor shrub is poisonous. I love that I no longer have to jump over to Safari to manually search for things, which is exactly why this feature comes in so handy.

Verdict: Saves me from the hassle of manually looking everything up.

Quick engagement with Polls in Messages

Group messaging in iOS 26 gained the native ability to create polls, which is perfect for quickly gathering answers in one central place rather than sorting through disjointed replies over several hours.

Perhaps because I don’t participate in as many massive group chats as other people, it’s just not something I’ve relied on as much as the other new features.

Verdict: Helpful if your daily routine revolves around group chats.

New CarPlay features

Since I test a lot of the best electric cars, I’m constantly pairing my iPhone to access CarPlay while driving. iOS 26 introduces a wealth of new features that make the interface far more intuitive and visually appealing — specifically how it neatly mirrors the phone's new Liquid Glass aesthetic.

Other features I’ve come to rely on include the ability to add new widgets to the CarPlay home screen, the option to swap out Siri for ChatGPT, and support for quick Tapback message replies.

Verdict: A gorgeous, highly functional upgrade for anyone who spends significant time on the road.

Streamlined Camera app

For years, I’ve criticized Apple for burying essential shooting controls instead of making them easily accessible within the viewfinder. Thankfully, iOS 26 addresses many of my long-standing frustrations with its streamlined Camera app layout.

In addition to adopting the sleek Liquid Glass aesthetic, the app finally lets me adjust photo and video resolutions directly from the screen, rather than forcing me to dive into the main Settings app like in the past. While Apple could still add a few more advanced toggles to match the sheer depth of Samsung's pro modes, this remains a tremendous, long-overdue update.

Verdict: The exact cleanup iPhone photographers have been waiting for.

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Apple’s WWDC 2026 won’t be remembered for the new features introduced within iOS 27, macOS 27 and iPadOS 27. It will be the underlying assistant that runs across all of them. That would be the new Siri, which has suffered a very long delay as Apple has been pushing to deliver features promised two years ago.

This includes the ability for Siri to tap into personal data, ‘see’ what’s on your screen and voice control your apps.

What has changed during this delay is that Apple is partnering with Google to have Gemini power the new Siri, and it's reportedly costing Apple $1 billion a year. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as the new Siri won’t just live inside iPhones, iPads and Macs. It’s expected to power Apple’s smart glasses, a wearable AI pendant and a new smart home hub.

It's also worth noting that Apple CEO Tim Cook is about hand the reins over to John Ternus — and Cook certainly wants to leave Siri in a good state since he presided over its launch way back in 2011. Ahead of WWDC 2026, I spoke with Apple analysts about what they want to see from Apple’s supercharged assistant and what’s on the line.

The new Siri: what can it do?

In addition to the overdue features Apple promised before the iPhone 16 launch, the new Siri is expected to gain all sorts of new powers as part of iOS 27.

This is thanks in large part to Apple licensing a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter Gemini model for roughly $1 billion a year.

As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Siri will let you perform advanced tasks, such as writing an email for you and pulling together relevant info. It will also be able to pull in data from the web and previous emails, calendar entries, contacts and notes.

“I want a more personal Siri that uses context and all the data she has about me to deliver a superior experience that provides real value to users,” said Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies.

How users access Siri is also set to change, as it’s expected to live inside the Dynamic Island on iPhones.

The assistant will open there when you say ’Siri’ or long press the power button. This area will display rich cards based on your queries, whether it’s the weather or your own data like appointments.

Similar to cross-app actions on Samsung phones, Apple users will apparently be able to stack multiple commands into a single prompt.

Wait, is Apple making an AI chatbot?

The biggest change for Siri is that it will reportedly act as a chatbot, similar to ChatGPT and Gemini. This is despite the fact that Apple’s Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak and Craig Federighi told us at WWDC last year that this isn’t what its users wanted.

"Apple didn't want to send users off into some chat experience in order to get things done,” Federighi said at the time.

However, Federighi did say that Apple wants “to bring intelligence deeply integrated into the experience of all of our platforms.”

So Siri may indeed act like a chatbot, but it’s clear that Apple wants the assistant to not be a destination and more of an always-on presence.

Or maybe it’s not clear at all? Some WWDC rumors point to Apple possibly rolling out a dedicated Siri app as well. And there are leaked screenshots to back it up. Ultimately, though, no one will care if Apple goes back on its “chatbot” word if Siri works well.

"Apple needs to show that Siri is as capable as other smart assistants — as it promised at WWDC two years ago — and that it can get developers to allow Siri to securely and privately access apps to act on the user's behalf,” said Avi Greengart, founder and lead analyst at Techsponential.

The Google gamble

In order to catch up in the AI wars, Apple is leaning on a Gemini model from Google, and Bloomberg’s Gurman says that Google is hosting “most of the new Siri on Google servers.”

This will likely raise privacy questions, especially given that Apple touted its own Private Cloud Compute as a “new frontier for AI privacy” when it introduced Apple Intelligence back in 2024.

Apple did promise a continued commitment to privacy when it announced its partnership with Google back in January, but it didn’t provide any details at the time.

Since then, however, we’ve learned that Apple is reportedly tapping into Google’s fleet of Nvidia Blackwell B200 data center chips. As per The Information, Apple will enable a confidential compute feature that encrypts data as it’s being processed.

“I’m most looking forward to seeing how well Apple's Gemini-based small models perform…and how Apple can manage security if it will be using Google's servers in some cases rather than its own,” Greengart said.

Choose your own AI

While Gemini will be under the hood of the new Siri, it won’t be the only option for users.

Apple is reportedly opening up Siri to outside chatbots, which had already included ChatGPT. You’ll apparently be able to toggle between Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT within the Search or Ask view in iOS 27 with so-called Siri extensions.

OpenAI in particular has not been happy with the results of its partnership with Apple and has reportedly even contemplated legal action. So it will be very interesting to see how much visibility these alternate chatbots get within the interface — and how well it all works.

“I am curious to see how Apple handles multi-AI options, not just because this is how users will likely want to use AI — at least till they pick their favorite — but also because it is one of the first times that Apple is not doing everything itself for something that matters,” Milanesi added.

Why the new Siri can't fail

Apple’s Siri delay led to claims of false advertising following the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro series and iPhone 16. The phones simply couldn’t do what was promised.

Apple never admitted wrongdoing, but it settled a class action lawsuit to the tune of $250 million.

Now there are much bigger stakes than possible litigation. The new Siri is expected to make Apple smart glasses a reality, complete with Visual Intelligence features.

The glasses are expected to launch in 2027. And while they’re expected to shake up the market with an iconic design and best-of-breed cameras, shoppers could very well balk if Siri isn’t smart enough.

At the same time, Apple is reportedly working on a wearable AI pendant powered by Siri, as well as AirPods with cameras. And these devices will also heavily rely on Siri. Plus, Apple has reportedly had its new smart home hub on the shelf just waiting for its assistant to be up to snuff.

What’s not clear is how the new Siri will work with alternative chatbots on these other devices, and if it will be a seamless experience for users. Choice is good, but not if it leads to confusion.

“If it turns out that owning your own models is core to success in the future, then even the most impressive implementation of Apple Intelligence based on Gemini won't help,” Greengart said. “And if it turns out that owning the platform the models run on is more important, then Apple is in excellent position.”

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Just like that, WWDC 2026 has come and gone with big announcements around Siri AI, Apple Intelligence features, Parental Controls, and visual tweaks to Liquid Glass across all platforms.

The highlight of the show was the new version of Siri that lives across all of its platforms to perform complex actions. From being able to know what you're looking at on your phone, to automating tasks across different apps, Siri AI is the biggest update to the assistant ever since the rollout of Siri over a decade ago.

At the same time, the company ensured that Apple Intelligence was also a critical part of its announcement. Users will have access to powerful tools, like the ability to make complex photo edits by simply describing them.

In a heart felt moment at the end, Apple CEO Tim Cook took the time to thank fans for the years of support. "I truly believe that the best is still ahead, and Apple is creating the best products in the world to deliver experiences that enrich people's lives," explained Cook.

How to rewatch WWDC 2026

Now that the event is over, you can rewatch the entire WWDC 2026 keynote in its entirety with the video above.

WWDC 2026: Biggest announcements

Apple’s iPhone software has traditionally been the cornerstone of WWDC, but this year's event really dove deeper with Siri AI and Apple Intelligence. The two were the most talked out things at the event, but there were still other notable mentions. Here's all the biggest announcements from WWDC 2026:

• Siri AI: Apple's assistant got its biggest update with Siri AI, rebuilt with a deep, system-wide understanding of personal context and on-screen awareness.
• Apple Intelligence: Apple expanded Apple Intelligence features that cover everything for generative features with photo editing, to the Home app delivering smarter notifications about security camera alerts.
• iOS 27: Apple officially unveiled iOS 27 at WWDC 2026, delivering changes like speed optimizations alongside highly requested refinements and a personalization slider for Liquid Glass.
• macOS 27 Golden Gate:  This OS update officially appears to indicate the end of the Intel era, but is more future-focused thanks to better AI and smoother performance.
• Parental Controls: If you have kids that use Apple devices, then you'll have control with how they use them thanks to deeper parental controls such as the ability to choose what apps they use and websites they can visit.
• iPadOS 27: Sharing many of the same new features as other software updates, like deep Siri AI integration, Apple Intelligence, and Parental Controls, iPadOS 27 also gains Liquid Glass improvements.
• visionOS 27: Likewise, there wasn't a whole lot new with visionOS 27, but Apple demoed off how Siri AI functions in the virtual space, redesigned Control Center, and more.
• watchOS 27: On top of Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features, the Apple Watch software will receive improvements related to women's health tracking and Workout Buddy.

WWDC 2026: Live updates

WWDC 2026 is tomorrow — here's what we expect

Howdy folks! WWDC 2026 is a day away and my colleagues and I will be guiding you through all the developments leading up to the event tomorrow, including everything that actually gets announced.

Apple's operating systems have always been the focus at past developers conferences, but this year's event is especially going to center around artificial intelligence. Here's the 9 biggest announcements we expect from WWDC 2026 tomorrow.

Siri's on tap for an ultimate glow-up

After spending a solid year facing heavy criticism and missing its own deadlines, Siri is reportedly preparing for its biggest update since 2011 with the release of the iPhone 4s. Ironically enough, it was Tim Cook who introduced it to the world after taking over as Apple's CEO from Steve Jobs.

Rumors have been boiled for a good while now that Apple is finally dropping a massive overhaul for Siri, including a dedicated standalone app, true conversational chatbot capabilities, and the power to read your screen and process uploaded documents.

iOS 27 tipped for big updates for native apps

It wouldn't be a typical WWDC if Apple doesn't talk about it iPhone software. While Siri should be taking a chunk of the announcement, we can certainly expect to hear a lot about iOS 27.

Leaks point to other features beyond the new Siri and Apple Intelligence features, including updates to popular apps like the Camera, Photos, and more.

More photo editing AI features coming to your iPhone

To date, the only big AI tool that Apple has given us for photo editing has been Clean Up. While it's clearly helpful at times, it still trails the impressive performances from rivals Google and Samsung.

Well, Apple is reportedly ready to play serious catch-up with them by introducing a heavy dose of generative AI to the native Photos app in iOS 27. Specifically, the rumors hint at Apple introducing a dedicated suite of Apple Intelligence features, including Enhance, Extend, and Reframe.

These photos prove why Apple needs an AI update

Around this time last year, I put the photo removing features from Apple, Google, and Samsung to the test to see how they can use generative AI to remove unwanted elements from a photo.

If you look at the gallery above with the photo I captured of Amazon's Panos Panay at event, you'll see why Apple's in desperate need of an AI upgrade. For some reason, it couldn't properly remove those subjects and fill them in with some as realistic as its rivals.

Updates to macOS 27 and potentially clues to the possibility of touch

While Apple has spent over a decade insisting that a touchscreen laptop makes zero sense, macOS 27 might finally prepare the software for a major hardware reversal.

Rumors leading into WWDC 2026 suggest that Cupertino is quietly adapting its desktop interface with larger tap targets, optimized gesture controls, and subtle UI tweaks originally borrowed from iPadOS. Even though hardware reveals are typically rare at the annual developer showcase, this is the perfect opportunity to lay the digital foundation for a rumored touchscreen MacBook.

It's do or die for Apple Intelligence

Since I test many of the best phones, it's pretty evident that AI features now make up a huge chunk of a phone's value. When iOS 26 launched, it barely had any new Apple Intelligence features. In fact, the most meaningful one was Apple integrating Visual Intelligence with the screenshot function.

While everyone is hyper-focused on the massive Siri redesign, the real star of WWDC 2026 might be the system-wide Apple Intelligence upgrades hitting all its software platforms. From AI tools for photo editing to deeper software integration that knows you, Apple can't afford to have another lackluster showing with Apple Intelligence.

If a touchscreen MacBook is a possibility, then iPhones need this feature

If it's suggested that Apple's working on bringing touch support to macOS 27, then it also opens up the idea of another, very critical feature that I know would elevate iOS 27.

I'm referring to an iPhone desktop mode, which has long been rumored to be happening. Between Samsung DeX, Motorola’s Smart Connect, and the Pixel's increasingly capable desktop mode, Android flagships are actively turning into legitimate mobile workstations.

And if Apple wants to lay the groundwork for its rumored iPhone Fold or give professionals a reason to leave their MacBooks at home, iOS 27 absolutely needs to unlock a true, windowed desktop experience.

iPhone Fold rumors continue to grow — will it get teased?

Hardware reveals have been a rare occurrence at Apple's developer conference over the past decade, but it's not entirely out of the question. For example, the Apple Vision Pro was introduced at WWDC 2023.

For this year's event, nothing stands out more than another long-rumored product category Apple has been expected to tackle: foldable devices. Just last week, fresh dummy units of what appears to be the iPhone Fold shared by insider Ice Universe revealed a wider, more compact, passport-like form factor.

Perhaps we'll get a teaser of it at WWDC 2026?

iPadOS 27 tipped to consolidate app designs and gain smarter sidebars

Following a massive, UI-heavy overhaul last year with Liquid Glass, iPadOS 27 is tipped to be an iterative update focused heavily on refinement and layout optimization.

Rumors suggest Apple is tweaking core system apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV to strip away messy tab layers, all while merging search functions directly into unified navigation sidebars. This subtle change is reportedly designed to better leverage the iPad’s expansive display, while quietly laying the interface groundwork for Apple's long-rumored foldable portfolio.

When can we expect to see an iPhone Fold launch?

Just weeks after early leaks pointed to a smooth transition toward trial production, Apple’s highly anticipated foldable iPhone Fold — rumored to eventually be called "iPhone Ultra" — has reportedly hit a massive manufacturing snag.

Insiders indicate that the device is running into severe assembly and component yield issues at the pre-assembly stage. The bottleneck stems primarily from Apple's incredibly strict quality-control thresholds for the ultra-premium, rumored $2,000-plus cost for the device.

Taking that into consideration, it's tough to say if it'll launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max debuts sometime in the fall. It could even be delayed until next year.

Siri could finally be the Agentic AI I've been waiting for

As Apple prepares to pitch its massive Siri overhaul at WWDC 2026, it can finally be the AI agent that matches what I've been seeing over on Android. Earlier this spring, a Galaxy S26 software update unlocked Gemini-powered screen automation. I managed to to use it to successfully order a large Dunkin' coffee and a donut via DoorDash without the user lifting a finger.

While the automated process still takes a couple of minutes to navigate menus behind the scenes, it represents a massive change from static chatbots to proactive tools that interact with the real world. If the rumors of Siri getting its own agentic Extensions with iOS 27 are true, Apple's playing a critical catch-up to a concrete ecosystem that has been proven to be effective.

Real multitasking needs to happen with iOS 27 — here's why

Do you see that gif animation above? That's Open Canvas in action with the OnePlus Open, which even now, remains as one of the best foldable phones around.

With Apple set to introduce a slew of new features with iOS 27, it can't afford to not properly introduce a new multitasking experience. This has greater implications on the rumored iPhone Fold/iPhone Ultra, seeing that WWDC 2026 needs to unveil a dynamic, fluid multitasking engine that lets users effortlessly drag, drop, split, and layer apps without the clunkiness that has historically plagued the iPad's Stage Manager.

Are the Apple Glasses going to be a disruptive product?

With the Apple Vision Pro essentially on ice, Cupertino is reportedly shifting its wearable strategy toward a mainstream, display-less pair of smart spectacles designed to completely swallow the traditional eyewear industry.

According to internal roadmaps, Apple is eyeing the highly lucrative $200-to-$500 mid-tier segment — the exact territory dominated by giants like Luxottica and Warby Parker — and plans to weaponize its signature ecosystem lock-in, sleek industrial frames, and advanced on-device AI to convert regular glasses wearers.

Considering how Meta commands a massive head start with its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses, Apple's strategy isn't to build a niche gadget, but rather to turn corrective eyewear into the next essential iPhone health accessory.

Judgment day is finally here for Siri

When Apple originally teased a smarter, more contextual version of Siri, it felt like the tech giant was ready to reclaim its throne in the voice assistant space.

Fast forward through a series of internal engineering roadblocks and missed deadlines, and the assistant still struggles to keep pace with what its competitors have and continue to do. That's why tomorrow's WWDC 2026 keynote is judgement day for Apple and Siri. If Apple can't successfully ship a revamped, Gemini-backed Siri that can natively read your screen and execute multi-step tasks across apps, it risks permanently losing the consumer AI race to Google and OpenAI.

iOS 27 needs better Apple Intelligence features — and this is proof

Yet another feature I want to highlight needs to be injected with help from Apple Intelligence is the Call Screening feature introduced with iOS 26 last year.

During my side-by-side testing against the Pixel's equivalent feature, the iPhone successfully transcribes text in real time, but fundamentally halts there — failing to offer intelligent, actionable responses, or automatic spam flags. Meanwhile, Google Assistant on the Pixel actively looks deeper at the conversation to serve up contextual quick-replies.

If Apple wants its version to be more than a glorified, live-view answering machine, iOS 27 desperately needs to inject some serious Apple Intelligence into the dialer.

What Apple has planned for macOS 27

With tomorrow's WWDC 26, we expect to hear more about Apple's plan for operating systems like iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, particularly as it relates to Apple Intelligence. MacOS 27 also marks a new era for Macs, which will drop support for Intel and (finally) introduce a smarter Siri infused with AI. Check out our 5 biggest predictions for macOS 27 at tomorrow's showcase.

