Apple officially announces iOS 27, the next major iPhone update

Apple has officially announced iOS 27. Here’s what’s included in the next major iPhone update.

iOS 27 is coming

As Apple announces more details about iOS 27, we’ll update this post with information.

• Liquid Glass is gaining a slider for adjusting transparency as part of a greater design advacement
• Icons are upgraded to look sharper and more defined with additional layers of refraction
• Apps launch 30% faster, according to Apple
• AirDrop transfer is 80% faster
• Older iPhones running iOS 27 will be more responsive thanks to a CPUI scheduler feature; all iOS 26 iPhones can run iOS 27 (iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2nd-gen and newer)

Overall, iOS 27 so far is a major collection of performance improvements and refinements.

• Search has been rebuilt with a search index that will improve Spotlight and search everywhere
• iOS 27 indexes the context of devices upon updating
• Mail has a new system for better finding what you’re actually looking for thanks to a new ranking system

Apple also highlighted specific apps and hardware that will be enhanced with iOS 27:

• Photos: iCloud Shared Albums now supports sharing with Android and Windows.
• Health: Cycle tracking is more advanced.
• AirPods: Custom EQ is coming to Apple’s wireless headphones.
• Apple Maps is adding an upgraded Flyover feature with richer aerial imagery.

Beyond platform improvements, Apple is focusing on trust and safety enhancements in its OS 27 releases. This starts with updates to Apple Child Accounts and parental controls.

During the keynote, Apple shared a slide that includes hundreds of new features being announced as part of its OS 27 updates:

