New Mainstream Features in iOS 27
November 3, 2026
Janet Ingber
Apple released the much-anticipated iOS 27 for iPhone in September 2026. This version offers a significantly updated Siri AI. Availability of Siri AI varies by language and region. In addition, there are updates to a number of other apps including Safari and Shortcuts.
You can check if your iPhone is compatible here.
Some phones are not compatible with all the new features.
Siri AI
One of the biggest upgrades in iOS 27 is Siri AI. It has received a major overhaul.
However, not all iPhones that can run iOS 27 can use the new feature. The following iPhones can use it:
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
iPhone Duo
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max
iPhone Air
iPhone 17
iPhone 17e
iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
iPhone 16e
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
Siri has become more powerful and more intuitive with this upgrade. You can turn on Siri AI by going to Settings > Siri and selecting Try Siri AI (Beta). If Siri is turned off, select Turn On Siri first.
At the time of writing, when I tried to enable Siri AI, I was informed that Apple was gradually rolling it out and that I would get a notification as soon as it became available. Meanwhile, the old Siri still worked.
Further down the screen is a series of buttons to select which Siri options you want to enable. They include how long Siri should keep a conversation and whether to use "Siri" or "Hey Siri" or turn off the feature.
Siri AI has many new features. According to Apple's release notes:
"A more capable and conversational version of Siri is rolling out to users. It helps you find what you need and get more done, drawing on capabilities like personal context understanding, app actions, onscreen awareness, and access to broad world knowledge
- New voice experience offers more expressive and natural-sounding voices, and lets you customize expressivity and pace to make Siri more personal to you using powerful on-device models on iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models and later
- Dedicated Siri app provides an easy way to revisit an existing conversation or kick off a new one, and privately syncs conversations across your Apple products with iCloud
- Siri mode in Camera integrates Visual Intelligence into the Camera app, letting you ask questions and take action with what's in front of you, like splitting a bill or looking up nutritional info for a plate of food
- Write with Siri enables you to generate a draft from scratch, edit what you've written, or get feedback from Siri virtually anywhere you type. In Messages & Mail, Siri personalizes your writing style based on your relationships, and uses unique phrases and punctuation that you've previously used in your conversations with those people"
Importantly, since Siri AI will have access to your personal data, it knows more about you and can complete tasks that are more complex.
VoiceOver improvements include more contextual image understanding of charts, photos, and screenshots. Users can use regular conversation to ask questions.
Magnifier users can ask questions and also can use regular conversation to perform magnifier functions.
Safari
Automatic Tab Organization:
Safari uses AI to group your tabs automatically into relevant topics.
Custom Extensions:
This feature lets you create an extension to be used in Safari. Once the feature is selected, you will be able to type in what you want the extension to do. Apple has a list of possible options.
Notify Me:
You can have a specific website notify you if something becomes available such as concert tickets or a product.
Shortcuts
It is now easier to create a shortcut. Open the Shortcuts app and select the New Shortcut button. A text box will be on the screen for you to type what you want your shortcut to do.
Health
This app has been redesigned. The Browse section has a new interface. Data syncs to the app more quickly than before. Route maps in the Fitness app are more accurate. GymKit is now on the iPhone. It can pair with specific treadmills, indoor bikes, and other supported exercise equipment.
Calendar
Events can be added using natural language. Siri has access to your calendar so you can just describe an event and it will be added. Siri can also add events from other apps including Mail and Messages.
Phone
The new Call Context feature recognizes the phone number of a company that you are calling. It then pulls up relevant information from the Mail app. Their example was that if you call an airline, Call Context would pull up your confirmation code. This feature requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.
FaceTime
iPhones will now transition better when going from Wi-Fi to cellular or cellular to Wi-Fi.
The search feature in Mail now lists results by relevance and intent. Previously, results were based on keywords and time.
Siri can complete other tasks such as deleting emails from a particular sender or adding emailed details to a reminder. Smart replies are written in your writing style.
Alarm
Alarm volume can now be set independently of system volume.
Weather
This app has a new Highlights section at the top of the screen. It shows weather information for the day. There are new views in the Conditions section. The temperature and hourly weather are still listed but there are new precipitation and wind options.
The 10-day view now lets you swipe between different condition options.