Waving goodbye to an era

Given that Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to step down in September, ahead of the expected iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold launch, it's safe to assume this year's WWDC, which will be his last, will include some send-offs for the long-standing exec. His last year coincides with Apple's 50th anniversary, which I suspect is no coincidence. He's not the type to go out with a huge bang, though, so don't expect another private concert with Paul McCartney.

Apple's WWDC 26 playlist

While your waiting for Monday's big event to kick off, why not enjoy some tunes? Apple's pushed out an official WWDC playlist on Apple Music to keep this hype train going, which includes tracks from Justin Bieber, sombr, BTS, Teddy Swims, Harry Styles and more.

Inside Apple's 'secret meeting' on AI

If you're into Apple intrigue, look no further than Mark Gurman's piece in Bloomberg today on how a pivotal AI meeting led to Mike Rockwell taking command of Siri — and John Giannandrea ultimately being shown the door. Apparently, in early 2025 multiple Apple execs "held a consequential meeting in a conference room near the software engineering department overseen by Craig Federighi."

During that fateful meeting, Rockwell, who had led the development of the Vision Pro, volunteered to "become Apple’s fixer for artificial intelligence and Siri." Apple CEO Tim Cook would ultimately give Rockwell the keys (while still reporting to Craig Federighi), and Cook became much more involved in Apple's AI roadmap, weighing in on features and product development. We'll see if this shift pays off during the keynote and once we get iOS 27 and the new Siri in our hands.

watchOS 27: Biggest rumored features

While the Apple Watch doesn't get a ton of a attention at WWDC, there are at least three rumored features you need to know about for watchOS 27. According to Bloomber's Mark Gurman, improvements to heart-rate tracking are coming. We can also expect a Apple Watch Ultra inspired watch face that's more modular. But the biggest upgrade could be Siri integration, though we don't know what form that will take yet on the Apple Watch lineup.

Apple Wallet: Create your own passes?

Apple Wallet already comes in super handy for me for flight check-ins, but what about things that don't have a pass attached to them? That's there the pass-building tool comes in for iOS 27. As reported by Bloomberg, iPhone users will be able to generate custom passes in Apple Wallet from a QR code. This will apparently work for tickets, memberships, gift cards and more.

One of my favorite WWDC memories: 2023 Vision Pro announcement

Talk about a surprise. For WWDC 2023, there were rumors that Apple was making a mixed reality headset, but nothing at all concrete. Well, Apple surprised everyone by announcing the Vision Pro during the event as its "one more thing."

While the spatial computing device was indeed impressive — especially the eye- and finger-controlled interface — the $3,500 starting price shocked the crowd. My gut reaction still rings true today.

What the new Siri could look like

Ahead of WWDC, Bloomberg put together some renders of the what the new Siri could look like in iOS 27, and it is a pretty major transformation. For starters, Siri will live within the Dynamic Island on your iPhone and act like a chatbot. You'll be able to choose from Siri but also extensions for ChatGPT, Gemini and Anthropic (reportedly).

The interface itself will use rich cards to display information, and you'll be able to easily see past chats within a dedicated Siri app. We're looking forward to seeing the real thing.

Will there be a "one more thing" moment?

Apple’s “one more thing…” announcements have delivered some of the company's biggest moments over the years, from the first MacBook Air to the debut Apple Watch. More recently, Apple has used the tradition sparingly, with the reveal of Apple Vision Pro standing as the most notable modern example to come from a WWDC keynote.

Heading into WWDC 2026, rumors of major new hardware remain quiet. The spotlight is expected to shine on software with an emphasis on AI. But there's one reason I'm not completely ruling out a surprise: this is widely expected to be Tim Cook’s final WWDC keynote as CEO. Wouldn't it be fitting for him to close out his legacy with just one more "one more thing?"

Camera app upgrades in iOS 27

Do you ever wish you could customize the camera on your iPhone? That's apparently happening with the iOS 27 Camera app, which will give you more control over what elements you want front and center. You'll be able to place camera controls (labeled as widgets) in any order, and widgets will be organized into categories: basic, manual and settings. The advanced option will also reportedly unlock controls for things like depth-of-field and exposure.

Poll: What do you want to see at WWDC 2026?

As the countdown to the WWDC keynote begins we wanted to throw things over to you. What has you the most psyched about this year's Apple event? I'll admit, seeing the Apple Glasses as a tease is a LONG shot, but you never know.

Visual Intelligence (now with actual intelligence)

No offense, but up until now I have not been very impressed with Apple's Visual Intelligence feature, especially compared to the likes of Gemini Live and ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode with video. The good news is that we've learned of two additions for Visual Intelligence that's part of iOS 27.

• Nutrition: Users can scan nutrition labels on food packaging for calorie and nutrient tracking using the Health app.
• Contacts: Visual Intelligence‌ will let users scan phone numbers and addresses on business cards, adding info to the Contacts app.

From "not trying to create a chatbot" to a Siri chat app?

One of the more intriguing questions heading into WWDC 2026 is whether Apple is about to embrace the very thing it told us wasn't the goal with the long-awaited updated Siri experience.

In an interview with Tom's Guide following last year's WWDC keynote, Apple executives Craig Federighi and Greg 'Joz' Joswiak argued that the future of AI isn't about pushing users into a separate chat window every time they want to get something done. You can watch the full interview above for more context.

Rumors ahead of WWDC suggest Apple may be preparing a dedicated Siri chat experience with persistent conversations and a more ChatGPT-like interface. And if that's what Apple ultimately unveils, it wouldn't necessarily be a contradiction. Expect the "new Siri" to be integrated throughout the experience of all Apple platforms, but now with the option to visit a native chatbot-style destination on device.

iOS 27 under-the-radar upgrades

While a standalone Siri chatbot is the kind of headlining feature that'll leave us talking after WWDC 2026, I've found it’s often the unflashy or even "underrated" software updates from the keynote announcements that actually improve how we use our Apple devices every day.

Digging into the details of Bloomberg’s iOS 27 report, here are three low-profile rumored features that sound like they could be the best quality-of-life improvements for iPhone users:

• Natural Language Shortcuts: iOS 27 reportedly lets you just type your intended actions with Shortcuts in plain English instead of building coding-style blocks. This would democratize one of the iPhone's best, yet most underutilized productivity features.
• Refined Grammar Tools: Instead of standard autocorrect, Apple is reportedly testing a translucent, slide-up writing assistant menu. According to Mark Gurman, this feature would act like Grammarly, letting you actively review writing fixes on the fly.
• Left-Side Notifications: Incoming notifications will reportedly slide in from the left side to pair with a completely new gesture layout in iOS 27. While it would be huge UI pivot, it would free up the top of the screen for the new Siri features. This is one with potential for mixed user feedback, but maybe it'll be optional?

Will we see Apple's Mac Mini M5?

At this point, we've mostly counted out seeing new hardware during WWDC 2026. But if there's one device Apple would launch, our bets would be on the Mac Mini M5. The latest rumors point to a refresh of Apple's mini PC arriving sometime before the end of this year, and there's certainly a high demand for it.

If you actually try to go buy a current Mac mini right now, you'll see that shipping dates are pushed out by months. What gives? There are actually two things happening in the world of tech that explain why what was once the most affordable Mac (based on starting price) is suddenly the hardest to get:

• The local AI boom: The Mac Mini has become wildly popular for developers running local AI models and agentic tools. Because Apple Silicon uses ultra-fast unified memory, a high-RAM Mac mini is essentially a powerhouse for running heavy AI workloads completely offline.
• Global RAM shortage: Compounding that demand is a brutal global memory shortage. Read our very own Jason England's interview with a RAM analyst to catch up on the crisis and learn when we might see some relief.

That said, we're still not counting on WWDC 2026 being the time for a Mac Mini M5 announcement. While the chip upgrade will be a massive leap for AI performance, until the global supply chain shows signs of stabilization, it's unlikely Apple will rush out this refresh.

I'm actually hoping for visionOS 27 news (for the Glasses)

Yes, Apple is reportedly launching smart glasses in 2027 without a display, but after that the company is expected to go all-in on full AR glasses. At WWDC I hope to learn more about visionOS 27, because any new features could help paint a picture of what the Apple Glasses of tomorrow will be able to do.

Take visionOS 26 that Apple launched last year. When seeing the widgets that basically melt into your wall, my thoughts immediately turned to smart glasses. More of that this year please.

Siri 'extensions' are coming

While Apple is leveraging Google's Gemini models to power Siri, it's important to recognize that Apple's assistant will be its own thing with its own features. However, it sounds like you will be able to access other AI chatbots via so-called Siri extensions.

Back in March, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to open up Siri to other AI assistants in iOS 27. Siri already lets you send queries to ChatGPT, but Gemini and Claude should be added to the mix.

This is Apple's new "Snow Leopard" moment

Reports suggest that iOS 27 and macOS 27 are both focused on stability and refinement, but the work could go deeper than you might have expected. Mark Gurman has likened the upgrades to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which made serious improvements to the performance of the OS X Leopard update from two years prior.

The idea behind the updates is to clean up the backend. This includes optimizing the software, removing junk code, and making iOS 27 and macOS 27 lighter and more efficient in the process.

The benefit being that a more efficient operating system should translate to improved machine performance, faster load times, lower power consumption, and possibly even reduced storage requirements. So while the emphasis may not be on new features, that doesn't mean Apple engineers haven't been hard at work.

AI is getting some love this year

The focus may be on refining Apple's operating systems this year, but that doesn't mean there won't be any new features coming to your iPhone. Not only are we expecting to see the new, Gemini-powered Siri, but Apple is also set to make improvements to Apple Intelligence and its suite of AI features.

Rumors and reports suggest that we'll see new and improved AI photo-editing features, custom AI-generated wallpapers, more realistic image generation in Image Playground, improved Genmoji designs, as well as improvements to Visual Intelligence that should make it actually feel intelligent.

New Siri is coming, and it could make or break Apple Intelligence

The most exciting thing about WWDC 2026 is the long-awaited reveal of Siri 2.0. The AI upgrade was originally announced back in 2024, set to arrive as part of iOS 18, but Apple faced a lot of issues trying to get everything to work. In the end, the reports claim that Apple partnered with Google to help get the ball rolling again.

That means the new version of Siri will apparently run on the same models that power Google Gemini. How different it will be from Google's AI isn't clear, but we have heard that Apple is still working hard to emphasize the privacy aspects of its own AI — to help it stand out from the competition.

The pressure is on, too, since this version of Siri is expected to expand across the entire Apple ecosystem. Not only will it be available on iPhones and Macs, it's also expected to power Apple's new smart home hub, AI glasses and a rumored AI pendant.

Customizable Liquid Glass

Liquid Glass may be a slightly controversial addition to iOS, but it isn't going to be ditched anytime soon. In fact, iOS 27 might give you a little more control over the design, with reports suggesting that a system-wide slider is coming as part of the update.

Apparently, this feature was planned for iOS 26, but was scrapped due to technical limitations. The idea is that the slider will give you a lot more control over the Liquid Glass effects, rather than being forced to choose between transparent and opaque options that are currently available.

The camera is getting some love too

iOS 27 should also see Apple catch up to rivals by adding professional camera controls to the official Apple camera app. This means that Apple is expected to open various settings within the camera app that let users customize the way the photo is taken. In much the same way that you can on a lot of standalone cameras, and various third-party camera apps.

Crucially, though, while a lot of professional camera apps cost money, either as a paid download or ongoing subscription, this should be completely free. The specifics of which settings will be adjustable aren't clear, but early reports claim that depth-of-field and exposure will be included.

To top it off, Apple is also supposedly making the camera interface customizable, with new widget placements and the ability to keep certain settings more accessible.

How well do you know Apple?

WWDC is extra special this year, because it also marks Apple's 50th anniversary. A lot can happen in that time, but how much of it do you actually know about? Take our 50th anniversary Apple quiz to find out.

Which phones will support iOS 27?

Every year, we see older iPhones lose out on the next iOS update, and those of you rocking older devices might be concerned about your device missing out.

Last year saw the iPhone Xs and iPhone XR miss out on iOS 26, and if that trend is anything to go by, it means the iPhone 11 family will likely miss out on iOS 27. There's always the chance Apple will keep it around another year, but if any iPhones will be left with iOS 26 it'll be these three.

There's also a chance that the iPhone SE 2020 will lose support, since it runs on the same chipset as the iPhone 11 series. However, since it was released several months later, there's still a chance it will continue into 2027 with full software support. We'll find out for sure when the first iOS 27 beta details are confirmed.

Touch-capable macOS

We're not expecting to see any MacBook announcements at WWDC, but the release of macOS 27 could come with some clues about the upcoming touchscreen MacBook — also known as the MacBook Ultra.

The Ultra won't be arriving until early next year, according to recent reports, but that means macOS 27 already needs to be ready to handle the touchscreen elements.

It's unlikely that Apple will make a big deal about macOS 27's touch capabilities, and we're expecting the entire keynote to pass by without any mention of what's to come. But eagle-eyed viewers may be able to see some hints during the keynote, and following the release of macOS 27 beta.

Dark Mode comes to Siri

There's been a lot of talk about Siri's upcoming AI-powered capabilities, but what you may not have known about is the impending dark mode makeover the AI is about to get. According to reports, Siri 2.0 won't come with a light mode option, and will instead only offer darker colors.

If you've seen the WWDC artwork, like the image above, you may get an idea of what the new dark mode Siri will look like. Mark Gurman claims that the app will feature a dark background with a bight blinking cursor, with a similar color scheme to the logo in question.

Can we expect any hardware reveals?

Apple's revealed many memorable devices over the years with its developers conference and it's possible we may see something at this time. Just a few years ago, the Apple Vision Pro was unveiled to the world at WWDC 2023.

Several rumored hardware devices could be in Apple's future, like the iPhone Fold, MacBook Ultra, and Apple Glasses. Only time will tell if any of them gets teased, but which is your all-tome favorite Apple device?

5 biggest WWDC announcements? Here's Google Gemini's prediction

We already know that Apple's tapping Gemini to power its next version of Siri, which should be one of the highlights of WWDC 2026. The current AI chatbot that's available on phones and desktops certainly can do some amazing things, but we've asked it to predict some of the biggest announcements of WWDC 2026. Here's what it gave us.

• The Siri Super-Overhaul with Gemini: You'll be able to give multi-step, chained commands in a single prompt; there's a standalone Siri App and (finally) on-screen awareness.
• A New "Search or Ask" AI Panel: Swiping down from the top center will launch Search or Ask. From this panel, you can run system shortcuts, search your phone, or hand off complex queries to third-party chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
• iOS 27 & macOS 27: A "Snow Leopard" Focus on Stability. Apple's upcoming software updates (iOS 27, macOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27) are expected to act as a "deep clean" with a focus on better battery life and less bugs. Liquid Glass is getting refined, too.
• Customizable Camera App, Better Visual Intelligence: A redesigned Camera app will feature customizable widgets and the power to scan nutrition labels (instantly logging calories/nutrients into the Health app) or read documents to create contact cards.
• Photos Generative AI Tools, Apple Wallet Upgrades: Photos will get advanced generative tools like Extend, Reframe, and Enhance. The Wallet app will introduce built-in bill-splitting and easy digital pass creation.

These all sound like accurate predictions, based on the all the rumors we've been covering, but it'll also be interesting to see what hardware, in any, gets revealed at the event later today.

We're on the ground at Apple Park!

It's a busy morning at Apple Park for WWDC 2026! Our very own Mark Spoonauer and Kate Kozuch are on the ground, ready to report on whatever Apple has in store.

While this year's keynote will likely highlight Apple Intelligence and the new Siri, the event is especially notable for potentially being the last one led by Tim Cook.

Photos app could gain its biggest feature in years —  and it might be thanks to Apple Intelligence

Already, the rumors surround Apple Intelligence hint to a big upgrade coming to the Photos app for iOS 27. We're referring to an AI tool that could transform complex photo edits that normally take some time and dwindle them to a matter of seconds, all by simply telling it what changes you want.

This sounds a lot like Google's Ask Photos feature than debuted with the Pixel 10 lineup last fall, which was then rolled out as a native feature within Google Photos. The images above in the gallery highlight how easy it is to edit photos, like swapping out the shirt you're wearing, changing backgrounds, and eliminating unwanted people from the shot.

Apple's expected to announce big news — here's our predictions

We're still getting through the massive lines that formed at Apple Park ahead of today's WWDC 2026 keynote, where we'll likely get our first look at its biggest software updates. Obviously, things like iOS 27, macOS 27, iPadOS 27, and watchOS 27 should get previewed, but here are our biggest predictions for what else we might see.

Gemini's task automation feature changes everything — Siri needs to catch up

When we tried out Gemini's new task automation feature for the first time, we were blown away by how well it worked. That's because our very own John Velasco used his Galaxy S26 to place an order to Dunkin' using Google Gemini. With just a short voice command asking it to place the order through DoorDash, the AI assistant went ahead and did everything for him.

You won't find this level of intelligence on current iPhones, which is why all eyes are on Apple for WWDC 2026 to see if the new Siri will follow suit and gain similar functionality. The rumors hint at Siri integrating on a deeper level with iOS 27, so hopefully it can perform this level of automation.

We're a little over an hour away from the start of the WWDC 2026 keynote and Apple Park has come to life with the amount of people eager to see what's in store.

Will OpenAI be the biggest loser?

While OpenAI's ChatGPT is integrated into iOS 26, things are looking to change in a big way with iOS 27. That's because of Apple's deal with Google earlier this year to tap Gemini's powerful models and integrate them with the new Siri.

If that's not enough, it's rumored that iOS 27 will offer users more choice on which AI chatbot to use. By transforming Siri into a native chatbot app and opening the OS to multiple third-party models like Claude, Apple is aggressively leveling the playing field and stripping OpenAI of its unique advantage on the iPhone.

Breakfast now, keynote soon

We're less than an hour from the start of the WWDC 2026 keynote, which is reportedly going to be the last one led by Tim Cook. Before that gets here, we're checking out what Apple's offering guests for breakfast. What do you think of this treat?

