The first rumors about what to expect from next year’s iOS 27 update are here. The update will reportedly bring a focus on stability improvements and bug fixes, with some big new Apple Intelligence features sprinkled in. Here’s everything we know so far about new iOS 27 features, the update’s release date, and more.
When will Apple announce and release iOS 27?
Apple will announce iOS 27 at WWDC in June. Apple typically holds its Worldwide Developers Conference in the first or second week of June. The update will be announced during the event and subsequently released in beta testing for developers.
Here’s when Apple has held WWDC over the last five years:
2021: June 7-11
2022: June 6-10
2023: June 5-9
2024: June 10-14
2025: June 9-13
An iOS 27 public beta will then be released in July 2026, allowing iPhone users to try new features and give feedback to Apple.
If all goes according to plan, iOS 27 will then be released to the general public in September. Here are the release dates for major iOS updates over the last five years:
iOS 26: Monday, September 15, 2025
iOS 18: Monday, September 16, 2024
iOS 17: Monday, September 18, 2023
iOS 16: Monday, September 12, 2022
New features in iOS 27
A focus on stability and bug fixes
Bloomberg reports that Apple’s primary focus with iOS 27 will be on “quality and underlying performance.” This comes after several years of massive iOS updates, including the launch of Apple Intelligence with iOS 18 and the dramatic Liquid Glass redesign with iOS 26.
Mark Gurman says that Apple engineers are “combing through Apple’s operating systems” looking for bloat to cut and bugs to fix, along with “any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality.”
The idea is to take a step back after the last several significant iOS updates and lay the groundwork for a new wave of major updates going forward. Think of it as a sort of reset.
New foldable features
One aspect of iOS 27 will be optimizing the software platform for Apple’s first foldable iPhone, which is set to launch in September 2026. The foldable iPhone is set to have an approximately 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch outer display. Apple will need to make changes to iOS 27 to accommodate that new form factor, as well as add new features to take advantage of the larger screen.
Bloomberg says Apple will “prioritize software features tailored specifically to this new form factor. There’s no word on what new features Apple will add to iOS 27 for the iPhone Fold, but I’d bet on some new windowing and multitasking features to take the stage here.
Apple Intelligence
Finally, as has become tradition, iOS 27 will include new Apple Intelligence features.
Apple is reportedly working on a new AI-powered platform for the Health app. According to Bloomberg, Apple wants to “replicate” your real doctor using an AI agent that utilities data from the Health app on your iPhone.
The idea is that the Health app already has a trove of data about you, especially if you wear an Apple Watch. With this new AI platform, Apple hopes to give users more insight into what all of those metrics mean. The updated Health app will also reportedly include videos explaining health trends to users.
Second, Apple is continuing its work on an AI-powered web search platform that could ship as part of iOS 27. Internally, this platform is referred to as Apple’s World Knowledge Answers platform. This will be a new platform designed to rival AI search features from companies like Perplexity.
Wrap up
Of course, the important thing to remember is that we’re still seven months away from Apple officially announcing iOS 27. There’s plenty of time for things to change, and Apple might scrap some of these features or add new ones. We’ll keep this story updated as the rumors progress.
I’m skeptical of whether Apple will truly be able focus on squashing bugs and making stability improvements in iOS 27 while simultaneously continuing work on Apple Intelligence and optimizing the update for the biggest change ever to the iPhone form factor. If it’s able to pull that off, I’ll be quite impressed.
What’s on your wishlist for iOS 27? Are there any new features you want Apple to add? Let us know down in the comments.
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