All Apple Intelligence features you should expect in iOS 27

Apple used WWDC 2026 to lay out what iOS 27 will look like when it arrives this fall. The update comes with a rebuilt Siri, bigger AI tools across your apps, and a long list of upgrades to Photos, Messages, Wallet, and more. 

This article covers everything Apple announced, split into two parts: the new Siri AI and the broader Apple Intelligence platform.

Siri AI: Apple’s rebuilt assistant

Siri AI is Apple’s most significant change to the feature since it launched in 2011. Apple describes it as an entirely new version of Siri, built from the ground up with AI at its core. The company built it in partnership with Google, using the technology behind Google’s Gemini models to power a new generation of Apple Foundation Models.

The result is an assistant that can hold natural back-and-forth conversations, take multi-step actions across apps, and answer open-ended questions. Apple says it is designed to compete directly with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

What Siri AI can do

Personal context: Siri AI can read your messages, emails, photos, and notes to give you answers based on your actual life. You can ask it to find the restaurant a friend mentioned last week, pull up a hotel booking from an old email, or surface photos from a specific trip. Personal context also works with some third-party apps when developers build support for it.

On-screen awareness: Siri AI can see what is on your screen and respond to it. If you are reading a message about a potluck, you can ask Siri to brainstorm what to bring and then add a recipe directly to Notes, all without switching apps.

Conversational follow-ups: You can extend almost any Siri AI response into a longer conversation and ask follow-up questions. You do not have to restart from scratch each time.

Writing help: Siri AI can write, edit, and proofread across your apps, including most third-party apps. In Mail and Messages, it matches the tone you normally use with each person. If you usually send your manager short bullet points, Siri will draft in that style. If you write casually to friends, it adjusts accordingly. Siri also proactively checks your spelling and grammar as you type.

The new Siri app

iOS 27 adds a dedicated Siri app that stores your conversation history and lets you pick up where you left off. Your conversations sync across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro via iCloud, so switching devices does not break the flow. On iPhone, you can open Siri using the wake phrase, the side button, or a swipe down from the Dynamic Island.

New voices and dictation

On iPhones with Apple’s most advanced on-device model, Siri AI offers more expressive voices, with options to adjust pace and tone. Systemwide dictation also gets a significant accuracy boost on these devices.

The devices that qualify for these advanced features are:

• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPad M4 and newer, and Mac M3 and newer with at least 12GB of unified memory also qualify, along with Apple Vision Pro M5.

Which iPhones get Siri AI

Siri AI requires Apple Intelligence hardware. Here is how the tiers break down:

• Baseline Siri AI: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 and 17 models
• Advanced Siri AI features (expressive voices, better dictation): iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max only
• iOS 27 with no Siri AI or Apple Intelligence: iPhone 11 through iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have a different chip from the Pro models, which is why they miss out on Apple Intelligence despite running iOS 27.

Privacy

Apple processes simple requests on your device. More complex tasks go through its Private Cloud Compute servers, where Apple says your data is not stored or shared with anyone, including Apple. For the heaviest requests, a Gemini-powered cloud model handles the work. Apple says outside experts can verify its privacy promises at any time.

Availability

Siri AI launches in English first as a waitlisted beta. You can join the waitlist by going to Settings and opening Apple Intelligence. More languages will follow after the initial rollout. Siri AI is blocked on iPhone and iPad in the EU at launch for regulatory reasons and is unavailable in China. EU users on Mac and Vision Pro can access it. watchOS 27 also does not include Siri AI in the EU because it requires a paired iPhone to enable the feature.

Apple Intelligence: All the new features in iOS 27

Apple Intelligence is the broader AI platform that powers everything from photo editing to smart shortcuts. Here is what is new in iOS 27.

1. Photos

Photos gets four AI-powered editing tools:

• Spatial Reframing lets you shift the perspective of a photo after you have taken it, as if you moved the camera. You drag to adjust, and the app generates only what is needed to fill the new angle. It works on old photos too, not just new ones.

• Extend: expands the edges of a photo to give subjects more room, straighten a crooked horizon, or change the aspect ratio. The AI fills in whatever is missing.
• Reframe: the in-app button name for Spatial Reframing, found under Edit, then Tools.
• Clean Up (upgraded) removes objects from photos with more realistic results, even in complex scenes.

Every photo you edit with Apple Intelligence will automatically carry a hidden SynthID watermark, a technology developed by Google DeepMind. The watermark is invisible to the eye and is designed to identify the image as AI-edited. Apple has not confirmed whether the watermark survives screenshots, social media compression, or exports to other apps.

2. Image Playground

Image Playground can now generate photorealistic images, not just illustration-style outputs, in iOS 26. You can also:

• Edit images by typing what you want changed
• Tap or brush on objects to move or resize them
• Create Lock Screen wallpapers
• Create Contact Posters
• Choose your aspect ratio before generating

All generated images carry a SynthID watermark. Image generation runs on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers. Apple notes that daily usage limits apply to server-dependent features and that iCloud+ subscribers receive higher limits.