New Siri could pave the way for an AirPods Ultra reveal

Since rumors about Siri have been ramping up ahead of WWDC 2026, it does make us wonder about when Apple could introduce a new pair of AirPods. Just last month, it was reported that the AirPods Ultra with cameras were 'nearly ready.'

Taking into consideration that Apple could be laying the groundwork for its first true AI wearable at WWDC 2026, where the newly overhauled, Gemini-powered Siri should introduce advanced Visual Intelligence capabilities needed to drive future hardware. This software evolution is perfectly timed, as the long-rumored AirPods Ultra with built-in infrared cameras have officially entered advanced late-stage testing.

iPhone 17 Pro zoom is great, but AI can make it better

Take a look at the clip above that my colleague Mark Spoonauer recorded at Apple Park. Don't get me wrong, the iPhone 17 Pro's zooming capability is great, but it could absolutely be better — especially after what we've seen from the Pixel 10 Pro XL.

Google's flagship uses its AI-powered Pro Res Zoom feature to intelligently enhance long-range shots, a strategy Motorola also just adopted for its new Razr Fold. We're itching to see what other Apple Intelligence features get announced at WWDC 2026 today, and whether the iPhone will finally get a similar AI zoom enhancer.

A smarter Siri on a HomePod does sound intriguing

It's difficult to say if Apple’s long-rumored HomePad smart display could be introduced or teased at WWDC 2026, but revealing it now makes perfect strategic sense, as its core functionality relies entirely on the newly overhauled, Gemini-powered Siri and it revamped smart home platform. Showing off this hub would perfectly demonstrate how Apple plans to bring its fresh Apple Intelligence features out of your pocket and straight into the center of your living room.

Don't forget about the livestream

Yes, you're reading our coverage to get all the latest news from WWDC 2026. But if you want to see it happen as it unfolds, then don't forget the official livestream.

The countdown has begun!

After getting through the long lines at the entrance, our on the ground reporters are finally in their seats to report on all the biggest announcements that unfold at WWDC 2026. What are you most excited for?

How will Apple respond to the Googlebook?

Just last month, the Googlebook was introduced as a premium laptop powered by AI. Clearly it'll be interesting to see how Apple responds to this because the Googlebook is aggressively dismantling the traditional barriers between mobile and desktop.

There's been talk about macOS getting support for touchscreens and the rumored MacBook Ultra could be the one to make it a reality.

Tim Cook takes center stage

Just like that, Tim Cook's on stage at WWDC 2026 for opening remarks. "I'm deeply grateful to have been on this journey with you," explained Cook. This one should be memorable given how rumors hint that it might be the last Apple event he leads.

Craig Federighi highlights three biggest announcements

After Tim Cook's opening remarks, he hands it off to Craig Federighi who's going to talk about platform improvements, Trust and safety, and Apple Intelligence and Siri.

The next macOS is called 'Golden Gate'

Right off the bat, we're getting our first look at the next version of macOS. It's called "Golden Gate," which is taking some of the platforms best features and making them better.

Liquid Glass is getting more customization

Apple's giving users more control of how Liquid Glass looks across devices, with sliders that let you adjust its transparency and arrangement. With macOS, the sidebar gets expanded and regain their color based on which window is active.

App icons gain depth

App icons gets a subtle tweak with Liquid Glass elements, which make icons more layered and gives them depth.

Software tweaks make everything run way faster

Apple's optimizing its software to make them run more efficiently and faster. For example, iPhone apps launch 30% faster than to the improvements with smoother animations. Another improvement is that photos appear up to 70% faster in the Photos app once you've taken them. Finally, you'll also find 80% faster AirDrop speeds,\.

Search gets updated for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS

Search is getting better with iOS, iPad OS, and macOS, as the new search infrastructure analyzes what's on your device and indexes them. With mail, you'll also get relevant results at the top of Search.

AirPods gain custom EQ setting

If you want a particular sound profile with your AirPods, you'll be able to do it soon because Apple's adding custom EQ settings.

Apple introduces new powerful parental controls for healthy child development

Apple's taking time to talk about digital habits, specifically with new child safety features. They want healthy child development by creating a Child Account, which parents can use to enable powerful parental controls.

Powerful parental controls for friends, apps, and Safari

With these new parental controls, they can approve what apps their kids can install. The App store will show age rating, so parents can determine if kids can download them.

There's also an Ask to Browse Website function, which lets parents approve what their children can view. Likewise, there's a parental control where kids can ask permission to add new contact.

'We recommend children under 13 don't use social media'

Apple's Ann Thai continues to go over more parental controls that Apple's been working on, but makes an interesting statement during the presentation. "'We recommend children under 13 don't use social media," said Thai.

Apple Intelligence is taking a big step forward

There's big updates coming to Apple Intelligence that unlocks bold new architecture, a new Siri, and how it will make apps smarter and more useful.

Personal context understanding with Siri

Apple Intelligence acts as a spotlight to know better what you're asking. It'll also employ app actions and have more on-screen awareness.

Siri + Apple Intelligence = Siri AI

The new version Apple's assistant is called Siri AI, which is a way more capable assistant, more conversational, there's also a dedicated Siri app, Visual Intelligence across platforms, and Write with Siri.

Siri AI lives in the Dynamic Island

Siri AI looks like it's living within the Dynamic Island and has a brand new animation. It also can see what you're looking at on your iPhone and answer questions, which is a lot like what Google Gemini does already. Finally, it can populate recent photos you've taken and it's also smart enough to distinguish people in them — so that they can be categorized in an album.

Siri is more conversational

With Siri AI, it's available system wide and tailored from each platform. With iOS 27, it lives in the Dynamic Island and can also be initiated by long pressing the power button. The demo of Siri AI in iOS 27 shows how it can search across your phone to find small details, like a recipe for cookies that someone sent you. It also appears to run in its own app.

Siri on macOS

It's integrated in Spotlight with macOS and it runs within its own window in the interface. You can also do things like select multiple files and have Siri AI perform actions on them. Just like Siri AI on iOS, it can search through messages to perform additional actions, like using Siri AI to search for an email and respond to it.

Dedicated Siri app across platforms

The dedicated Siri app across all platforms and conversations are synced privately on iCloud, so it works across all platforms. It'll also be available on watchOS and visionOS

Visual Intelligence is coming to macOS

Visual Intelligence can now be accessible on macOS to search stuff and perform actions with whatever you're doing.

Apple Intelligence adds more features to Safari

Apple Intelligence will be able to organize your Safari tabs based on topics. You'll be able to stay updated by monitoring pages with a feature called Notify Me. For example, it can tell you if a product changes in price. With Describe an Extension, you can create a button to your toolbar.

Messages and Phone apps gain Apple Intelligence features

Apple Intelligence is aware with your conversations and even make suggestion directly in Messages. If someone mentions a get together, it'll suggest making a calendar event for it.

Apple Intelligence makes security cameras more reliable

Apple's Home app is becoming more reliable thanks to Apple Intelligence features. For example, it'll give you specific notifications with what security cameras capture. It

Apple Intelligence makes creating shortcuts a breeze

The Shortcuts app can be intimidating to create custom shortcuts, but now you can use Apple Intelligence to do it for you with a feature called "describe a shortcut." You can just type what you want and it'll do the rest.

More generative features with Image Playground

Apple Intelligence is boosting Image Playground with powerful photo editing tools you can simply type. It's very similar to Ask Photos. Apple showed how you can add candles to a cake by simply describing your edits.

Photos app gain big generative AI features

Apple is injecting more Apple Intelligence tools with the Photos app. They include the following:

Clean Up: Remove objects with better results

Extend: You can extend a photo with generative elements

Spatial Reframing: It combines clean up and extend with a feature called Spatial Reframing that analyzes a photo and can change the perspective.

The most impressive of the bunch is Spatial Reframing because it allows you to shoot a photo and worry about the framing later.

Shortcuts made easy

Here's the demo of Apple showing off the new Shortcuts app powered by Siri and Apple Intelligence to create custom shortcuts. You can just send a prompt on what you want and it'll take care of the rest.

When can you expect the new software?

Apple is releasing the developers beta right now, followed by a public beta release in July. Final releases of all the software will come in the fall.

Tim Cook signing off

And that's a wrap! Tim Cook spent the last few moments of the WWDC 2026 keynote acknowledging how it's been a privilege to lead Apple. "I truly believe that the best is still ahead, and Apple is creating the best products in the world to deliver experiences that enrich people's lives."

A more efficient (and smoother) iOS 27 experience

Apple finally introduced iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote event. This year's iPhone software update didn't focus much on new features, but instead, shows off how the platform is getting more efficient thanks to Apple's optimizations. From smoother animations to faster startup speeds, iOS 27 will feel way more responsive.

There are other updates, too, like the ability to customize the look of Liquid Glass. And of course, the biggest additions pertain to Siri AI and more Apple Intelligence features.

Q&A time with Craig Federighi

We're in a Q&A session with Craig Federighi right now, so stay tuned for his answers!

Liquid Glass updates

Apple has made adjustments to how Liquid Glass looks and functions. This has been done to address some of the concerns users have had with the UI since last year.

For example, Sidebars now extend to the edge of a window. The icons keep their color instead of becoming opaque. All first-party icons will also have a more consistent look across all platforms.

IDC analysts weigh in

We reached out to IDC to hear what their expert analysts had to say. Here is a quote from Tom Mainelli, Group Vice President:

"If today's announcements ship as promised, Apple will have largely delivered on commitments made two years ago at WWDC. Yes, the company has been criticized for 'falling behind in AI.' But what struck me is how focused Apple remains on shipping features it believes consumers will actually value, rather than chasing trends like agentic AI. With deep knowledge of its customers, it appears positioned to deliver powerful experiences to those who want them, and easy opt-outs for those who don't."

Reframing tool just stole the show at WWDC

Reframe is a feature that does exactly what it sounds like. The idea is that you can take an existing photo and shift the perspective to create something (almost) totally new. It sounds like the kind of thing Apple would restrict to spatial photos, which are only visible on the Vision Pro headset, but that's not the case.

Referred to as Spatial Reframing, Apple says this feature can be applied to all pictures Apple Photos can access — even those taken by a different camera.

Will your iPhone get iOS 27?

Apple officially drew the compatibility line at WWDC 2026, revealing that iOS 27 will support devices dating back to the iPhone 12 series while finally cutting off the iPhone 11 and the 2020 iPhone SE.

However, there's a major catch regarding Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features. You'll need to have a relatively newer model, like the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, to access them. You can find the full list of supported devices here.

watchOS 27 support only a handful of new models

Apple didn't spend as much time on watchOS 27, probably due to the how it shares many of the same new features as the other software platforms — like Siri AI. However, there are still noteworthy updates that come along with it.

For example, watchOS 27 introduces a Dynamic App Grid that surfaces your most recently used apps, alongside cards, and ID integration natively inside the Smart Stack. However, the software's advanced intelligence features come at a heavy cost, as Apple aggressively drops compatibility to the latest 5 Apple Watch models.

Is Reframe the coolest new Apple Intelligence feature?

There were a slew of new Apple Intelligence features revealed at WWDC 2026, but what's arguably the coolest one has to be Reframe. Just check out Apple's demo of the feature in action to change the perspective of a 2D photo.

What did visionOS 27 get?

While we were hoping Apple might tease visionOS updates for smart glasses, owners of the Vision Pro are getting some updates with visionOS 27.

Largely, they revolve around the Siri AI update that's launching across Apple's platforms. This includes a new 3D visualization of Siri that you can talk to just by looking at.

Beyond that, Control Center is getting a redesign, and new curvature windows are coming.

Federighi: "We see Siri not as a separate chatbot, but rather as an integral but conversational tool."

After the main WWDC 2026 keynote speech, Apple's Craig Federighi held a Q&A about the new Siri AI.

"It's deeply integrated into your experience, understanding what's on screen...And so while the experiences are conversational, they are really an extension of your system experience, deeply integrated into your flow."

For more check out what Federighi told Tom's Guide Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer during the session.

Not all AI-capable iPhones will get every new feature

Here's what's coming to watchOS 27

Like the other operating systems, watchOS 27 is getting major Siri integration powered by Apple Intelligence.

However, as mentioned, only five Apple Watch models will support the updated OS.

Here's what's coming to watchOS 27.

What's up with Siri AI?

Here's Tom's Guide Editor-in-Chief sharing some information about Siri AI based on what we know so far and our Q&A with Apple's Craig Federighi.

iOS 27 just fixed a big passwords problem

Now here's a practical new features of Apple Intelligence in iOS 27. If your passwords have been compromised, the Passwords app can now automatically fix these for users with a tap. The app "securely navigates through websites to sign in and upgrade their accounts to strong passwords." Apple didn't use the phrase "agentic AI," but this sounds a lot like it.

Custom EQ (finally) comes to AirPods

One of our most popular TikToks from WWDC so far is the one Apple revealing a custom equalizer for the AirPods in iOS 27. This is not a drill. Yes, you'll be able to tweak the lows, mids and highs from your iPhone. One of the first comments? "Only took FIVE years." Hey, we'll take it.

Apple's new betas are available right now

If you're eager to try Apple's newest software and don't want to wait until the official release later this year, you can always download the beta version.

Betas are set to be available for just about every product Apple makes, from iPhones to Vision Pro and even Apple TV. However, only the developer betas are available right now — and they require an Apple developer account to download. The public betas won't be arriving until sometime next month, which means many of you will have to wait.

Luckily, if you head over to the Apple beta website, you can sign up to join the beta program ahead of the public beta's release. That means you'll be ready to go and will be able to download your betas of choice as soon as they're ready.

The Reframe tool is phenomenal

One of the standout features from the WWDC 2026 keynote is Apple's new Reframe tool. This is one of three AI photo editing features Apple is including with iOS 27, and it's all focused on changing the perspective of your existing photos.

That's right, you can take a photo on any camera you like, and Apple Intelligence will be able to shift the composition to make it look like it was taken from a totally different angle.

Tom's Guide Phones Editor John Velasco already tested this after installing the iOS 27 beta and found the feature worked exactly as Apple said it would — producing some unbelievably good edited shots. And this is a feature that's currently only available on iPhone, which finally means Apple is getting ahead of its AI-centric Android rivals

Want to install the iOS 27 beta? Here's how

If you have an Apple developer account, you can install the first iOS 27 beta right now. We have a full guide on what you need to do to download the iOS 27 beta, and how to register as a developer if you haven't done so already.

Just remember that a bunch of Apple's best new AI features will only be available on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air. All other iPhones will miss out on some things.

Stronger parental controls are coming

One of the big announcements during WWDC is that Apple is adding more robust parental controls to iOS 27 and macOS 27, to help parents better control what their kids can and can't do on their phones.

This includes offering new child accounts, that imposes age restrictions and greater parental controls over content that can be accessed. There are also screen time schedules to ensure your kids aren't just using their phones all day and night.

Apple's expanding its questionable content filters in Messages and FaceTime, too. The new filters include gore and violent content, in addition to nudity

Your device may not get the best Apple Intelligence features

As impressive as all of the new AI features Apple announced at WWDC 2026, they won't be available for everyone. In fact, only a handful of device will actually gain access to every single new Apple Intelligence upgrade. They are:

• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone Air
• iPad models with M4 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory
• Mac models with M3 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory
• Apple Vision Pro (M5)

Apple hasn't specified exactly which features will be exclusive to these newer devices. However Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of software engineering, confirmed that "expressive voices and more advanced dictation" will be exclusive to the aforementioned devices.

No doubt we'll find out more as the iOS 27, macOS 27 and iPadOS 27 betas roll out to larger groups of people.

Here's how to check out the macOS 27 beta

macOS 27, also known as Golden Gate, is also available in beta form, provided you have an Apple developer account.

The update is mostly about improving performance, but you can still enjoy some new Apple Intelligence features if your Mac is new enough. If you want to check out what's changed, and experience the pre-release software for yourself, be sure to check out our guide on how to install macOS 27 developer beta.

Apple Intelligence comes to security cameras

WWDC 2026 wasn't just about new software for phones and Macs. The keynote also confirmed that Apple is making a greater push into the smart home market, with something it's calling Apple Home Secure Video.

This feature is set to link Apple Intelligence with security cameras, offering detailed descriptions about everything that's happening in all the videos stored on your iCloud. Apple's adding natural language search that makes it a lot easier to search for specific events and the option to store 4K videos.

The caveat is that this will eat into your available iCloud storage, and there aren't nearly as many HomeKit-compatible cameras compared to rivals like Ring and Nest — both of which offer similar features if you pay for the right kind of subscription.

But considering Apple's version is free with an iCloud Plus subscription, it definitely has an edge over rival cameras.

Which Apple Watches will run watchOS 27?

New software inevitably means that some older devices will be left behind, and that's especially true of watchOS 27. While watchOS 26 was available on Apple Watch series 6 and newer, the next version is only available on Apple Watch 9 and newer.

Here's a full list of supported devices

• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Series 11
• Apple Watch SE 3
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Ultra 3

That is bad news for anyone with a slightly older Apple Watch because they're stuck with watchOS 26 forevermore. That includes Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch SE (2022) and Apple Watch series 6 through 8

We're already seeing iPhone Ultra clues ion iOS 27

We weren't expecting to see any new hardware at WWDC 2026, but that doesn't mean the upcoming iPhone Ultra hasn't made its presence known. Software sleuths have already discovered clues about the foldable's existence in the code for iOS 27 beta.

Various code strings include references to "foldstate," "angledegrees" and "DeviceDisplayCount." Those are only relevant for foldable phones, on account of them having multiple displays and a folding hinge running down their back. If we didn't already know the iPhone Ultra was on the way, this would have confirmed it.

Apple has also been talking to developers about concepts to help apps adapt to different screen sizes and aspect ratios. While this would also apply to existing Apple products, like phones and tablets, it's going to be an integral part of running native apps on the iPhone Ultra's shorter and wider screens.

Which iPhones can run iOS 27?

While a bunch of older Apple Watch models are being cut off from watchOS 27, the same isn't true for iPhones. In fact, all iPhones capable of running iOS 26 will be able to run iOS 27 as well. This means that no new iPhones will be cut off from the upgrade.

The full list includes:

• iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17e
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16e
• iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, Phone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2020 and 2022 models)

However, not every iPhone will be eligible for all the new Apple Intelligence features. Only iPhone 15 Pro and newer can run Apple Intelligence, which has been the case for two years, but some of the new features will be exclusive to iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air.

