What is iOS 27?
iOS 27 is Apple's next major iPhone operating system update, expected to be announced at WWDC 2026 in June and released to the public in September 2026. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, iOS 27 is internally positioned as a "Snow Leopard-style" update — a reference to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (2009), which famously focused on performance, stability, and bug fixes rather than flashy new features.
Why is iOS 27 Called a "Snow Leopard" Update?
When Apple released Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard in 2009, the company marketed it as having "zero new features" because the entire development effort was focused on making the existing software faster, more stable, and more efficient. The result was one of the most beloved macOS releases in history.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is taking a similar approach with iOS 27. After two consecutive years of major updates — iOS 18 introduced Apple Intelligence, and iOS 26 brought the completely redesigned "Liquid Glass" interface — Apple engineers are now "combing through the operating systems looking for bloat to cut and bugs to fix, along with any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance."
However, unlike the original Snow Leopard, iOS 27 won't be completely feature-free. The update must simultaneously support Apple's first foldable iPhone (iPhone Fold), integrate the Gemini-powered Siri upgrade, and potentially launch the Health+ subscription service.
Where Did iOS 27 Leaks Come From?
The majority of specific iOS 27 feature leaks originated from an internal iOS 26 engineering build obtained by Macworld's Filipe Espósito in December 2025. This build, which was never intended for public eyes, contains "feature flags" — internal toggles that Apple engineers use to enable and disable features during development.
These feature flags include timestamps and notes about when specific features are expected to ship:
- iOS 26.4 (Spring 2026) — Siri AI upgrade, Health app redesign, credit card autofill
- iOS 27 (Fall 2026) — Photos Collections improvements, AirPods pairing system, iPhone Fold support
- iOS 28 (Fall 2027) — New Apple Watch sleep metrics, Health app coming to Mac
About Our Confidence Ratings
We assign confidence ratings based on source reliability: Confirmed (✓) = officially announced. 95% = Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. 85-90% = code leaks with multiple confirmations. 70-80% = single reliable source. 50-60% = early rumor.
Gemini-Powered Siri & Apple Intelligence
The most significant change coming to iOS 27 is the complete overhaul of Siri powered by Google's Gemini AI models. This partnership, officially announced on January 12, 2026, represents Apple's acknowledgment that it needed external help to deliver the "more personalized Siri" promised at WWDC 2024.
🤝 Apple-Google Gemini Partnership
✓ CONFIRMEDApple and Google have entered a multi-year collaboration where Gemini models power Apple Foundation Models. Bloomberg previously reported the deal costs Apple approximately $1 billion annually.
- Gemini foundation — Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models
- Privacy preserved — AI runs on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, not Google's
- No Google branding — The latest Siri prototype contains no Gemini or Google branding
- Apple customization — Apple can fine-tune Gemini's responses to match Apple's tone
- ChatGPT continues — Apple confirmed the existing ChatGPT integration is not being removed
👁️ Personal Context Understanding
90%Google's "Personal Intelligence" feature (launched January 14, 2026) provides a preview of what iOS 27 Siri will do. The AI can understand complex relationships across your data.
- Cross-app understanding — Siri understands relationships between Messages, Mail, Photos, Calendar
- On-screen awareness — Siri can see and understand what's currently displayed on screen
- Personal data retrieval — Ask Siri for your license plate from a photo, flight info from email
- Semantic index — On-device index makes personal data searchable by AI
🎯 Proactive Assistance & Memory
85%The new Siri won't just respond to commands — it will proactively help based on your habits, schedule, and context. It can remember preferences and learn from corrections.
- Proactive suggestions — "Leave now to avoid traffic for your airport pickup"
- Multi-step tasks — "Find the photo from Sarah's birthday, edit it, send to her"
- Memory and corrections — "Remember, I prefer window seats"
- Travel planning — AI creates personalized itineraries based on history
✨ Siri Visual Redesign
75%While Siri's AI brain upgrade arrives in iOS 26.4 (Spring 2026), a complete visual redesign is planned for iOS 27. Apple is separating the functional upgrade from the visual overhaul.
- Animated design — Siri may adopt an animated appearance similar to macOS Finder logo
- Memoji-style option — Some reports suggest a personalized, Memoji-like assistant
- "More interactive and alive" — Goal is to make Siri feel like a living entity
🔍 "World Knowledge Answers" AI Search
70%Apple is reportedly building its own AI-powered web search platform to compete with Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, and ChatGPT's search.
- Integrated into Siri — Ask factual questions, get AI-summarized web answers
- Safari integration — Search summaries built into the browser
- Spotlight search — Quick AI answers from home screen search
- Reduce Google dependency — Could reduce reliance on $20B/year Google Search deal
Health+ AI Doctor Subscription
Apple's most ambitious health initiative yet: a subscription service with an AI assistant that Bloomberg says will "replicate — at least to some extent — a real doctor." Health+ represents the convergence of Apple's health hardware investments, AI capabilities, and services revenue strategy.