1. Here’s an AI-assisted transcription of the features from the image:
2. New UI language for English (Canada) and English (Philippines)
3. Faster AirPlay connections to Apple TV and HomePod
4. More relevant Spotlight search suggestions
5. Web audio no longer interrupts system audio
6. Undo and redo Home Screen edits in iPadOS
7. Faster PDF saving
8. Improved Top Results in Mail
9. Filter photos and videos in Shared Albums
10. More document formats in Preview
11. Drawing in Notes in macOS
12. New keyboard layout for Slovenian and Estonian
13. Control Center access in iPhone Mirroring
14. Audio scrubbing in CarPlay Now Playing
15. Add keywords to photos and videos in Photos
16. Extra-large widgets in Today view in iPadOS
17. Live Activity for Precision Finding with Friends
18. Better battery efficiency on Apple Watch
19. Smart downloads on Apple TV
20. Else if support in Shortcuts
21. Faster board previews in Freeform
22. More accurate step tracking on Apple Watch
23. Sort by completed Fitness+ workouts
24. Faster message loading in Mail
25. Improved connectivity for Thread home accessories
26. Automatic punctuation when typing on multilingual keyboards
27. Faster smart home accessory updates
28. Option-click to secondary sort
29. More efficient emergency alert monitoring
30. AppleCare coverage details in Settings in tvOS
31. More intuitive journaling streaks
32. More consistent window positioning persistence across external displays
33. Updated video podcasts experience in macOS
34. Natural language time formats for Chinese and Hindi
35. Enhanced power efficiency for Safari in iOS and macOS
36. Drawing app in Messages
37. Faster data updates in the Health app
38. Call Recording transcriptions support for Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese
39. Improved game controller settings
40. Easier reading and editing of PDFs using VoiceOver
41. Improved battery insights
42. Smoother scrolling in App Library
43. Improved navigation in Game Overlay
44. Smoother unlocking on iPhone
45. Use your panoramas for Environments in visionOS
46. Faster window closing in iPadOS
47. Improved performance in Apple News
48. Edge-to-edge sidebars
49. More reliable right-to-left text editing in Freeform
50. Find offloaded media in Messages
51. All options displayed in Camera settings
52. Password help accessible from the Lock Screen
53. Group conversation support in Shortcuts
54. New keyboards for languages including Afrikaans, Basque, Baybayin, English (Philippines), Galician, Guarani, Luxembourgish, Xhosa, and Zulu
55. Smoother Freeform board performance
56. Improved PlayStation Access controller support
57. Improved reliability of Apple Music streaming
58. New AutoMix transitions
59. Camera uses less power in Low Power Mode
60. Extra-small widget option in visionOS
61. Refreshed album pages in Apple Music
62. iCloud sync status for Journal entries
63. More responsive Control Center in tvOS
64. Faster network file browsing
65. Ethernet status in menu bar in macOS
66. Perimenopause and menopause symptom logging in the Health app
67. Improved Wi-Fi connectivity in watchOS
68. Faster multilingual text processing for handwriting in multiple languages
69. Guest key in watchOS
70. Expanded Get What’s On Screen capabilities in Shortcuts
71. Faster HomeKit accessory pairing
72. Faster Now Playing view loading in Music
73. Faster start page content loading in Safari
74. Increased attachment limits in Journal
75. More accurate route maps in the Fitness app after workouts
76. New keyboards for Indigenous languages, including Blackfoot, Comanche, Cree, Kiowa, and Tsuut’ina
77. Switch between two iPhone devices with the same phone number
78. Content-based recipient suggestions for sharing photos and links
79. Album organization improvements in Photos
80. Perimenopause and menopause education in the Health app
81. Improved RDMA over Thunderbolt
82. Customize Liquid Glass
83. Support for 4K camera recordings in the Home app
84. Faster Camera launch in Low Power Mode
85. Colorful sidebar icons
86. Faster Voice Control response in iOS
87. More accurate Visited Places in Maps
88. Improved Messages syncing across devices
89. Dual camera in FaceTime
90. Faster browsing and transfers in Files in iPadOS
91. Full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Shared Albums
92. Faster Lock Screen switching
93. Store data in Shortcuts
94. Additional participant permissions in Shared Albums
95. Guides in Maps available in more places
96. New windows with curvature in visionOS
97. Enhanced Flyover in Maps
98. Customize slideshows in Photos
99. Section links in Notes
100. More power-efficient Personal Hotspot on all devices
101. Stylized notes from third-party Calendar accounts
102. Improved Control Center in visionOS
103. Perimenopause and menopause support in the Health app
104. Optional persistent menu bar on iPad
105. Lock Screen consistently stays awake while scrolling notifications
106. Faster AirDrop transfers
107. Dark Mode adaptive canvas in Freeform
108. More flexible sharing options in Find My
109. Captured by Me collection in Photos
110. Extra-large widgets in iOS
111. Failed messages automatically retry sending
112. Save any slideshow as a video in Photos
113. Faster web application performance in Safari
114. Expire your Shared Albums
115. Faster loading of emoji and sticker keyboards
116. GymKit on iPhone and Apple Watch
117. Redesigned Podcasts app for tvOS
118. Consolidated Find My app in watchOS
119. Improved distance accuracy during treadmill workouts
120. Find My UI enhancements
121. Cháizi typing
122. Richer iCloud collaboration link previews
123. Improved Bluetooth power management
124. Access requests for items shared via iCloud
125. Expanded touch support in Sidecar
126. Faster Text Recognition in photos and documents
127. Support for Mac mirroring in 5K resolution
128. Smoother Calendar scrolling
129. Smoother animations and graphics in Safari
130. Refreshed artist pages in Apple Music
131. Search within shows in Podcasts
132. Lock and tap to view and respond to notifications in visionOS
133. Improved navigation heading and GPS accuracy in CarPlay
134. Smart language and keyboard configuration suggestions
135. Faster workout start in the Workout app