It's not clear which features will be exclusive to the newer features, or why, but just remember that having a slightly older device means you will miss out on something.

This is one of the coolest Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27

Do you see that above? It's the new Reframe tool in the iOS 27 Photos app, which lets you completely shift the perspective of a shot after the fact. After installing the iOS 27 developer beta, we put it to the test to see how it performs — and believe us, it's impressive. It's a uniquely Apple feature, as no equivalent tool is currently available on any other phone.

Siri AI is going to transform the way you use your iPhone

Everyone was eager to see what Apple would call the new Siri at its WWDC 2026 keynote, but the aptly named Siri AI will transform the way people use their iPhones. That's because it isn't just an iterative upgrade, it's an evolutionary leap that's deeply integrated with the next generation of Apple Intelligence to finally transform Siri from a basic voice-command tool into a true, context-aware AI chatbot.

We just saw Siri AI in action with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS

It's one thing to watch demos of it during a livestream, but seeing Siri AI in action in real-time is something else. We just got our first hands-on look at Siri AI running on an iPhone, iPad, and Mac — and this revamped assistant is finally smart enough to end those jokes about the old Siri being dumb.

What's really neat is how it effortlessly digs up personal recommendations from past text messages and instantly looks through on-screen text to build multi-step calendar events. However, it's worth noting that [omitted] these capabilities are currently siloed within Apple’s native apps, like Mail and Messages, leaving third-party integration like Gmail up in the air.

Want to try out the iPadOS 27 beta? Here's how

Following yesterday’s WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple immediately released the first developer betas, including iPadOS 27. There are some visual changes to the iPad's software, like a refined Liquid Glass interface. While Siri AI was heavily teased, there appears to be a waitlist to try it out.

Nevertheless, you can check out everything else that's new with iPadOS 27 by downloading the developers beta, but know that this early software is bound to have performance bugs and heavy battery drain. That's why it's highly recommended that you back up your data completely before installing it.

Parents will have way more power at what their kids do on their iPhone

Taking a good chunk of its keynote, Apple introduced a major overhaul to its child safety controls with a suite of new parental control features coming to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27.

Called Time Allowance, the new system allows parents to set highly customized app category restrictions and schedules. In addition, there will be a new "Ask to Browse" feature that lets kids request website approvals directly through Messages. Also worth noting is tha Apple's also opening up its developer APIs to bring these guardrails to third-party apps.

Create your own Wallet passes in iOS 27

Among the massive wave of updates hitting iOS 27, the Apple Wallet app is getting a powerful, utility-focused overhaul headlined a new Visual Intelligence capability to introduce a way to create custom passes in the Wallet app that lets you scan barcodes or QR codes on physical membership cards, event tickets, or rewards passes and transform them into fully customized, digital wallet duplicates.

'I've never seen so many iPhone before!'

You didn't see it during the WWDC 2026 livestream because it happened in person prior to the main broadcast, but Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the event directly in front of the crowd at Apple Park.

Not only did he seem humbled by the applause and adulation as he walked up to the stage, but he even joked about the sea of devices facing him. "I've never seen so many iPhones before!" Cook joked.

These Apple Watches don't make the cut to support Siri AI

Just like its other platforms, watchOS 27 is getting the same Siri AI overhaul, bringing context-aware, multi-turn conversations and a standalone Siri app to the smaller screen.

However, the massive catch is that Apple has aggressively tightened its compatibility requirements, completely dropping support for six older Apple Watches that are currently in active use. In order to experience the upgraded voice assistant and the new Dynamic App Grid this fall, you'll need to own an Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, or the new SE 3.

Yes, the AirPods finally gain a long-sought-after feature

AirPods users, listen up! If you're tired of the exact same sound profile day in and day out, you're in luck. During its WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple revealed that its wireless earbuds are finally getting a customizable EQ setting, letting you tune the audio exactly the way you want.

Security cameras just got an Apple Intelligence boost

One you may have missed is during WWDC 2026 is a new Apple Intelligence feature that could make the rumored Apple Home lineup more appealing.

My colleague Mike Prospero broke down how the new AI-powered video descriptions will be available for all of your stored security videos. And it comes at a nice price than Google Home Premium and Ring Pro.

Is Siri AI too late?

Siri 2.0 was announced in 2024 but only seems to be coming to fruition now with Apple's new Siri AI coming in iOS 27.

However, Tom's Guide AI editor Amanda Caswell wonders if perhaps the new Siri is too late after ChatGPT and other AI services blew past Apple in the last two years.

Ever since the iPhone 17 launched last fall, I’ve been eager to see how Apple Intelligence would define the company’s hardware. Unfortunately, new AI features were minimal at best throughout the life cycle of iOS 26.

Now that WWDC 2026 is upon us, Apple has a massive opportunity to redeem itself by introducing more robust Apple Intelligence features into the fold. Leaks have been rampant over the last month leading up to the keynote event on June 8. Most notably, we’re likely to hear about a completely overhauled Siri powered by Google Gemini.

While Apple Intelligence should have a major presence within Siri — like deeper system-wide task automation — I’ll be sharing the specific rumored AI tools outside of Siri that genuinely have me excited. Here’s what they are.

Adding new elements with an Extend tool

I’m big on AI tools for photo editing, especially how they save me time from manual edits. That’s why I’m stoked about iOS 27 getting an editing tool that’s been long available with rivals Google and Samsung.

I’m referring to the rumored Extend feature that would tap Apple Intelligence to generate additional image content beyond the original photo. For me, this would be handy if I’m capturing photos in landscape — but later on need them to be in portrait to share on social media.

By using this Extend feature, it would essentially use generative AI to extend the horizontal photo so that it becomes a vertical one. You can see from the gallery above about another similar AI tool that does exactly this and how effective it is at extending the scene.

Reframing spatial photos

Another rumored Apple Intelligence feature coming to iOS 27 is a Reframe tool. Initially, I thought it would be for static photos, but the latest rumors indicate it’s going to be primarily for spatial photos.

Similar to the Extend tool, Reframe would allow users to change the perspective of an image. Rather than showing something from the front, you could reframe the view so that it’s slightly off to the side. Think of it like snapping a portrait of your pet, only to realize later that you needed a perspective that was a bit off-center.

Custom AI generated wallpapers

One thing I love about some of the best Android phones is that they share the same AI wallpaper tool — and it looks like iOS 27 is going to gain a similar feature. Unlike the implementations I’ve used on phones like the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which generate images based on pre-selected keywords and scenes, Apple’s version would allow you to create wallpapers from scratch simply by describing what you want.

More realistic creations with Image Playground

When I put Apple’s Image Playground to the test against rivals like Google’s Pixel Studio, I found its creations to be pretty underwhelming. That’s because they often come out looking far too cartoony for my taste.

With iOS 27, Apple is rumored to be improving Image Playground by not only updating the interface, but also making the generated images significantly more lifelike. That’s a comforting prospect because, as you can see in the photo above, there is currently a massive disparity between the iPhone and the Pixel.

More realistic looking Genmojis

Apple’s Genmoji feature is also slated for a welcome upgrade with iOS 27. Apple is reportedly planning a new Suggested Genmoji option that automatically creates custom graphics by pulling context directly from your personal photos and commonly typed phrases.

This ties right back into the underlying improvements Apple is making to its image generation models. Just like the updates coming to Image Playground, these tweaks are designed to seriously level up the overall quality and make your custom emojis look a whole lot more realistic and less cartoony.

Organized tabs in Safari

One particular Apple Intelligence feature coming to Safari is the ability to better tidy up all of your open tabs with a tool called “Organize Tabs.” This would automatically sort them into respective topics like shopping, sports, entertainment, and more. It sounds like a fantastic way of cleaning them up when you forget to close tabs out, only to realize a week later that you’re sitting on closer to 100.

Clean Up tool update

Finally, there’s an update expected for Apple’s Clean Up tool, which was one of the first Apple Intelligence features to launch. Even though it’s proven intuitive to use, rivals have surpassed it in performance — as seen when Apple's tool came in last during my three-way matchup against Google and Samsung. This new update should hopefully make the object-eraser experience a whole lot more reliable.

More From Tom's Guide

• This underrated Motorola Razr Fold feature makes me more productive — Google, Apple, and Samsung should take notice
• I put the iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e through a 10-round photo shootout — here's the winner
• 9 phones with the longest software support — Samsung, iPhone, Pixel and more

Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen phone makers dial down the optical zoom range of their telephoto cameras. The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are no exception to this radical change, as they ditch the 5x optical zoom of their predecessors for a 4x lens.

The average person will automatically think it’s a downgrade, but there’s more to it than just hardware zoom. That’s because the iPhone 17 Pro pairs that 4x optical zoom with a much larger 48MP sensor — up from the 12MP sensor on the previous iPhone 16 Pro. On top of that, the latest iPhones benefit heavily from new advancements in computational photography.

That’s why I wanted to see how the iPhone 17 Pro’s zoom performs against a modern mirrorless camera to see exactly which one delivers the best results. For this test, I’m specifically going to look at how the iPhone 17 Pro compares at 16x because it better illustrates the enhancements that Apple’s making. Here’s what I found.

What you need to know

First, let's talk about the $1,099 cost of the iPhone 17 Pro. That’s up $100 over its predecessor, but it’s one of the best camera phones around with good reason. Its triple-camera setup consists of a 48MP main sensor, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 48MP telephoto with 4x optical zoom.

By contrast, the Olympus E-M10 Mark IV I’m using packs a 20.3MP Four-Thirds sensor — but the ridiculous telephoto lens I’m pairing it with is what makes the setup just as versatile. I'm using the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm lens, which covers practically every focal length. While the E-M10 Mark IV is largely considered a budget model with a starting price of $799, the lens tacks on a whopping $1,099 to the bottom line. When you add them up, the Olympus kit comes out to $1,898 before any discounts — giving the iPhone 17 Pro a clear initial price advantage.

To ensure a fair comparison, I’ve adjusted the framing of the Olympus to align with the iPhone 17 Pro at 16x zoom. Because of the Olympus's 2x crop factor, this means setting the lens to a 200mm focal length to perfectly match the iPhone's field of view.

Finally, it’s important to mention their resolutions at this distance. The Olympus captures a full-sensor 20.3MP snapshot (5,184 x 3,888 pixels). Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro relies on a 12MP crop on the center of the sensor (4,032 x 3,024 pixels) that uses computational photography to upscale the digital zoom back to size.

Test 1: Building under construction

If you’re looking at the comparison shots above on your phone, you’d be hard-pressed to see any major differences between them, apart from the warmer color temperature of the iPhone 17 Pro. There’s also slightly more contrast in the iPhone sample, but it's nothing I’d wager to be a deal-breaker — both are absolutely good enough to share on social media.

The true advantage for me emerges when I look closer at the details, like the individual bricks on the building. On the surface, it’s pretty clear that both cameras do a great job defining each brick. However, it becomes obvious that the Olympus draws out sharper details and more natural definition once you really inspect the textures.

Winner: Olympus E-M10 Mark IV

Test 2: Times Square

This matchup is fascinating because it showcases the power of the iPhone 17 Pro’s computational photography working heavily in the background. Looking at the two images at face value, it’s an overwhelming win for the iPhone — mainly due to how perfectly it balances the scene's complex exposure. From the rich blue sky to the darker, shadowed sections of the skyscrapers, it dials everything in just right.

The Olympus really struggles here, overexposing the entire frame in an attempt to compensate for the deep building shadows, which leaves the sky completely blown out. However, I’m still impressed by how well the iPhone 17 Pro matches the dedicated camera in pure definition — which is especially evident when you look closely at the wooden water tower in the lower-middle section of the frame.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Test 3: Flower closeup

At the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street in New York City, there are several large flower beds, so I pointed both devices toward them from across the street. This time, there are distinct qualities I appreciate from both images.

For starters, the iPhone 17 Pro’s ability to deliver accurate colors and balance the exposure (IMG_1209.jpg) is downright impressive, especially with how well it preserves the finer details and red speckles on the yellow flower’s petals.

The Olympus (P5270184.jpg) again struggles to rein in the exposure, resulting in the slight highlight clipping you see on the main petals. However, its large sensor and glass lens pull through with a beautifully creamy, natural background blur that gives the entire shot a much more professional, artistic touch. Still, the Olympus blows out too many details.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Test 4: Lefcourt Colonial Building

There are a lot of ornate details on the Lefcourt Colonial Building thanks to its Neo-Gothic architecture. While these 16x zoom samples look nearly identical at first glance, the matchup highlights the same processing differences I’ve noticed previously. This time, however, the Olympus E-M10 Mark IV nails the exposure on the stone facade a bit better.

That said, the iPhone 17 Pro’s shot holds up nicely because its deeper contrast delivers a much more dramatic look against the dark windows of the building behind it. You can’t really see the difference unless you crop in close, but the Olympus's true optical zoom proves to be far more effective at resolving the finest textures and sharpest lines in the architecture.

Winner: Olympus E-M10 Mark IV

Test 5: 40th Street Philosophers

Near my office, I often take photos of the 40th Street Philosophers nestled on the side of a building — with the iPhone’s shot getting my attention right away. That’s due to its warmer color temperature and the sharpening effect it applies. Side-by-side, it’s hard to tell which one has the stronger details.

However, zooming in again reveals the superior advantage of having a longer optical zoom because those fine details around the statue look more defined. That’s something most people will overlook if they just look at the general shot, but there’s a definitive winner the more I zoom into them.

Winner: Olympus E-M10 Mark IV

Test 6: Light Blue Pansy

The great thing about shooting with a long telephoto zoom is that it can sometimes mimic the tight framing of a macro shot. The images of the light blue pansy above are a perfect example of this, as both cameras do a nice job of isolating the flower from the background pavement. I’ll admit that the iPhone 17 Pro’s sample is better exposed, but to my eyes, it captures just as much raw detail and definition as its competitor.

I say this because zooming heavily into the pansy itself doesn't reveal any meaningful sharpness advantages for the Olympus. Plus, the dedicated camera's underexposure causes the surrounding green leaves to lose a noticeable amount of definition in the shadows.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Test 7: A much closer shot of a building

So far, my previous skyscraper shots were taken from long distances, making them heavily affected by atmospheric distortion. For this next test, I captured the building from ground level looking straight up — eliminating all that extra air. This time, the results are pretty surprising because the iPhone 17 Pro does everything right, matching the Olymous' level of detail in the brickwork.

Meanwhile, the Olympus sample looks flat and again suffers from the same overexposure issues noticed in my earlier tests. The camera blows out the bright highlights, causing a significant amount of brick detail on the sunlit facade to be completely lost.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Test 8: Perfume on a shelf

Moving indoors for this next test, I can easily make out the label on the perfume bottle in both shots, but a few key details give the Olympus the upper hand here. Not only is the Olympus significantly less noisy than the iPhone's, but the tiny fine print at the bottom of the bottle is much more legible. The dedicated camera also pulls off a slightly shallower depth of field, blurring the background bottles more effectively.

The iPhone 17 Pro’s snapshot is still adequate for casual use, but at this 16x digital stretch, it lacks the raw resolving power of the Olympus to sharpen that microscopic text without introducing heavy processing artifacts.

Winner: Olympus E-M10 Mark IV

Test 9: Co-worker portrait

While at the Tom’s Guide office, I captured a few portraits of my colleague Arif Bacchus — and they perfectly reinforce what I already know about these two setups. Immediately, I can see how the sharpness of the Olympus captures the finer, more natural details across his face, while its optical glass smoothly blurs out the background elements.

The iPhone 17 Pro’s shot is still decent, but it's overly warm and the finer details and overall definition are noticeably softer by comparison. Most people probably wouldn't spot the degradation if they only view the photo on a small phone screen, but the difference becomes glaringly obvious when you look at the samples on a larger monitor.

Winner: Olympus E-M10 Mark IV

Test 10: Moon shot

And finally, there’s the ultimate zoom test: a shot of the moon! This is a classic challenge for smartphone telephotos due to the reputation for how some phones digitally alter or enhance the scene. Because the moon is a glaringly bright speck against a pitch-black night sky, I had to rely heavily on manual touch-focusing and exposure sliders to pull out any usable detail. I ultimately had to drop the phone's exposure value all the way down, but the iPhone 17 Pro still managed a passable shot.

Meanwhile, I had to take similar steps with the Olympus because leaving it on automatic mode completely overexposed the moon into a featureless white blob. After switching over to full manual controls, I was able to dial back the exposure to cleanly capture the distinct craters and darker plains across the lunar surface. The mirrorless camera's sample is vastly more detailed, better exposed, and far more true-to-life.

Winner: Olympus E-M10 Mark IV

Bottom line

Am I surprised that the Olympus E-M10 Mark IV won more rounds than the iPhone 17 Pro? Not really. But then again, that dedicated camera setup demands a hefty $1,900 investment — which isn’t cheap by any means. The iPhone is still hundreds of dollars cheaper and proves how Apple’s years of refinement in computational photography allow it to consistently deliver better-exposed scenes.

When I look at all these comparison photos at face value, it’s incredibly impressive how far smartphone zoom technology has come. The phone's internal hardware is doing a fraction of the work, while software and image processing algorithims handle the heavy lifting.

While it ultimately lacks the sheer resolving power of the Olympus and its dedicated optical glass, the iPhone 17 Pro’s telephoto zoom performance is still absolutely worthy of sharing on social platforms.

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WWDC 2026 is just days away, and that means we're about to get our first glimpse at all the other software Apple has lined up for its growing device line-up — including iOS 27. The update will be rolling out to compatible iPhones later this year, and what we've heard so far suggests that this could be one of the most exciting iOS updates so far.

This could be the year that Apple finally starts catching up to its rivals in the AI race, thanks to the perpetually delayed and long-awaited Siri upgrade. The Gemini-powered AI is shaping up to be the star of the whole conference, but that's not the only upgrade we're expecting when Apple's next mobile OS starts rolling out.

Here are 11 of the biggest upgrades we expect to see with iOS 27.

Gemini-powered Siri

The biggest news for iOS 27 is that this should be the update that finally brings the new AI-powered Siri to iPhones. Originally announced back in 2024, this upgrade has been delayed multiple times and proved to be too much for Apple to handle solo in a short period of time. So it's partnered with Google, which has supplied Gemini models to power the new Siri experience.