3. Genmoji

Genmoji gets a quality upgrade in iOS 27. You can now describe changes to an existing Genmoji, and it updates accordingly instead of generating a new one from scratch. The battery and heat load from generating Genmoji are also reduced. The default style remains 3D cartoon, with sketch options available.

4. Writing tools

Writing Tools now works through Siri AI, meaning you can generate text, refine drafts, and fix your writing virtually anywhere you type on iOS 27, including most third-party apps. Smart Reply in Mail and Messages can now match your personal writing style when suggesting responses. Mail suggestions can also take action in third-party apps.

5. Visual Intelligence

Visual Intelligence, which lets your camera identify and act on what it sees, was iPhone-only in iOS 26. In iOS 27, it expands to other devices:

• iPhone: a Siri mode in the Camera app lets you tap the shutter to have Siri see and respond to your surroundings. New actions include splitting a bill via Apple Cash (US only) and getting nutritional information from a plate of food.
• iPad: built into the screenshot experience, so you can take a screenshot and immediately ask Siri about what is on screen.
• Mac: A keyboard shortcut lets you select anything on your screen and ask Siri about it.
• Vision Pro: you can look at any object or app window and ask Siri about it.

Additional reported capabilities include scanning nutrition labels into the Health app and pulling business card details into Contacts.

6. Shortcuts

You can now describe what you want a Shortcut to do in plain language, and Apple Intelligence will build the workflow for you. You do not need to set up the steps manually. Refine it by describing changes, and the app will update accordingly. Example uses include automatically setting a morning alarm based on your first calendar event the next day or arranging app windows when your iPad connects to a Magic Keyboard.

7. Wallet: Create a pass

Wallet gets a new Create a Pass feature powered by Visual Intelligence. Tap the plus button, select Create a Pass, and scan the barcode or QR code on any physical card. Wallet will turn it into a digital pass. You can also build one manually. Available templates include Standard, Membership, and Event, each with background color options and customizable fields for dates, membership numbers, contact details, coupons, and more. The auto-scan path requires the Siri AI beta. The manual path works without it.

Other Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27

• Safari organises your open tabs into topic groups, monitors pages for changes with a Notify Me option, and lets you describe and generate a custom browser extension.
• Passwords: automatically upgrades weak or compromised passwords using AI.
• Messages: one-tap contextual suggestions and smarter photo finding within conversations.
• Phone: a Call Context feature surfaces relevant information from your email and messages when you call certain contacts, such as a flight confirmation code when calling an airline. It works on-device and is based on who you call, not what you say.
• Home: activity-grouped notifications, AI-generated video descriptions, and clip search for HomeKit Secure Video cameras.
• Files: intelligent file and folder naming suggestions.
• Accessibility: VoiceOver gets richer image descriptions and Live Recognition. Accessibility Reader adds summaries and translations. Voice Control supports natural language. Generated captions come to video.
• Workout Buddy: now available in Spanish and works on Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby.

Which features come to iPadOS 27 and macOS 27

Most Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27 also come to iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate. Here is how they compare:

1. iPadOS 27

Gets Siri AI through Spotlight and a dedicated app, Visual Intelligence via the screenshot experience, Photos editing tools, Image Playground, Writing Tools, and the same Safari and Mail upgrades. EU iPad users do not get Siri AI at launch. iPadOS 27 also brings up to 30% faster app launches via predictive preloading.

2. macOS 27 Golden Gate

Gets Siri AI in Spotlight with an Ask Siri search option, a dedicated Siri app, Visual Intelligence via keyboard shortcut, Photos editing tools, Image Playground, Writing Tools, and Safari upgrades. Mac is the only Apple platform where European Union (EU) users can access Siri AI at launch on iOS 27 cycle devices. macOS 27 is Apple Silicon only and requires an M1 chip or newer. The advanced Siri AI voice features require M3 and at least 12GB of RAM.

Camera Siri mode and Wallet Create a Pass are iPhone-specific features and do not have direct equivalents on Mac. Apple Cash bill splitting via Visual Intelligence is US-only and available only on eligible devices.

Which iPhones get Apple Intelligence in iOS 27

• iOS 27, no Apple Intelligence: iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus
• Full Apple Intelligence and baseline Siri AI: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 and 17 models
• Advanced Siri AI features: iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max only

Apple Watch Series 10, Ultra 2, and SE 3 get Siri AI when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. watchOS 27 drops support for older Apple Watch models.

When iOS 27 arrives

• Developer beta: available now (June 8, 2026). Siri AI access is waitlisted.
• Public beta: July 2026
• Stable release: fall 2026, expected around mid-September alongside the new iPhone lineup. Apple has not confirmed a specific date.

Siri AI launches in English first. Apple supports 16 languages for Apple Intelligence overall, including English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and others. Language availability for specific features will vary, and Apple will publish a full list closer to the stable release.