🩺 AI Health Assistant
85%The centerpiece of Health+ is an AI assistant that can answer questions about your health data, explain metrics, and provide personalized recommendations.
- Personal health Q&A — "Why has my heart rate been higher this week?"
- Trend explanations — AI explains what changes in metrics mean
- Personalized recommendations — Specific guidance for sleep, exercise, nutrition
- Medication reminders — Smart reminders with drug interaction context
🍎 AI Food Logging & Nutrition
80%One of the most requested iPhone features: AI-powered food logging that makes nutrition tracking significantly easier than existing solutions.
- Photo recognition — Take a photo of your meal, AI estimates calories/macros
- Natural language logging — "I had a chicken salad for lunch"
- Nutritional coaching — AI guidance on improving your diet
📱 Redesigned Health App
90%The internal iOS 26 build leak revealed feature flags for a completely redesigned Health app with new layouts and simplified metric logging.
- New category layout — Reorganized navigation for easier access
- Simplified logging — Faster manual data entry with smart suggestions
- AI insights dashboard — Central hub for AI-generated health insights
iPhone Fold Software Optimizations
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch in September 2026, and iOS 27 is being designed specifically to support this revolutionary new form factor. Bloomberg confirms Apple will "prioritize software features tailored specifically to this new form factor."
iPhone Fold Hardware Specs (Expected)
- Inner display: ~7.8 inches when unfolded (iPad mini size)
- Outer display: ~5.5 inches when closed (iPhone 13 mini size)
- Aspect ratio: 4:3 when unfolded (shorter/wider than Samsung foldables)
- Design: Book-style fold (opens like a book)
- Price: Expected $2,000-$2,500 (analyst Ming-Chi Kuo)
🔄 Split-Pane Multitasking
90%For the first time on iPhone, iOS 27 will support running two apps side by side on the 7.8-inch unfolded display.
- Side-by-side apps — Run Safari and Notes together
- Slide Over — Quick access to a third app floating over main view
- Drag and drop — Move content between apps like on iPad
↔️ Seamless Display Transitions
90%When you fold or unfold iPhone Fold, apps must gracefully adapt to the changing screen size without losing your place.
- Adaptive layouts — UI elements dynamically rearrange
- App continuity — Apps remember state across transitions
- No reloading — Videos and content continue playing
App Updates & System Features
Beyond the major platform changes, iOS 27 will include updates to built-in apps and system-level features. Many come directly from the leaked internal iOS 26 build.
| Feature | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|
|
🔧 "Snow Leopard" Performance Focus
Engineers "combing through iOS looking for bloat to cut and bugs to fix"
|
95% | Bloomberg |
|
✨ Liquid Glass Refinements
Improved contrast, better text readability, smoother animations
|
90% | Bloomberg |
|
📅 Calendar App Redesign
Complete visual overhaul, delayed from iOS 26
|
80% | Bloomberg |
|
📸 Photos: Improved Collections
AI sorts photos by themes, trips, and people
|
85% | Code Leak |
|
🎧 New AirPods Pairing System
Faster initial pairing, improved device handoff
|
85% | Code Leak |
|
📁 Freeform Folders
Organizational tools for managing multiple canvases
|
80% | Code Leak |
|
💳 Credit Card Autofill
System offers to save cards added in third-party apps
|
80% | Code Leak |
|
🛰️ Apple Maps via Satellite
Navigation without cellular (depends on Globalstar)
|
50% | Bloomberg |
New Emojis in iOS 27
The Unicode Consortium has published the Emoji 18.0 draft, revealing 9 new emoji concepts (plus 10 skin tone variants for a total of 19 new emojis) expected to arrive with iOS 27.4 in early 2027.
These emojis are currently in draft form and will be finalized by Unicode in September 2026. Apple designers will then create their own versions in the distinctive Apple emoji style.
iOS 27 Release Timeline
Based on Apple's historical release patterns and current rumors, here's the expected timeline for iOS 27.
iOS 27 Supported Devices (Expected)
Apple has not confirmed iOS 27 device support, but based on iOS 26's requirements:
- iPhone XS and newer — Same baseline as iOS 26
- iPhone Fold — Apple's first foldable (launching September 2026)
- iPhone 18 series — Launching alongside iOS 27
Note: Full Apple Intelligence features require iPhone 15 Pro or newer (A17 Pro chip) due to Neural Engine requirements. Older devices may have limited AI through cloud processing.
🔔 This Page Is Updated Daily
Bookmark this page to stay current on every iOS 27 leak and rumor. We verify each feature with multiple sources and update confidence ratings as new information emerges.