The new Siri is expected to come with all the features you'd expect from a true AI chatbot. This includes conversational abilities, improved natural language skills, contextual awareness and an optional history feature that lets it learn about you and offer more personalized responses.

Other upgrades of note include a dedicated Siri app, with chat histories and other settings, as well as a "write with Siri" and "Ask Siri" features that work across all Apple operating systems. A new web search feature powered by Perplexity AI is also said to be included. That means Siri can search the web for you, and won't have to divert your answers to the likes of Gemini or ChatGPT.

However, the new Siri may be officially marketed as beta or preview software, suggesting that things won't be 100% complete by the time iOS 27 launches in the fall.

Choose your own AI with Extensions

Back when Apple Intelligence launched, Apple offloaded some of the more serious features to ChatGPT. This gave OpenAI's chatbot native support within iOS, letting it access various AI features like Writing Tools and Image Playground, as well as letting users control ChatGPT through Siri. iOS 27 is set to open this up to other third-party chatbots instead.

This new feature is called Extensions, and will allow other chatbots to be installed from the App Store and linked into Apple's native AI tools. Apparently, testing has involved both Claude and Google Gemini, but it sounds like Apple won't be locking out other AI chatbots. Whether it's Alexa, Meta AI, Copilot, Grok or whatever other model you prefer.

This is all separate from the deal Apple made to power Siri with Gemini models, though. Instead of simply utilizing Google models to power an AI, Extension will let you converse with Gemini (and other AIs) directly.

More AI photo editing tools

As far as I can remember, photo editing tools were among the first features to openly advertise their AI credentials on Android, but iPhones always felt like they were a little bit behind. iOS 27 could help turn that around, with a major upgrade to its suite of photo editing tools.

This update will include features called Extend, Enhance and Reframe. Enhance is fairly self-explanatory, while Extend will use AI to add additional image content beyond the boundaries of the original frame. Reframe is specifically designed for spatial photos, and will let users adjust the perspective of the image long after it was taken.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is also testing prompt-based photo editing, similar to that found on Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. This would let you use voice or text prompts to ask for specific edits, rather than having to find and use specific tools yourself. However, this may not be ready for the first iteration of iOS 27, and may arrive later.

Apple Wallet passes

Digital wallets are a great way to lessen your reliance, or even completely ditch, a physical wallet or purse. Of course, that becomes a lot harder if you need to carry around physical cards and passes that don't support Apple Wallet. Fortunately, iOS 27 should be about to change that with a feature that may let you digitize physical passes and store digital ones on your phone.

This is a feature Google and Samsung Wallet have both had for a while, so Apple is definitely behind the curve. But it's better late than never, and that means iOS 27 should give users the ability to convert things like membership cards, event tickets, gift cards and all the other scannable things you may need to carry that Apple Wallet doesn't natively support already.

Bill Splitting

There's no shortage of apps and services that can split bills and generate payment requests so everyone can cover their portion. Apple Wallet updates in iOS 27 could see Apple try and push those apps out of business, by offering a native option that connects to both Wallet and Apple Pay.

The feature will reportedly have the ability to scan receipts and assign different bill items to different people. The system will then tally up totals for each person involved and generate payment requests with Apple Cash. That way, fellow iPhone and Apple Watch users can approve those payments right away and ensure their dinner debts are paid in full.

Apple Health Plus

Another big addition reportedly coming to iOS 27 is the new Apple Health Plus service, which combines health and fitness with AI personalization. Originally, rumors suggested that this would be some kind of AI doctor, but apparently, this won't be the case anymore. Likely because Apple didn't want to have to deal with the legal intricacies associated with medical advice.

Instead, the idea is said to have had some elements "repurposed and introduced" with iOS 27. How much remains isn't clear, but the chances are this AI will monitor the health data that's collected by Apple devices — including Apple Watch. This will presumably lead to personalized recommendations on how to maintain a healthier and fitter lifestyle, either in terms of workouts or by alerting you to possible medical problems before they get serious.

Though I suspect it will fall short of making actual recommendations, and instead push you to visit a human doctor.

Improvements to Shortcuts

Shortcuts have been available on iOS for a few years, and are an excellent way to automate regular tasks to save you some time and energy. The downside is that the process is not very user-friendly, and unless you know exactly what you're doing, it can be rather intimidating.

iOS 27 is set to introduce much-needed improvements, with help from Apple Intelligence. Rather than configuring a shortcut all by yourself, this update will apparently let you tell your phone to do all the hard work for you. All you'll need to do is offer a short prompt describing exactly what you need to get done.

Professional camera features

There's no shortage of professional camera apps on the App Store, but all the good ones either cost money to download or rely on paid subscriptions. That could change with iOS 27, with reports claiming that the Apple camera app will add some more professional-style features.

Part of this change will apparently involve the ability to tweak extra camera settings, such as depth-of-field or exposure. These sorts of settings can be altered on certain Android phones and standalone cameras, so it's good to see that they're finally coming to the official iPhone app.

Similarly, Apple is apparently offering the ability to customize the app's interface to make it easier to find certain settings and modes. That includes the ability to add certain features to the camera widget bar.

AirPlay alternatives (EU only)

This update may only apply to users in the EU, because it hinges on Apple complying with the Digital Markets Act. But those new rules could see Apple AirPlay's monopoly over video casting crumble. Meaning that other casting protocols, like Google Cast, could get native support as part of the iOS 27 update.

Obviously, it's going to take time for developers to take advantage of those new rules, especially if it's only available in the EU. So while we don't know how long it will take for AirPlay alternatives to get their due, it might still happen in the near future. I just hope it doesn't stay exclusive to the EU for long.

Liquid Glass customization slider

Liquid Glass might be controversial among some groups, but it's not going anywhere anytime soon. However, iOS 27 is expected to give you some more power over how Liquid Glass looks, beyond the basic "clear" and "opaque" options that were made available in iOS 26's accessibility menu.

iOS 27 will apparently offer a slider that lets you fine-tune the Liquid Glass effects across your entire system. This was originally intended for iOS 26, but it seems Apple was struggling with the technical challenges of applying the slider to the entire system — and could only get it to work on the home screen clock. Which isn't exactly the most useful place to have customizable transparency.

Reports suggest this will be applied to app folders, home screen elements, navigation bars and other areas of the software.

iPhone Fold optimization

We are not expecting Apple to reveal any details about the upcoming iPhone Fold (or iPhone Ultra), but that doesn't mean the foldable's presence won't be felt in iOS 27. Since this is the very first foldable Apple has ever produced, the company is going to have to ensure iOS 27 can adapt to the Fold's unique design.

Specifically, the fact that the phone will feature two screens of wildly different sizes. iOS 27 will need to be able to transition between the 5.3-inch cover display and 7.8-inch folding display pretty seamlessly — either shrinking or expanding what's happening, depending on the context. iOS is also going to need to adapt to a different aspect ratio, since the screens are expected to be shorter and wider than traditional iPhones. Not to mention the fact that it's going to need iPadOS-esque multitasking support.

We don't expect Apple to directly highlight these changes before the iPhone Fold is revealed in September. However, eagle-eyed nerds may be able to spot a few hints on stage during the keynote, and even more after the iOS 27 beta releases later this month.

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WWDC 2026 is just a few days away, and this year's Apple event is almost certainly going to be a busy one. It's rare that Apple's developer conference doesn't involve a smorgasbord of software news and reveals, but this should be the year Apple finally starts catching up to the competition — and fulfills promises it made two whole years ago.

That's right, after it felt like Apple's AI took a year off in 2025, we're expecting Apple Intelligence to be at the forefront of WWDC 2026. Siri's long-delayed AI upgrade is likely at the forefront of this, and if all goes well, it could even be the star of the show. But that's not the only big announcement we expect to see at WWDC 2026. Here are 9 of the biggest announcements we expect to hear about during the keynote address.

Gemini-powered Siri

The project designed to upgrade Siri with AI smarts has easily been one of Apple's biggest blunders of the last several years. What started as a way to try to upgrade Siri quickly and catch up with existing AI-powered rivals turned into a two-year quest that only ended after Google Gemini (reportedly) rode in to save the day.

The new AI-infused Siri is expected to be powered by Google Gemini, and should come with all the features you'd expect from a bona fide AI chatbot. That includes contextual awareness, conversational abilities, improved natural language support, and so on. Given Google's push towards multimodality and agentic AI, it's likely we'll see those same capabilities come to Siri as well.

So expect a Siri that is altogether smarter and more understanding, with the ability to do more and control different areas of your phone without constant intervention from you.

Siri is also expected to power Apple's long-gestating smart home platform, which has been codenamed "charismatic." The platform was reportedly delayed specifically because it was so reliant on Siri, meaning the AI-Siri release can come with some bonuses.

More chatbot support in iOS 17

ChatGPT has been built into iOS for the last two years, as part of Apple Intelligence. But, word has it that iOS 27 will free iPhones from that pseudo-monopoly and give you the ability to choose which AI chatbot you want to utilize.

Unlike the Gemini-powered Siri upgrade, this would be a way to access other AI features via Siri and Apple Intelligence. So if you want to generate images or get writing assistance from Claude or Gemini without having to switch to the official app, then iOS 27's new "Extension" tool will reportedly make it happen.

The best part is that this doesn't sound like something Apple is restricting to specific regions, as a result of local legislation. This means more choice for users, and that's something we can all get on board with.

Improved AI features

With the Siri-shaped elephant firmly out of the room, WWDC 2026 is the perfect opportunity for Apple to unveil some much-needed upgrades to Apple Intelligence. We don't know the full extent of Apple's plans at this point, but we have heard rumors of some helpful-sounding upgrades that are apparently coming to Apple devices later this year.

The big one that we're expecting to see is the long-rumored AI health coach. That was originally rumored to arrive last year with iOS 26, as part of a feature that had been dubbed "Health Plus." The original plans to offer some sort of AI doctor have apparently been watered down, and the focus is now on general health and fitness rather than anything that could be construed as medical advice.

This is said to include health reports and assessments, which will be used to offer new recommendations about training plans and wellness routines. Information about medical conditions is also said to be included, though I suspect it will feature prominent disclaimers that AI is not a substitute for talking to a qualified medical professional.

It's also been rumored that Apple will offer more AI-powered image editing features in iOS 27. Reports suggest this will include features called Extend, Enhance and Reframe. The first two are fairly self-explanatory, while Reframe is designed to change the perspective in spatial photos seen in 3D.

It's not clear whether we'll get more features, but considering how prominent a role Gemini will have in the new software, it would be surprising if we didn't get something similar to Google's conversational editing. This lets you tell an AI what kind of edits you'd like to see, either with voice or text prompts, and it will do everything for you.

Clues about iPhone Fold & MacBook Ultra

The next 12 months are going to be huge for the iPhone and Mac lineups, with new kinds of products that we've never seen before. I am talking about the foldable iPhone Ultra and the touchscreen MacBook Ultra.

We're not expecting any hardware announcements at WWDC 2026, because it's not that kind of event. We're not even expecting any teasers, especially since the MacBook Ultra may not be arriving until early 2027. That said, both iOS 27 and macOS 27 are going to have to accommodate both devices, and that means there may be hints at what Apple is planning in both updates.

Apple isn't likely to make a point of mentioning them, but eagle-eyed nerds might be able to pick up some of those hints during the keynote address — or after installing the beta versions that are typically released during WWDC.

Customizable options for Liquid Glass

Liquid Glass is not going anywhere, despite how much people might like to complain about it. However, reports have suggested that Apple will offer more customization options as part of the iOS 27 update. Specifically, it's been claimed that Apple will add a system-wide slider for adjusting Liquid Glass effects across the entirety of iOS 27.

It's said that this feature was originally planned for iOS 26, but various technical challenges meant it would only ever work on the lock screen clock — which is far from ideal. This time it will apply to app folders, home screen elements, navigation bars and more. However, this new feature should offer more fine-tuning beyond the existing "clear" and "opaque" options that are hidden in iOS's accessibility settings.

So if you've been frustrated with Liquid Glass, and the effect it has on your iPhone's interface, this could be the feature that solves most of your problems.

Upgrades for major apps

WWDC covers more than just the operating systems, and we've Apple routinely reveal big updates to its essential apps and services. In this instance, we've heard rumors about both the Camera and Wallet apps, and how they might change with iOS 27.

The iPhone camera app is set to get a big overhaul thanks to a customizable interface and new professional controls that let you tinker with different camera settings like depth-of-field and exposure. This means that, not only will you be able to make all your favorite settings more accessible, you should gain better control over the photos you take — and without having to pay for a third-party camera app.

Apple Wallet is also expected to get a new bill-splitting feature, which scans receipts and generates payment requests for everyone at the table. That's on top of a new digital pass system, which lets you convert physical passes into digital ones — whether they be membership cards, event tickets or something else entirely.

Major software performance improvements

iOS 27 is not expected to be a very meaty update, in terms of features and design changes, but that doesn't mean Apple isn't going all in on the software. A Bloomberg report from last year claimed that Apple is pushing to improve the "software quality and underlying performance." The report specifically named iOS 27, but other operating systems like macOS and watchOS will likely receive similar treatment.

This move has been likened to the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard back in 2009, which saw Apple engineers work to refine the features and experience that launched two years prior. So Apple has apparently tasked its engineering teams to cut bloat, eliminate bugs and make sure they explore every opportunity to "meaningfully boost performance and overall quality."

Why does this matter? Cleaner, more efficient software will enhance the user experience across the board. A less cumbersome OS should be able to run faster and more efficiently, which will in turn improve overall performance and (hopefully) reduce power consumption in the process. At the very least, cleaning junk out of the software should reduce the amount of storage space system files require and offer a little bit more space for your files and photos.

Speedier macOS

There's a minor redesign expected with macOS 27, and it looks like Apple is aiming to fix the Liquid Glass shadow and transparency quirks that plagued macOS 26 Tahoe. In certain situations, those visual elements made text incredibly difficult to read — so this cleanup is a welcome change.

Overall, this update is shaping up to be a spiritual successor to Snow Leopard. Instead of piling on flashy new features, macOS 27 is focusing heavily on under-the-hood performance improvements to make Macs running Apple Silicon feel even faster.

Simpler Ultra-style look in watchOS 27

The watchOS 27 update that Apple's rumored to intrude is a new Modular watch face, which features a large clock centered right at the top with three complications tucked neatly below it. It’s essentially a stripped-back, simpler version of the Modular Ultra face that we've seen on the Apple Watch Ultra — making it perfect if you want that functionality without the clutter.

Beyond the new face, the updated software also brings several under-the-hood improvements to heart-rate monitoring and fitness tracking to help keep your workouts even more accurate.

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Big batteries have never really been part of Apple's forte when it comes to the iPhone, but that has changed over the last few years. The larger and more premium iPhone models have seen a rapid rise in battery capacity, culminating in the eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pro Max's 5,088 mAh battery pack. That's over 400 mAh more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 4,685 mAh battery.

Sadly, you should not expect major capacity upgrades on the iPhone 18 Pro when it arrives late this year. According to leaker Digital Chat Station, the iPhone 18 Pro will feature a 4,056 mAh battery in its standard configuration — and a 4,288 mAh battery in the U.S. eSIM-only model. The leaker previously claimed the Pro Max would have a 5,000 mAh battery in China or between 5,100 and 5,200 mAh internationally.

For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro featured a 3,998 mAh battery if your phone has a physical SIM tray, and 4,252 mAh if it only supported eSIM. All U.S.-purchased iPhones since the iPhone 14 have been eSIM only, whereas various international markets kept the physical option. But battery size is only one factor that determines battery life, and Apple's new A20 chip for the iPhone 18 Pro series could provide a serious endurance boost.

Lots of factors affect battery life

While the physical battery gains might be modest for the iPhone 18 Pro, that doesn't tell the full picture of what's going on. iPhone battery life has risen over the past several years, and while the phones don't top our best phone battery life page, there's no denying that the power performance is top-notch.

The first big factor to consider is that Apple has total control over iPhone hardware and software, so it can ensure iOS is as lean and energy-friendly as possible. That's not possible on Google-developed Android, since the phones are made by countless companies all over the world. However, the fact that Google's own Pixel phones offer mediocre battery life compared to its rivals proves that there's more to it than that.

It's also worth considering that the iPhone 18 Pro is rumored to be coming with a 2nm A20 Pro chip. The A20 will use TSMC's 2nm process, which should lead to power and efficiency improvements.

By transitioning from 3nm to 2nm, Apple will be able to pack more transistors into each chip. And it's estimated that the A20 will be 15% faster while also being 30% more efficient than the previous A19 chips.

In addition, because the A20 chip will reportedly integrate the RAM on to the same wafer as the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine, that will leave more room for other components, including a slightly larger battery and perhaps a bigger vapor chamber for cooling.

iPhone battery life through the years

As you can see in the chart, iPhone battery life has been inconsistent over the past seven years, especially with the transition from iPhone 11 to iPhone 12. It seems that the 5G modem really did a number on Apple's battery life statistics. There's a similar drop from iPhone 13 to iPhone 14, even if it wasn't nearly as dramatic. But for the most part, iPhone battery life has been trending upwards across all three major lineups.

Nowhere is that more true than with the Pro Max series, which has had some major increases, before leveling off a little bit between iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Obviously, this graph doesn't show exact battery life figures, or the extra iPhones released each year — like iPhone Air or iPhone 12 mini. Check out the table below if you want all the statistics.

Android phones have been catching up

Of course, as Apple's battery life gains start to level off, Android battery life has been on the rise. iPhone 17 Pro Max is currently in 10th place on our best phone battery life page, when just a few years ago it was sitting in third place. Part of this change is due to some Android phones offering enormous batteries, like the OnePlus 15's 7,300 mAh battery pack.

But once again, the bigger batteries don't tell the entire story. The Moto G (2026) lasted two and a half hours longer than the eSIM iPhone 17 Pro Max in our custom battery life test, even though its battery tops out at 5,200 mAh — just 122 mAh bigger than the 17 Pro Max. Clearly, the $200 phone is doing a lot more to reduce power consumption than Apple's flagship.

It's only a matter of time before Android phones start to push iPhones out of the top 15, and that means Apple's going to have to pull out all the stops to keep iPhone battery life growing. They can do this by either swapping lithium-ion batteries for the more energy-dense silicon carbon, increasing the amount of battery capacity, or simply whittling down iPhone energy requirements as much as humanly possible. Though it would ideally be a mixture of all three.

