Apple plans to keep its Liquid Glass design language with iOS 27, despite recent leadership changes and months of criticism around readability. The update will not bring a major visual reset. Instead, Apple is putting its weight behind artificial intelligence features and overall software stability.
The discussion picked up pace after Alan Dye, the architect closely associated with Liquid Glass, left Apple for Meta in December 2025. Many expected Apple to quietly step away from the design. That is not happening.
In his recent Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg made Apple’s position clear.
“Let’s not forget that Apple’s user interface manager did not develop the iOS 26 interface himself and did not unilaterally decide on this direction. The company is still very attached to it.”
That statement underlines Apple’s internal stance. Liquid Glass was a collective decision, not a personal project tied to one executive. As a result, iOS 27 will keep the same visual direction, with refinements rather than reversals.
iOS 27 priorities
With the design largely locked in, Apple is shifting attention to performance and intelligence. iOS 27 will focus on removing bugs, improving reliability, and cleaning up older code. These changes aim to make daily use smoother, especially on older devices.
A major addition will be a new Siri chatbot experience. Apple plans to embed this directly into the system instead of launching it as a separate app. According to Gurman, the chatbot will run on Google’s cloud infrastructure and TPUs.
The upgraded Siri will be able to:
Search the web and summarize results
Generate text and images
Help with coding tasks
Analyze documents and uploaded files
Use personal data to complete on-device tasks
Apple is also developing a feature that lets Siri view open windows and on-screen content. This will allow the assistant to change settings and control device features with more context.
The underlying system will rely on a newer internal model known as Apple Foundation Models version 11. Gurman says it will compete directly with Gemini 3 and deliver a clear step up from the version used in iOS 26.4.
Health app plans scaled back
Apple has also adjusted its Health strategy for iOS 27. Plans for a large AI-driven health revamp have been reduced after mixed results from earlier AI integrations. Some of those features will still arrive, but spread out over time inside the existing Health app.
Apple plans to release the first iOS 27 beta this summer. The message is straightforward. The look stays. The focus moves to smarter software that works better every day.