136. Updated Liquid Glass
137. Independent alarm volume
138. Smoother camera switching when zooming in video
139. Faster app extension launch in watchOS
140. Recent activity in Shared Albums
141. Offline Maps update improvements
142. Improved FaceTime quality on poor connections
143. Tap gesture on Apple Watch
144. Synced step count in the Health and Fitness apps
145. AirPods Custom EQ
146. Faster media playback in watchOS
147. Faster shortcuts and actions indexing in Spotlight
148. Multilingual grammar checking
149. Faster loading of new captures in Photos
150. Copy and paste as Markdown in Notes
151. Redesigned Shortcuts editor
152. Continuous sending of photos, videos, and texts in Messages
153. Save a video frame as a photo
154. Faster handling of JavaScript in Safari
155. Choose a specific pet in Photo Shuffle
156. Modify multiple Calendar events
157. Holiday-aware alarms in China
158. More reliable search indexing in Mail
159. iPhone app resizing in iPadOS
160. React with any emoji in Shared Albums
161. QuickPath and typing suggestions for Vietnamese VNI keyboard
162. Updated menu bar icons
163. Punctuation suggestions as you type in Chinese
164. Consolidated notifications for multiple Tapbacks in Messages
165. Updated app icons
166. Swipe down to refresh in macOS
167. Larger text sizes in tvOS
168. Spatial scene support for panoramas in visionOS
169. View streams from compatible cameras simultaneously in the Home app
170. Dynamic app grid in watchOS
171. App names in iPad status bar
172. Participate in iCloud Shared Albums from Android and Windows
173. Alternate calendars for India support current time zone while traveling
174. Smoother scrolling in Safari in macOS
175. Faster boot and connect to Wi-Fi in visionOS
176. Uniform toolbars
177. Thumbnails displayed for offloaded media in Messages
178. App resizing in iPhone Mirroring
179. Search for conversations in Messages by phone number or a contact’s nickname
180. Easier to invite others in Shared Albums
181. Collaborative folders in Freeform
182. Improved list formatting in Mail
183. Star ratings in Photos
184. Consistent corner radii
185. Easier card selection and payment management with Apple Pay
186. Screenshot and notification automations in Shortcuts
187. More efficient water detection on Apple Watch
188. Maps Parked Car widget in Smart Stack
189. Faster AirDrop recipient discovery
190. Optimized CPU scheduler
191. Autosize and reset columns
192. Search for photos and videos using additional metadata
193. Improved wireless CarPlay reliability
194. Grocery List in Reminders language expansion
195. Smoother paging between Home Screen pages
196. Search returns more pleasing photos of people and pets in Photos
197. Improved conversion from phonetic scripts like Pinyin and Kana when typing in Simplified Chinese and Japanese
198. Smoother scrolling in Control Center and Control Gallery
199. Drawing in Freeform in macOS
200. Faster app launches
201. More high-resolution and high-refresh-rate display modes for external displays
202. Easier-to-reach Camera experience
203. Option to prioritize syncing to iCloud Photos
204. Easier to save photos from Shared Albums
205. Faster menu bar access in iPadOS
206. Redesigned settings in the Apple Watch app
207. Support for time zone changes in Sleep
208. More accurate photo orientation
209. Streamlined Assistive Access setup
210. Faster and more reliable NFC reading
211. Faster to open full-screen view from Photos widget
212. Smoother animations and app launches in tvOS
213. Time stamps for Journal entries
214. DRM video support in iPhone Mirroring
215. Divider lines in Notes
216. Faster Apple Music playback start
217. Smoother scrolling in the widget gallery
218. Easier to access recovery codes for Apple Accounts
219. Faster access to shared content on iCloud.com
220. Quick Start with a recovery contact
221. News+ audio support in iPadOS
222. Option to include photos of yourself in Photo Shuffle
223. Smoother animations in News and Stocks articles
224. Live Voicemail transcription for English (Singapore) and Japanese
225. Smoother animations in Mission Control and Spaces
226. Visited Places in Maps available in more places
227. Faster rendering of Collections tab in Photos
228. Smoother start page resizing in Safari
229. Selection view in Photos
230. View card balance in Wallet in watchOS
231. Faster Rapid Return to Service
232. Updated hourly and 10-day views in Weather
233. Live Activities in Dynamic Island in landscape
234. Transit cards and IDs in Smart Stack in watchOS
235. More easily accessible share link for iCloud collaboration
236. Faster window switching in iPadOS
237. More distinct active windows
238. Show Borders for macOS accessibility
239. Widget for Mac Virtual Display in visionOS
240. Streamlined setup for Touch Accommodations in iOS and iPadOS
241. Pairing and handoff improvements for MFi hearing devices
242. Multiple tab views in Safari in visionOS
243. Scribble support for Hindi and Marathi with Apple Pencil
244. More seamless transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks
245. Fitness+ workouts for perimenopause and menopause
246. Audio MiniPlayer in CarPlay
247. HDR for macOS system UI
248. Identity Documents collection in Photos
249. Improved unread badge accuracy in Mail
250. Proactive car key setup
251. Natural language search for routing in Maps
252. More reliable HomeKit camera storage
253. Onscreen context for more relevant typing suggestions for Chinese and Japanese
254. Faster to add recent camera captures in Messages
255. Real-time updates for widgets when app is open
256. Wallet Order Tracking support in Australia and Canada
257. Faster entry and exit from Assistive Access and Guided Access modes
258. Support for media sharing from third-party apps
259. Expanded language support for autocategorization in Reminders
260. Faster user account creation in macOS
261. Streamlined Calendar event details
262. FaceTime Live Captions for Traditional Chinese
263. New Smart Stack suggestions in watchOS
264. Faster to start uploading to iCloud Photos

Check some of these in action below!

See more features in detail in our Siri AI and Apple Intelligence in iOS 27 story.

See 9to5Mac’s WWDC 2026 News Hub for all the announcements in one place.