Here's hoping that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max make some progress when they arrive later this year. Let us know in the comments if you're thinking of upgrading to the iPhone 18 Pro series this year and how important battery life is to you.

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Apple’s busy working out the kinks with its long-rumored iPhone Fold, but while a lot of the recent leaks focus on the company perfecting the hardware, like achieving a crease-less display, I think it’s going to be the software that ultimately decides its fate.

With WWDC 2026 right around the corner, the iPhone Fold doesn’t stand a chance in making a deep impression on smartphone users hungry for something new and different without the right software behind it. There’s going to be a battle brewing over the best foldable phones on the market, but there are key things that iOS 27 definitely needs to reveal.

Apple doesn’t sell hardware, it sells you on the experience — and the iPhone Fold should be no different. Here are the three biggest iOS 27 features that will make or break its foldable device.

Apps need to scale accordingly

Considering that the iPhone Fold is tipped to be a notebook-style foldable that opens up to reveal a 7.8-inch main display, apps will certainly need to adapt from how they’re laid out now. That’s why iOS 27 needs to prove that Apple’s software is ready to tackle the phone-meets-tablet experience, especially when users move from the smaller outer screen to the larger canvas of the inner display.

Mind you, this won’t be as simple as copying the optimizations Apple made for the iPad, seeing how renders and leaked dummy units show us that the Fold is meant to be primarily used in landscape mode — as opposed to the portrait orientation of the iPad Mini. There’s undoubtedly going to be a larger canvas, which means that apps will need to scale accordingly.

Apple needs to ensure that apps look good both ways: vertical and horizontal. I suspect that in vertical mode, apps will simply look the way they normally do on the outer screen — but I would like to see far more optimization when the device is held horizontally. This includes dual-pane layouts for apps.

Dynamic multitasking

While the iPhone has yet to offer true multitasking, Apple brought it to the iPad starting with iOS 9. These features included Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture. Over subsequent software iterations, Apple evolved multitasking into what it is today with features like Stage Manager in iPadOS 16.

Again, Apple could simply copy this setup and adapt it for the iPhone Fold, but the smaller screen wouldn’t be as suitable for displaying multiple apps together. Side-by-side apps should be easy for the iPhone Fold, but adding a third or fourth app might prove tricky due to space limitations.

Foldable phones like the OnePlus Open and Motorola Razr Fold have their own unique multitasking capabilities — and both are way better than what Apple currently offers with Stage Manager. That’s because of the dynamic layouts they use to effectively manage three apps at the same time. Instead of chopping them up into tiny windows, they remain in full-screen form and are stacked together within a fluid workspace.

OnePlus’ Open Canvas feature illustrates exactly how multitasking needs to happen on foldable phones. Notice how I have two apps running on the screen at the same time, but then move the entire screen over to reveal the third app below them.

I’m eager to see what original ideas Apple will come up with for iOS 27, but above all, multitasking on a foldable needs to be intuitive.

iPhone desktop mode could be the secret weapon it needs

Lastly, everything I’ve talked about so far leads to what could be the secret weapon that iOS 27 can use to push the device ahead of its rivals. For years now, Samsung DeX has been uncontested as the premier desktop mode on phones — with Motorola/Lenovo and Google subsequently joining the fray with their respective offerings.

I can’t tell you enough how helpful these phone desktop modes are when I’m in a pinch, so I’m crossing my fingers that Apple finally makes it a reality. Rumors about an iPhone Fold gained serious traction last year when it was tipped for a release alongside iOS 26 — but that never materialized.

There’s a huge incentive for an iPhone desktop mode to happen with iOS 27, especially when I look at all the Continuity features that make the interaction between Apple devices function so seamlessly. I’m not just thinking about the productivity I’d gain using my iPhone as my computer because I’m thinking about how it could work with other potential gadgets down the road — like the rumored Apple Glasses.

Clearly, there’s going to be a lot of focus on Apple Intelligence features and Siri at WWDC 2026, but these are the three biggest iOS 27 features that will ultimately prove whether the iPhone Fold is ready for the big leagues.

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A trio of leaks have revealed new features for the rumored iPhone Ultra, Apple's take on the foldable phone. That includes a new image purporting to be a dummy unit of the device.

The dummy unit photo comes from the leaker Ice Universe, most known for his Samsung leaks. The image they posted on Weibo shows the unit with a plastic cover on the display and only the rear side with the camera array. It also shows the phone in white.

This is one of the first images of the iPhone Ultra that isn't a leaked CAD or rendering.

Notably, I can't see the Apple logo on the unit, dummy or not. It does seem to confirm the more square, passport-like design of the foldable. Additionally, because of the plastic covering we can't see the hinge of the foldable phone.

It does seem to match the renderings and previous leaks we've seen.

Liquid metal hinge

Speaking of hinges, in another leak from Weibo, the tipster known as Fixed Focus Digital claims that Apple will offer a liquid metal hinge on the iPhone Ultra.

"Research and development are progressing rapidly, and prototypes have already been sent to global carriers for testing," (machine-translated), they posted.

This follows shortly after a previous leak from separate leaker Instant Digital that claimed Apple was having reliability issues with the liquid metal hinge that had the potential to cause an indefinite delay. Fixed Focus contradicted that rumor last week claiming that any production problems were due to circuit board issues.

Both leakers suggested that a September release alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models was in question. Now, however, with this and FFD's other leak, it seems the iPhone Fold might be on track for September.

Vapor Chamber cooling and why it matters

Separately, Fixed Focus Digital reported yesterday that the iPhone Fold will boast vapor chamber cooling that is apparently "impressive" and demonstrates a "significant amount of advanced technology" (machine-translated).

It's a feature that hasn't been rumored or leaked yet. Apple put vapor chambers in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max last year.

If you're not familiar, a vapor chamber is a sealed cavity with a small amount of liquid and metal strands that helps dissipate heat. This helps with sustained stable performance and lower temperatures as you put the iPhone through the paces.

We found in testing that the vapor chamber significantly improved performance when comparing the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models. So, this is a boon for the iPhone Fold, if true.

iPhone Ultra release date

Fixed Focus claimed that things should proceed as planned, meaning that the iPhone Fold should launch in September.

We expect to see it Apple's foldable launch with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models. Apple is reportedly planning to split the launch of the iPhone 18 family with the iPhone 18 and 18 Plus not releasing until next spring alongside the iPhone 18e.

As for pricing, the iPhone Ultra will likely be in the $2,000 range, which would put it around the same price of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.

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WWDC 2026 is only a week away, and with it will come the first official details about the iOS 27 upgrade coming to iPhones later this year. There's a lot we don't know about iOS 27 at this stage, but a new report from Bloomberg claims the software will include a bill-splitting upgrade to Apple Wallet.

According to the report, this feature will let users photograph a receipt and assign items to different people. The tool will then total all costs per person, including tax and the share of the tip, though they're less important if you don't live in the U.S. With that total, users will then be able to generate payment requests, and since the system is tied into Apple Cash, it should make actually covering your share of the total relatively easy.

Like Apple Cash, this feature also supports Apple Watch, with Bloomberg claiming that you can approve payments from your wrist.

Apple has made multiple steps into the finance world, starting with the release of Apple Pay back in 2014. Various extra features have been released in the years since, like Apple Cash and iOS 18's Tap to Cash system that lets you send Apple Cash by bumping two phones together.

A bill splitting feature isn't the most technically advanced feature Apple could add to Apple Wallet, but it could prove very useful. There are plenty of bill-splitting apps out there, and even some that feature a similar receipt-scanning feature. But by putting this directly into Apple Wallet, Apple could make the entire process easier for all users — and presumably offer an extra security guarantee.

A previous leak also suggests that this won't be the only Wallet upgrade coming as part of iOS 27. Rumor has it that there will be a feature that lets you turn physical passes into digital ones, essentially letting you ditch things like reward and membership cards, event tickets and so on.

This is something that Google Wallet and third-party apps have been able to do for a while, so an official Apple implementation is well overdue.

It's unclear whether other Apple Wallet upgrades will come as part of iOS 27, and we're not likely to find out until next week. That said, with two important upgrades coming to Apple Wallet, I wouldn't be surprised if we got some more at the same time.

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WWDC 2026 is coming up fast, with Apple's annual developer conference kicking off with a keynote address on June 8 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. BST. That keynote will feature all the highlights of the conference, featuring the biggest news about Apple's entire software portfolio — and maybe a few surprises if we're lucky.

Apple will be livestreaming the entire keynote for the world to tune in, and this means you can watch all the news as it happens. Here's how you can watch the WWDC 2026 keynote livestream from wherever you are.

How can I watch the WWDC 2026 keynote live stream?

Apple typically hosts a livestream for all its biggest events, and WWDC 2026 isn't likely to be an exception to that. That stream will appear on Apple's website as we get closer to the conference itself.

However, a YouTube livestream is also available, which means you can tune in using this link or via the embedded video above. The stream features a reminder that will notify you before the keynote begins, so you don't forget to tune in. Naturally, this stream is available everywhere YouTube can be found.

Owners of Apple devices, including iPhone and Apple TV, will also be able to watch the livestream via the Apple TV app. Just fire it up ahead of 1 p.m. ET on June 8, and you'll find the stream waiting for you.

When is the WWDC 2026 keynote?

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is the annual show dedicated to all things software, and it's a place for everyone who builds Apple software to get together. We're talking phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and even mixed reality headsets.

The keynote itself is usually where Apple previews all the software that'll arrive later this year, and updates developers on all the goings on in Apple's multiple operating systems. There have been some hardware reveals in the past, but those are rare, and it's unlikely that we'll see anything substantial ahead of the September iPhone event.

WWDC itself will take place between June 8 and 12, with the keynote address kicking off the entire conference at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. BST.

What could Apple announce at WWDC 2026?

We're right in the middle of the major Apple hardware release cycles, so it's unlikely that we'll hear any significant hardware news during the keynote. Instead, the focus will be on how Apple is updating all of its software and refining the major changes that came last year as part of Liquid Glass.

The biggest news of the night will no doubt be the situation with Siri, and the AI update that was first announced back in 2024. It's rumored that Google Gemini will be powering the new AI, following Apple's failed attempts to go it alone, and we're curious to see just how well it will integrate into the Apple ecosystem across iPhone, Mac and so on.

There are also rumors that Apple will unveil a new smart home platform codenamed "Charismatic," which will no doubt tie into the release of the upgraded Siri AI. If this does happen, we may see Apple's long-delayed HomePad smart display, rumoured to be a cross between the HomePod and the iPad.

The upcoming release of the iPhone Fold, and its larger tablet-like display, also means we're likely to see some changes to iOS and the way it adapts to the foldable's changing display needs. How much we'll hear will likely depend on what Apple is willing to reveal about the foldable phone ahead of the rumored September launch.

Likewise, the potential launch of the MacBook Ultra next year, which is expected to come with the first touchscreen on a Mac, will likely require some changes to happen to macOS 27. Again, how much we hear about that will depend on what Apple is willing to give away at this early stage.

Then we have to remember that Apple has watchOS 27, TVOS 27 and visionOS 27. All three of these will no doubt get some sort of update, though at this early stage, it's unclear how extensive they may be. Not that many people bought Vision Pro headsets, and that's currently the only way to access visionOS, after all.

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Apple has been lagging for the better part of the last year when it comes to the AI wars, but a recent batch of leaked screenshot renders convinces me that the company is moving in the right direction. Shared by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, these images give us our first big look at iOS 27, including a dedicated Siri app, overhauled search functions, and new AI editing tools.

While the illustrations are based on internal descriptions obtained by Bloomberg, they nonetheless make WWDC 2026 a bit more exciting — which is where we’ll likely get our first official preview of Apple’s next mobile software. We’re less than a couple of weeks away, and I suspect these new Siri and AI features will also make their way in some capacity to Apple's other platforms, like iPadOS 27 and the next macOS.

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let me break it all down and tell you what has me most excited.

Dedicated Siri app looks familiar

Without question, the screenshot renders give us a clear idea of the long-rumored, dedicated Siri app that’s expected to arrive with iOS 27. Most notably, the new Siri is tipped to live within the Dynamic Island, where it’ll act as an always-on agent ready to perform whatever task you throw at it. Plus, it works across the entire operating system and can be more proactive because of how it draws on personal information and web data to complete tasks.

This looks and feels a lot like Gemini’s task automation feature that I tested firsthand with the Galaxy S26. If this new Siri can place a Dunkin’ Donuts order through DoorDash just like Gemini, then Apple is going to be well-positioned. Similar to other chatbots, the new Siri app will also house your previous chat history within a conversational interface that packages a voice mode, text field, and attachment picker — looking very much like the standalone Gemini and ChatGPT apps.

There are also new Search and Ask functions within the Siri app that are accessed by swiping down from the top center of the interface at any time, which relegates Notifications access to a swipe down from the left side. This new interface is much more suitable for typing to Siri, but it'll also surface access to frequently used apps, recent web searches, and more.

Is Apple saying goodbye to Visual Intelligence?

Another intriguing detail about the new Siri app is that it appears to be missing the one feature that keeps me glued to Gemini Live: the ability to tap into my phone’s camera for real-time visual search. Even though this is exactly what Visual Intelligence is built for, the leaks suggest Apple could be phasing it out as a standalone feature with iOS 27 — and simply integrating Siri's eyes directly into the native Camera app.

The screenshot renders show that the iOS 27 Camera app will feature a dedicated Siri mode right on the bottom mode carousel. While it’s a logical addition, I hope there’s a shortcut within the Siri app to launch it as well. Nonetheless, it’ll finally give Siri the ability to see what you’re looking at so you can ask contextual questions.

Beyond the AI integrations, these renders also reveal how the Camera app is evolving to appeal to enthusiasts. Specifically, the interface is becoming much more customizable, introducing a new Add Widgets panel for the features that matter most to mobile photographers — like focal depth and precise exposure settings.

Even though these changes don’t indicate a true, fully manual mode, it’s incredibly reassuring to see the stock Camera app continue to evolve.

More AI tools for editing and automation

New Apple Intelligence features were virtually nonexistent with the release of iOS 26, but Apple clearly intends to rectify that with iOS 27. The platform is finally gaining advanced AI editing tools to rival what Google and Samsung already offer with their flagship devices.

Specifically, the Photos app appears to be getting new features called Reframe and Extend, which I suspect will use generative AI to do things like adding context elements to an existing photo. These tools are nothing new, of course, as I’ve been using them for a couple of years now on rival Android phones.

Other new Apple Intelligence features expected to arrive include a system-wide grammar checker and a natural-language, prompt-based photo search tool. The latter sounds awfully similar to the Ask Photos feature that I first tried out with the Pixel 10 last fall, which has since been integrated as a native feature within Google Photos (which is also available on iPhone).

Apple could also be planning a revamped Shortcuts app that can build complex automations using basic natural language. I really love this prospect because if you’ve ever tried to manually map out automations, you know they can quickly become incredibly time-consuming. Personally, I would much rather just speak what I want and let Apple Intelligence handle the rest.

Additional AI tools rumored for iOS 27 include AI-generated wallpapers, a revamped Image Playground, and an updated Genmoji custom emoji creator.

Based on what’s been revealed so far, there’s no arguing that Apple is going all-in on Apple Intelligence with iOS 27. While it's obvious that even more will be revealed at WWDC 2026 in a couple of weeks, these leaked features alone finally put the iPhone on equal footing with its rivals.

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Theft Detection Lock is easily the best feature Google has added to Android over the past few years, and it seems that Apple may agree with that assessment. According to a report from 9to5Mac, Apple is working on its own version that will automatically lock down a device if it gets snatched out of a user's hands.

Apple and Google have added a bunch of useful tools designed to thwart thieves and anyone else hoping to gain access to your phone's data. However, most of those features are for naught if a thief manages to snatch an unlocked phone out of your hands. That's why Theft Detection Lock is so invaluable.

According to the report, Apple's system is going to rely on several different signals, including the phone's accelerometer, to detect sudden snatch-like movements. It's also claimed that the system will take into account the distance from a paired Apple Watch. Presumably, if that distance suddenly increases without warning, the phone will know to lock up.

The snatch detection feature will apparently operate on similar rules to Stolen Device Protection. That feature can detect whether or not your phone is in a familiar location, and in the event that its security settings get ramped up to 11. This suggests to me that the Theft Detection feature will be a little more relaxed in familiar places, like your own home, only to get stricter as soon as you leave.

When is it coming?

The report says that there are no details on when iPhone's theft detection feature will be announced, only that it's currently in active development. Considering how much personal data is stored on them and the fact that iPhones are very desirable, the sooner Apple gets this feature rolling out, the better.

I'm lucky enough that I've never actually had my phone snatched out of my hands, but I have experienced Theft Detection Lock kicking in because it thinks someone has tried.

You can't get mad because a security feature is a little too overprotective, especially since the solution is as simple as unlocking your phone again. The last thing you want is for your phone to decide a legitimate snatching isn't worth locking everything up for.

Maybe we'll see this feature unveiled at WWDC 2026 alongside iOS 27, or maybe we're going to have to wait longer for Apple to catch up with a feature Google has had for almost two years. Would you want this feature on your iPhone? Let us know in the comments.

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It’s a cliché for good reason, but the best camera is the one you have on you. The GoPro Mission 1 Pro launches in a couple of days, and this $599 action camera on steroids intends to shake things up. Now, as much as it’s a video-first camera in my opinion, I’m eager to see how it handles photography against the camera that’s always on me: the iPhone 17 Pro.

That’s why over this past weekend, I captured the same set of photos with both the GoPro Mission 1 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro to see which delivers the better results. Action cameras have never won me over with their still-shot performance, but the Mission 1 Pro’s 50MP 1-inch sensor isn't ordinary.

In order to make this photo shootout as fair as possible, I’m going to compare its shots against the 48MP ultrawide camera of the iPhone 17 Pro — simply because it's the lens that best matches the GoPro's sweeping perspective. However, the iPhone 17 Pro’s ultrawide shooter has a 120-degree field of view, which is narrower than the GoPro's native 159-degree view. Despite this, the iPhone 17 Pro holds an inherent utility advantage thanks to its triple-camera setup.

After pixel-peeping the results side-by-side on a monitor, I've broken down exactly how they differ — and which one I'd trust for photography.

Backyard tree

My go-to shot for testing just about everything is this tree in my backyard, simply because of the contrast in the scene. Right away, I’m drawn to the GoPro Mission 1 Pro’s superior dynamic range — mainly due to how it boosts the shadows to balance out the exposure across the entire shot. In comparison, those same shadow areas look underexposed on the iPhone 17 Pro.

Upon closer inspection, neither one has the sharp details to win over my attention, but the iPhone 17 Pro’s 24MP sample still manages to have better definition.

Winner: GoPro Mission 1 Pro

Luxury EV

Under direct sunlight, the GoPro’s expansive field of view captures much more of the sky with the Cadillac Optiq framed in the center. This round is tougher to judge because both devices do an excellent job capturing the EV’s finer details, from the texture of the front grille to the branding on the Continental tires.

While the iPhone 17 Pro skews a bit warmer with its color temperature, the Mission 1 Pro’s dynamic range wins out by doing a better job of boosting the shadows under the car, around the wheel wells, and the branches of the trees in the background.

Winner: GoPro Mission 1 Pro

Indoor brewery

Inside a brewery, you would think the larger 1-inch sensor of the Mission 1 Pro would outclass its competitor, but I’m shocked by the results. The GoPro’s shot is noticeably softer and lacks definition compared to the phone.

The iPhone 17 Pro easily gains my vote thanks to its stronger contrast and superior clarity. I’m particularly impressed by how the overhead Edison lights and the graphic wall to the right both remain in sharp focus.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Alternate Ending

Again, I can’t stress enough the huge disparity between these two brewery shots. The iPhone 17 Pro delivers a moodier image that perfectly captures the atmosphere, specifically because it mitigates the strong light sources before they can overpower the frame. As a result, the yellow Alternate Ending sign is properly exposed, and the textures of the wooden siding are much sharper.

The Mission 1 Pro tries to balance the exposure throughout the entire shot, but the details on the building look incredibly soft, and it completely overexposes the highlights.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Selfie

While the ultrawide camera would probably be the last lens I’d use for a selfie on the iPhone 17 Pro, it still does a better job than the Mission 1 Pro. That’s because when I zoom in on my face and shirt, the iPhone captures far more detail and definition.

I’ll give the Mission 1 Pro credit for once again delivering better dynamic range—safeguarding the exposure in the shadowed tree branches overhead—but it ultimately falters when it comes to rendering sharp facial features.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Cloudy New York

You might have trouble telling it was a cloudy day in the iPhone 17 Pro's shot because of the exposure boost it receives, but this is a prime example of Apple’s image processing working in the background to brighten the scene. Sure, the sky ends up overexposed as a result, but the brighter tone of the surrounding buildings does a much better job of grabbing my attention.

In comparison, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro’s image looks flat due to the lack of any meaningful exposure boost. Even though it's technically more representative of reality, its subdued look and softer details don't make it nearly as impressive.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro

Nighttime backyard tree

Finally, I’m back to the tree in my backyard—but this time at night under almost pitch-black conditions. Neither shot is something I’d be proud to put in a picture frame, seeing as they’re both severely underexposed due to the lack of ambient light.

Between them, however, I’m giving the nod to the GoPro Mission 1 Pro mainly because it's a tiny bit better exposed. The green grass is more noticeable in the GoPro’s shot, whereas it's completely blacked out with the iPhone 17 Pro.

Winner: GoPro Mission 1 Pro

Bottom line

When it comes to handling challenging, high-contrast scenes, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro's superior dynamic range consistently pulls excellent detail out of harsh shadows — even beating the iPhone 17 Pro in broad daylight. However, its still photography leaves a bit to be desired, as it clearly lacks the crisp definition and fine detail that I crave.

That’s why the iPhone 17 Pro remains my go-to for everyday photography, especially since it's the camera that's always on me. Not only does Apple’s flagship offer a far more versatile triple-camera setup, but it’s clear that a massive amount of computational work goes into its image processing—resulting in better contrast, truer color balance, and superior detail capture.

Needless to say, I’d lean on my iPhone 17 Pro way more than the Mission 1 Pro when it comes to stills — but video is a totally different beast. Based on my time with the new GoPro so far, its video quality is already putting some of the best camera phones on the market to shame.

Looking ahead, I’m most excited about the Mission 1 Pro ILS when it drops later this fall. Featuring an interchangeable Micro Four Thirds mount, it has the potential to truly be the one camera that can do everything.

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We're a little less than two weeks from WWDC 2026 where Apple will debut the first look at the forthcoming iOS 27 and potentially the long-delayed Siri 2.0.

The next update to Apple's iPhone operating system should be AI-focused as Apple tries to catch up with rivals. A new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman shared several AI features and a new, darker look for Siri. This includes a potential EU directive that forces Apple to offer AirPlay alternatives.

Genmoji and Image Playground updates

Per Gurman, both Genmoji and Image Playground are getting visual and feature updates. Both apps should be a getting a visual upgrade that should make the emojis and AI-generated images look much better.

Genmoji will let the operating system suggest premade options based on your frequently used phrases and images.

Image Playground is supposed to support more third-party AI models for image creation. This would be in addition to the current ChatGPT availability. There should also be a new wallpaper creation tool.

Briefly, Gurman says Apple is also working on the ability to use conversational prompts in the Shortcuts app and a new AI-based grammar checker.

Dark Siri

It's not really surprising but the the theming for WWDC 2026 appears to hint at a potential new look for Siri. Per Gurman, the black and white shiny logo for WWDC showcases the same colors that will feature in the animation and text input fields for Siri in iOS 27.

Apple is said to be leaning into a darker theme this year. This is because the new Siri interface apparently lacks a light-mode option and uses dark hues. It does seem to confirm our speculation on how Siri is evolving this year.

According to Gurman, "the Search or Ask bar at the top of iOS 27 will have a dark background with a cursor that blinks in the same colors as the animations in the latest WWDC art."

We'll know more starting on June 8 when the WWDC 2026 keynote kicks off Apple's developer conference. Apple hasn't confirmed the exact start time, but the presentation usually starts around 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. As usual, the event will take place at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA.

The live keynote has generally been streamed on the Apple website, the Apple Developer app and its YouTube channel. Are you excited for WWDC, iOS 27 and the delayed Siri? Let us know in the comments.

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After reports that Apple was facing hinge production issues on the iPhone Fold, a new rumor claims that the company's first foldable phone is hitting a entirely different issue at the pre-assembly stage.

The leaker known as Fixed Focus Digital contradicted last week's hinge rumor on Weibo claiming that the issue is due to surface-mount technology (SMT) during pre-assembly. Per their claim, production yields are slow to ramp up.

If you're unaware, SMT refers to the process of mounting components of a device onto the circuit board per ABL Circuits.

Fixed Focus doesn't outright say that the expected September launch will be delayed but they did say that the "situation is not looking optimistic" (machine translated).

Several comments blamed Apple's manufacturing process, but in a response FFD said that the issue is in the "upstream process" that Apple's contractor is allegedly working hard to resolve. They blamed Apple's quality control requirements as being "too strict."

The previous report from separate leaker Instant Digital claimed that Apple's high standards were part of the issue regarding the iPhone Fold's hinge which was allegedly consistently failing to meet their stringent demands. In a follow up post, they did say that the hinge issue was unlikely to affect the September launch.

Production issues abound but delay is questionable

Recently, several leaks have popped up suggesting that Apple is struggling to mass produce the iPhone Fold. They stand in contrast to reports in April that said Apple was on track for a September release.

Both Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and DigiTimes Asia reported that the the foldable iPhone was facing production delays but expected to launch in the fall. At the time DigiTimes reported that production was roughly one to two months behind schedule.

Gurman reported that Apple was aiming to put the Fold onsale at about the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro models or a little later. "The release is six months away, and production has yet to ramp up," he said. Gurman added that timing wasn't final.

Apple doesn't 'need' a foldable this year

Analyst Avi Greengart of Techsponential told Tom's Guide that if Apple doesn't release its folding iPhone this year it will only benefit Samsung and Motorola globally and Huawei in China.

However, he added that Apple's iPhone sales "have surged" without a foldable. "It doesn't need one to be successful," Greengart said.

This may be true as Yahoo Finance reported in April that Apple's sales of the iPhone 17 series increased by up to 26% compared to previous years. We don't have exact numbers since Apple tends not to share that information.

The foldable iPhone should launch with a 7.8-inch foldable screen and a 5.5-inch outer display. It should feature an A20 chip and C2 modem plus a Touch ID power button. Current pricing rumors suggest it will start around $2,000.

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There's no denying the fact that Apple makes a lot of great software. Sadly, the lack of choice and the fact that you're forced to use whatever Apple provides are points of contention for some. This includes the European Union (EU), which has been working tirelessly to stop big tech companies from denying users the option to pick their own third-party programs.

Now it sounds like AirPlay could be getting some much-needed competition in iOS 27. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple is set to start offering video-casting alternatives to satisfy the latest requirements in the EU's Digital Markets Act. This means other services, like Google Cast, could be made available on iPhones.

The only question is, will this be another case of Apple only making the changes within the EU, or will we see this same change enacted more widely?

Apple has already made a bunch of changes to iOS because of the Digital Markets Act. This includes opening up iOS to sideloading and third-party app stores — but only for residents of the EU. Every other part of the world has been left with the status quo, with no access to the alternative app stores or the ability to load whatever software they feel like.

I would be quite shocked if Apple didn't keep the same arrangement in place with casting and AirPlay. Apple has always resisted any attempts to open up the walled garden that is iOS, loudly complaining whenever it's faced with the prospect, and only complying when it's forced to do so by law.

If experience tells us anything, it's that Apple will likely do the same again, and without making a big deal about it.

iOS is becoming a two-tier system

Obviously, that situation is going to be quite disappointing for those of us who don't live in the EU. It's not that AirPlay is a bad system, or that there's a shortage of compatible TVs and streaming devices; it's that choice can only be a good thing.

I also wonder whether Apple can really fall back on the tried-and-tested "security" excuse for not allowing third-party casting software. If it were to treat casting with the same scrutiny it treats App Store apps, and controls distribution outside the EU, then surely the risks would be minimized. Casting to your own devices is not like installing random software from sketchy sites across the internet.

Of course, giving developers access to add their own casting software to iOS is only one part of the equation. Developers are going to need the time and resources to develop their casting protocols for iOS. So it's not like iOS 27 will be released, and you'll suddenly be able to beam movies, photos, music and whatever other media you have, via something like Google Cast.

It's going to take time to roll out, and there's no telling how long that might take. Plus, with the potential audience in the EU being quite small compared to other parts of the world, there will likely be developers who don't bother at all.

We likely won't find out for sure until either WWDC 2026, which kicks off on June 8, or the release of the iOS 27 beta in the aftermath.

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As the first half of 2026 winds down, it feels as though Apple has been relatively quiet while we wait for the big Fall product releases. WWDC 2026 is right around the corner in June and as is often the case, it marks the shift between the barren Apple months and the fruitful ones.

With that in mind, based on rumors and leaks, I expect Apple to debut at least 15 new devices between now and the end of the year.

Some like the iPhone and Apple Watches are your typical annual updates (save the over-rumored iPhone Fold), and potential updates to the MacBook Pro lineup. Others, like Apple's long-awaited smart home lineup, all depend on whether Apple has finally figured out Siri 2.0.

All of these devices could give us an idea if the recently reported hardware shakeup is ready to bear fruit.

So, here are the 15 Apple devices we could see this year in order of potential release date.

iPhone 18 Pro models and iPhone Fold - September

On the whole, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max probably won't be a big divergence from the iPhone 17 versions. A new color, a better chip, possibly a revamped Camera Control button and a smaller Dynamic Island are all on the table. Decent updates, but not terribly exciting.

The iPhone 18 is, we expect, a gap year until 2027's 20th anniversary iPhone, which could truly shake up the iPhone design.

However, the bigger news is that Apple is expected to split the iPhone 18 release with the Pro models this year and the iPhone 18, 18 Plus, and 18e launching in the new spring window next year.

If it launches, and there is debate about that, the iPhone Fold (or Ultra) will be the headline stealer as Apple finally steps into the foldable phones market.

The allegedly crease-free foldable could feature a squat 7.7-inch inner display that is reminiscent of an iPad mini. Apple is reportedly developing iOS 27 to be tailored for the folding iPhone. We'll most likely hear more about that at WWDC 2026, depending on how coy Apple wants to be.

Apple Watches - September

Unlike the iPhone 18 family, there has been a dearth of rumors regarding the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. They typically launch in September alongside the iPhone.

Here's what we know so far.

The Series 12 could feature new holistic sensor tech on the bottom of the watch, including a new eight-sensor array. If true, this could indicate that new health metrics might be coming to the Series 12, or at the very least, more accurate ones. The big change might be an overhauled Health app featuring an AI-powered, personalized wellness concierge.

Otherwise, it should be largely the same as the Series 11, though it might feature Touch ID, which has been disputed.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 may or may not launch this year, the rumors are unclear on this part. If not, we might see the Ultra 4 in 2027.

As for the design, rumors hint at a thinner case, fingerprint scanner and improved Hypertension Alerts. But that's about it for now.

iPads - September/October

The iPad mini is one of the best tablets available today and the eighth iteration could launch this year. Apple hasn't had a consistent release schedule for its tiny iPads, but most rumors suggest the iPad mini 8 could launch around October, maybe late September.

It's rumored to get the A20 Pro, the same chip as the iPhone 18 Pro series. It could also be the first iPad mini to feature an OLED display.

As for the larger entry-level iPad 12, it could launch this year with an A19 chipset. It's looking like it will be a simple refresh with Apple Intelligence features and possibly Apple's N1 wireless chip. Design-wise I expect it to look the same as its predecessor. Outside of that, I only have speculation on possible increases in RAM and storage but with the memory crisis, that may take a back seat.

OLED MacBook Pro M6 and other Macs - October

If they launch this year, I expect to see at least four Mac devices, most likely in October.

The most interesting one is the potential MacBook Pro M6 feature an OLED display.

• Mac Studio
• Mac mini
• iMac
• MacBook Pro M6

Beyond the MacBook, all of the other devices will likely just be chip upgrades going from their current versions to the M5 family.

The Pro model might get a new name the MacBook Ultra, which is meant to differentiate it from the MacBook Neo acting as an even higher-end counterpart to the Pro. It should feature an OLED display and the new M6 chipset.

The design should be similar to previous Pro models. The big upgrades will be the display with a touchscreen and the chipset.

Smart Home devices with a catch

Apple has been rumored to be developing its own suite of smart home devices, including the overhauled HomePod. This could come in the form of a new HomePod mini, a new HomePod 3 and the Home Hub.

The long-awaited Apple TV 4K set-top box update would be part of this update, with new features meant to connect it to your smart home. We're expecting Apple to kit out the next Apple TV with an upgraded chip, possibly an A17 Pro chip, though that rumor is nearly a year old now, so a potentially more powerful chip could be in the cards. The device could also get the N1 chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Here's the thing, though, this all depends on whether Apple has finally figured out Apple Intelligence and Siri. Using AI to control your smart home with your voice and other tools is supposed to be a main part of the experience. That promise could finally arrive with the Gemini-powered version of Siri that is supposed to launch this year.

Additionally, Apple may have a smart security camera and Face ID doorbell in the works. Apple was reportedly in the early stages of development of those at the end of 2024, but it's not clear where Apple is regarding that now.

If Apple finally reveals the new HomePod and other smart home devices, it likely won't happen until after Siri 2.0 actually launches this fall.

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We've heard a bunch of rumors about next year's iPhone, tentatively dubbed the iPhone 20, and the changes Apple may implement to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its flagship device.

One of those rumors claims we'll see some kind of wraparound glass display that curves around all four edges of the phone, and the newest claim is that prototypes of that design are already being tested.

This comes from prolific Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station (DCS) over on Weibo. According to the leaker, supply chain rumors suggest the 2027 iPhone will feature a quad-curved screen and that evaluation testing is already underway.

However, the leaker also claims that the iPhone 19 Pro series, as they're calling it, is already in mass production, despite the fact that it won't be going on sale for another 16 months. Phones normally don't hit the mass production stage until, at most, a few months before they're released.

Last we heard, the iPhone Fold, which is arriving later this year, isn't expected to enter mass production until July. So there's no way the 2027 iPhone is already being built at scale. DCS may mean the curved screens themselves are being mass-produced, but even that seems unlikely, especially if the design is still in the evaluation and testing stage.

What to expect from iPhone 20's curved display

Quad-curved displays are nothing new and were quite popular among Chinese phone brands for many years. From what we've seen and heard, Apple's take may not be a straight copy of those designs. Instead, the curved edges are supposed to offer a wrap-around effect, and when combined with a glass backplate, could give the illusion that the iPhone 20 is completely made of glass — rather than a fusion of glass and metal.

Another tidbit from the post is that these screens will apparently have a hole-punch camera, rather than an under-display camera. That said, DCS suggests that a special 'commemorative edition' phone will feature the hidden selfie camera.

That's what we expected the iPhone 20 to be, which could suggest that Apple has two iPhone line-ups planned for next year. That happened in 2017, when the iPhone X was released alongside the iPhone 8, and it wouldn't surprise me if Apple did something similar next year.

But, if what DCS says all comes true, then it means the quad-curved display may not be exclusive to the anniversary iPhone. So who knows what extra features it will have to help differentiate it from the last decade's worth of devices?

Considering the iPhone 18 Pro hasn't even been released yet, it's still too early to know exactly what to expect from 2027's wave of flagship iPhones. But, based on everything we've heard so far, it's going to be very interesting to see what Apple has planned for the iPhone's 20th birthday.

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Apple has announced a suite of new accessibility features that are powered by Apple Intelligence. These tools include VoiceOver, Voice Control, Magnifier and an Accessibility Reader that work with your iPhone.

Additionally, the company announced new eye controls for wheel chair users who have an Apple Vision Pro. Plus, the accessibility designed Hikawa Grip & Stand for iPhone comes in three new colors.

All of the features are "coming later this year." The announcement didn't specify when each individual feature will actually be available.

"With these updates, we’re bringing new, intuitive options for input, exploration, and personalization — designed to protect users’ privacy at every step," Sarah Herrlinger, Apple's senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, said in the announcement.

Here's what they are and how they work.

VoiceOver and Magnifier

VoiceOver and Magnifier is meant for users who are blind or have low vision. They can describe onscreen information or your surroundings using Apple Intelligence.

In VoiceOver, the Image Explorer uses AI to give detailed descriptions of images in your phone. Examples include photographs, scanned bills, personal records and other visuals.

Apple is also updating Live Recognition, which can use your camera to get a response about whats in the viewfinder. You can also ask follow-up questions to get more information.

Magnifier is a high-contrast interface that also utilizes the Action button to ask questions and receive answers. You can control the app with spoken requests like "turn on flashlight" and "zoom in."

Voice Control updates

Voice Control is getting a natural language update that lets you navigate your iPhone or iPad entirely by voice. It's supposed to let you describe onscreen buttons and controls with conversational language instead of memorizing exact labels or numbers.

You can say commands like "say what you see" or "tap the purple folder" to control your device. It's meant to make it easier to use your iPhone or get around barriers like improperly labeled elements.

Accessibility reader and subtitles

Accessibility reader is meant for a range of visual impairments from dyslexia to low vision.

According to Apple, Accessibility Reader can handle complex source material like scientific articles. It can provide on-demand summaries, built-in translation and custom formatting, font and colors to help you read better.

Additionally, Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro, are getting a new subtitle generation feature for uncaptioned videos. Apple Intelligence will recognize speech and generate subtitles for even videos sent from family and friends in messages.

Vision Pro wheelchair control

Designed for users of power wheelchairs, Apple has a new precision-eyetracking system for the Vision Pro that enables people to use their eyes to control the chairs. It's helpful for people who can't easily use a joystick and need an alternative drive system.

Apple says the system works in a variety of lighting conditions and doesn't require frequent recalibration.

“The option to control my power wheelchair on my own is gold to me,” said Pat Dolan, founder of GeoALS and a member of Team Gleason’s patient advisory board, who has lived with ALS for 10 years. “With this new feature, Apple is developing life-enhancing technology for the people who need it most.”

Other accessibility features

Apple has a variety other accessibility features that you may find helpful.

• Vehicle motion cues: reduce motion sickness for people using Vision Pros as a passenger in cars.
• Touch accommodations: New personalized setups in iOS and iPadOS
• Made for iPhone hearing aids: more reliable pairing between Apple devices
• Larger text: tvOS is getting larger text options for low vision users
• Name recognition: Can notify deaf or hard-of-hearing people if someone says their name nearby.
• Connect the Sony Access game controller to iOS, iPadOS, or macOS devices. You can configure the thumbstick, nine built-in buttons, and four external buttons or speciality switches to personalize layouts.

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This September, tech fans are eagerly awaiting Apple's debut of the foldable iPhone (possibly dubbed the iPhone Ultra). But several rumors have claimed that the highly anticipated new product may not arrive alongside the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro after all.

This past weekend, regular tipster Instant Digital doubled down on the assertion that Apple may delay the launch of the iPhone Ultra.

In April, Instant Digital claimed the iPhone Fold had entered trial production, a step in the manufacturing process when a batch of devices is developed under real or near-real conditions. At the time, an October release was suggested.

The good news

Per one of Instant Digital's weekend posts, Apple has successfully solved the problem of screen creases on a foldable display. Apple has "achieved a visually crease-free state" with "long-term stability," they claimed.

That seems to match previous reports that Apple had solved the issue. Previously, Instant Digital suggested that the iPhone Fold would be "truly highly modular" and repairable, including the display.

More detailed rumors have claimed that Apple is using a special layered glass and glue to get around the crease. It also utilizes a new liquid metal hinge.

The bad news

That liquid metal hinge, however, may be a problem, and according to Instant Digital's other post, may cause an indefinite delay to the release of the iPhone Fold.

"The core bottleneck now is the hinge; its reliability after frequent opening and closing consistently fails to meet Apple's quality control standards," they wrote (translated).

They go on to note that the mechanical wear issue could cause the delayed release.

For years, rumors have circulated that part of the delay with iPhone Fold was due to Apple's fervent desire to create a creaseless display. It's also been suggested that Apple's "quality control standards" have led to delays as well.

Instant Digital appears to believe that Apple is capable of solving the problem before September. "Apple doesn't want to delay unless there's absolutely no other way," they said in reply to a commenter.

It is only May, and Apple does have a couple more months to get its ducks in a row, but the timeline is getting shorter by the day. Of course, as previous rumors have also suggested the iPhone Fold won't start shipping until December.

This would (we hope) give Apple plenty of time to fix any issues with the hinge. Though it would be a huge blow to Apple's product announcements, especially with a new CEO set to deliver his first-ever iPhone hardware unveil with the whole industry watching.

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Apple has started sending out invites for the WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8 and it could have some hints about the future of Siri. The image, seen above, is clearly Apple Park, but the glowing symbol and the taglines like "coming bright up" give a hint at a potential visual overhaul for Siri.

It's two years late, but Siri 2.0 is finally supposed to arrive this year. Most rumors have hinted at Siri's potential capabilities, but this little teaser suggests that Siri could also get a visual overhaul.

Here's how Siri could be evolving.

iOS 27 and Gemini

Notably, Apple and Google have already promised that Gemini-powered Siri will debut this year with iOS 27. Google could help turbocharge Siri by offering the same multimodal performance that can be found in other AI chatbots.

With Gemini Live already available on some of the best Android phones, we already have an idea of how Siri could perform. For instance, the Galaxy S26 got advanced task automation to perform complex actions like placing a Dunkin’ Donuts order through DoorDash via voice.

Since the rocky launch of Apple Intelligence in 2024, Apple has been scrambling to refine what already exists rather than introducing new features. Still, this is the system that's supposed to undergird Siri, so new features are likely to be announced that would presumably integrate with Apple's virtual assistant.

That could include AI-based photo editing tools and things like the Galaxy S26’s Now Nudge.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously said that Siri 2.0 will offer a more "chatbot-like experience" acting as more of an on-device agentic AI for your iPhone.

However, he's also noted that Apple is making privacy a centerpiece of Siri, which would stand out from AI rivals like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

WWDC 2026: When and how to watch

Apple's latest iteration of its Worldwide Developers Conference runs from June 8 to 12, with the keynote starting on Monday, June 8.

Apple hasn't confirmed the exact start time, but the presentation usually starts around 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. As usual, the event will take place at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA.

The live keynote has generally been streamed on the Apple website, the Apple Developer app and its YouTube channel.

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When it comes to AI, it feels like Apple has fumbled things every step of the way. Not only was it late to market with its own AI features, but the promised AI upgrades to Siri are also almost two years overdue. Needless to say, what was an uphill battle now feels like trying to scale El Capitan without adequate gear, with arrows being pelted at you, in the middle of the worst storm you've ever seen.

But seemingly undeterred, Apple will apparently be falling back on the things its AI can offer, and which the rest of the tech industry apparently has no interest in: privacy.

This information comes from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who also notes that Apple's respect for user privacy is a major reason why its AI offerings have been so lackluster. When you deliberately restrict yourself from collecting and analyzing user data, training your AI models suddenly becomes much harder. At least compared to AI firms that don't give two hoots about exploiting the data users hand over.

Still, Apple believes that users shouldn't have to compromise on privacy to enjoy state-of-the-art AI features. Gurman believes this could work to Apple's advantage, especially now that the general public is realizing just how many privacy trade-offs are involved in using AI products.

With that in mind, Gurman claims that Apple will make the privacy factor the centerpiece of its presentation at WWDC 2026 next month. By making itself — and its approach to AI — stand out from the data-hungry rivals, Apple could differentiate its offering from an ever-increasing number of AI companies.

Auto-delete in new Siri app

That approach could include an auto-delete feature in the new Siri app, restricting the amount of information the AI can retain in the long term. Other chatbots offer this, but unlike what Apple is reportedly planning, they are not switched on by default and rely on the user to know about them first.

The lack of historical data will limit Siri's ability to offer personalized responses, but that may be a small price to pay for better privacy right out of the box. However, the new Siri will apparently include the option to store conversations for 30 days, one year or forever, if you choose.

We also know that Siri will utilize Apple's Private Cloud Compute, which Apple previously claimed would be an extension of iPhone's existing security protections in the cloud. That means iPhone owners wouldn't miss out on the benefits of cloud processing, but also wouldn't have to compromise privacy in the process. Though it's unclear how Google's role in powering Siri will be, and how that might affect the privacy aspects of the new app.

Sadly, despite all the delays, it seems the new version of Siri won't be totally complete by the time it launches later this year. Gurman notes that the app will still be in beta, even if it's available to the masses. This means it may not operate correctly 100% of the time, and Apple may limit access to a wait list — as it did with Apple Intelligence features in the months after they first launched.

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Shop for an Android phone today, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a handset with a single rear camera. Even many of the best cheap phones have multiple rear shooters these days. But things are different over in Apple land. The company currently sells not one, but two handsets with a single rear camera: the iPhone Air ($999) and iPhone 17e ($599). I’m not here to debate Apple’s choices. Like many of you, I believe all modern phones should have an ultrawide, and any handset costing more than $500 should also have a telephoto.

I'm also not here to debate people’s choices. Single rear shooter aside, the iPhone Air is extremely slick, and the iPhone 17e delivers great value. Today, I want to compare how these camera systems perform. Any differences in photo quality likely come down to differences in hardware (sensor and lens) since the software (iOS 26) and image processing are identical on both phones. These handsets even share the same ISP (image signal processor) inside their respective A19 Pro and A19 chips.

So let’s find out how these shooters differ on paper and fare in various conditions out in the real world.

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: The hardware

The iPhone Air’s main camera uses the same 48MP 1/1.56-inch 1.0-micron sensor with PDAF and 26mm f/1.6 lens with sensor-shift stabilization as the iPhone 17. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17e’s main shooter consists of a 48MP 1/2.55-inch 0.7-micron sensor with PDAF and 26mm f/1.6 lens with regular OIS. This is the exact same sensor Apple uses for the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro’s ultrawide, as well as the iPhone 17 Pro's telephoto, but with a different lens. Obviously, the iPhone Air beats the iPhone 17e in terms of sensor size and stabilization.

Like other iPhones with 48MP sensors, the rear cameras on both the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e support in-sensor cropping for “optical-quality” 2x zoom alongside 4-in-1 pixel binning, which combines four nearby pixels into one larger pixel for better low-light performance. By default, both shooters take 24MP photos which blend a 48MP shot for detail with multiple pixel-binned 12MP images for dynamic range. You also have the option to shoot at 48MP or 12MP, but night mode and zoomed images are always 12MP.

While the iPhone 17e features a regular (4:3) 12MP 1/3.6-inch 23mm f/1.9 selfie camera with PDAF, the iPhone Air boasts Apple's clever new Center Stage front shooter. It uses a square (1:1) 24MP 1/3.6-inch sensor with PDAF alongside a 23mm f/1.9 lens. This allows you to capture 18MP selfies in any orientation (portrait or landscape) no matter how you hold the phone. Center Stage automatically keeps you centered in the frame, and intelligently rotates and zooms out to fit more people into a shot.

Apple’s Photonic Engine (computational photography imaging pipeline) together with the A19 Pro and A19 chips do most of the heavy lifting here, and enable features like Deep Fusion (neural image processing) and Apple’s next-generation portrait mode (which lets you tweak depth and focus after the fact). Both handsets include Photographic Styles, but only the iPhone Air offers the latest version (with the matrix interface), while the iPhone 17e makes do with the previous generation (with tone and warmth adjustments only).

Photo modes include night, portrait, and panorama (rear only) – which takes ultra-high resolution pictures (up to a massive 63MP). Both the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e record stabilized video with stereo or spatial audio at up to 4k 60fp and support Dolby Vision. Video modes include 24fps (4k), 25fps (4k and 1080p), slow motion (1080p 120fps or 720p 240fps), and time lapse (1080p 30fps). The iPhone Air also includes Action (up to 2.8k) and Dual Capture (up to 4k 30fps) modes, which are missing from the iPhone 17e.

Both phones lack the Cinematic and Spatial video modes found on the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro since those require dual rear cameras, and there’s no dedicated macro mode since that requires an ultrawide. Then again, pulling back and zooming in to 2x with the main shooter often achieves similar results.

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Daytime

While both phones captured lovely daytime 2x photos of downtown San Francisco as seen from Potrero Hill, the iPhone Air’s image is a little sharper when you pixel peep. The colors in the iPhone 17e’s picture are more accurate and more true to life, however, with the iPhone Air casting a slight reddish tint over the entire shot.

If you look at the skyscrapers in the iPhone 17e’s photo, you’ll notice a faint rainbow-like moiré pattern on the Salesforce Tower and other buildings, a side-effect of demosaicing the sensor’s Bayer filter. This is less pronounced in the iPhone Air’s picture. Overall though, both handsets did a great job with exposure and dynamic range in these images.

Winner: iPhone Air

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Dynamic range

Check out these cliffside 1x views of Arch Rock in Bodega Bay, California, about an hour before sunset. Here again, the iPhone Air is casting a slight reddish hue over the entire picture, but simply gathers more detail than the iPhone 17e. Just zoom into the flowers in the bottom right quadrant to see the difference.

But ultimately, the iPhone 17e does a better job than the iPhone Air at managing dynamic range, resulting in a more dramatic shot of the clouds and sun rays beaming down into the Pacific ocean.

Winner: iPhone 17e

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Colors

Here are 3x photos of a colorful high-rise building in Vancouver’s West End that clearly illustrates how much more information the iPhone Air is able to capture. If you zoom into any part of the building, you’ll see that the iPhone 17e’s picture exhibits less detail and more noise.

To my eyes, however, the iPhone 17e’s color rendering is more natural and realistic. By contrast, the iPhone Air’s image looks slightly colder and a little washed out. That being said, as a whole, both phones absolutely nailed this shot.

Winner: iPhone 17e

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Macro

Both handsets did an excellent job capturing these closeup 2x photos of flowers at Vancouver’s English Bay Beach. Most modern phones implement macro mode by using the ultrawide (with AF) and cropping the resulting image. But without an ultrawide camera, the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e don’t actually have a macro mode. Instead, you can simply use the digital zoom at 2x or 3x and pull back to achieve similar (and often better) results.

While this doesn’t enable extreme closeups, it generally results in a nicer, stronger bokeh (background blur). If you look closely at the background in this shot, you’ll notice that the iPhone Air’s larger sensor delivers a slightly more pronounced bokeh. Like with previous pictures, I prefer the iPhone 17e’s higher contrast and more accurate colors.

Winner: iPhone 17e

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Digital zoom

In these 4x photos of English Bay Beach in Vancouver’s West End, you can see the limitations of not having a dedicated telephoto shooter. While the iPhone Air captured a sharper image with more detail than the iPhone 17e, it’s abundantly clear that zooming beyond 4x or 5x results in a significant reduction in picture quality on both handsets.

What’s interesting here is that unlike previous shots, the iPhone Air’s photo exhibits more natural colors and higher contrast than the iPhone 17e’s, reversing the trend.

Winner: iPhone Air

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Panorama

Apple’s panorama mode takes ultra-high resolution photos (up to an impressive 63MP), so it’s not surprising that both these 2x panoramas of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Crissy Field’s South Beach are virtually identical when it comes to sharpness and detail.

Once again, the iPhone Air is casting a slight reddish tint over the entire image, which is obvious when looking at the sand. While this is pretty much a toss, I prefer the iPhone 17e’s picture for its more accurate colors.

Winner: iPhone 17e

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Selfie

Here are 1x photos of me taken with the selfie camera on both phones in Vancouver’s English Bay.

As you can see, these are excellent selfies overall, but the iPhone Air’s picture is a little sharper than the iPhone 17e’s thanks to a higher-resolution sensor (24MP vs. 12MP). Plus, the iPhone Air’s trick Center Stage front shooter — which keeps you centered in the frame, and automatically rotates and zooms out to fit more people into the image — is a serious game changer, and it’s missing from the iPhone 17e.

Winner: iPhone Air

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Portrait

Check out these 1x portraits of me shot at Vancouver’s Second Beach with the rear camera on both handsets. The iPhone Air does a better job with the fake bokeh (background blur) around my head by preserving most of my stray hairs, but the iPhone 17e’s color rendering is more natural and realistic.

Here again, the iPhone Air is casting a slight reddish hue over the entire photo, and while I prefer the iPhone 17e’s image overall, I believe that handling the fake bokeh properly is more important than relative color accuracy.

Winner: iPhone Air

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Indoors

Both phones pretty much nailed these 1x indoor photos taken at Farley’s, a coffee shop with a cool magazine stand in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill. Once again, the iPhone Air captured a sharper image than the iPhone 17e, but both handsets did a great job with color accuracy, exposure, and dynamic range.

Winner: iPhone Air

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Low light

Las Vegas baby! It’s probably the best city in the world for night photography, so I flew to Sin City just to take these photos… That is a lie. Anyway, it turns out that what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas, and these 2x pictures of the Venetian’s Venezia tower and the Las Vegas Strip are perfect examples of how these phones handle low light. Here again, the iPhone Air captures a lot more information than the iPhone 17e, resulting in more sharpness and detail thanks to its larger sensor and better stabilization mechanism.

What really stands out here is how much better the iPhone Air handles dynamic range in these night shots. Just look at the Harrah’s sign on the left or the “neon” lights in the distance on the right. In addition, the iPhone 17e is casting an unpleasant yellowish hue over the entire picture, and while I generally prefer a warmer tone in my photos, this is a miss.

Winner: iPhone Air

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17e: Verdict

Overall, the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e both take very nice photos that boast natural colors, proper exposure, and a good amount of detail in a wide range of conditions. Dynamic range and low-light performance are decent overall and zooming is fine up to 4-5x. That being said, you can’t beat physics, and the iPhone Air’s larger main sensor and better stabilization mechanism always result in sharper images with significantly more information, especially in low light or when using the digital zoom.

What surprised me most when comparing these handsets is how, given enough light, the iPhone 17e consistently produces shots with more accurate and realistic colors and higher contrast. I prefer these photos over the iPhone Air’s, and it’s only when shooting at night that the iPhone 17e struggles with color accuracy and dynamic range.

Ultimately, if you absolutely must use a phone with a single rear camera, you can’t go wrong with either the iPhone Air or the iPhone 17e. Both deliver consistent results, and ultimately, that’s what’s most important.

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