After several years of making major changes with its annual iOS releases, Apple may change its approach next time, focusing instead on improvements rather than flashy new features. According to Mark Gurman in this week’s power on newsletter, for iOS 27, Apple is “focused on improving the quality and underlying performance of the software.” That, and growing its AI offerings.
On the heels of iOS 26, which brought a change to the liquid glass design, and lower-quality AI features since the rollout of Apple Intelligence last year, Apple is reportedly working to improve the experience. Gurman writes that “Engineering teams are now examining Apple’s operating systems, looking for any opportunities to cut bloat, eliminate bugs, and meaningfully boost performance and overall quality.” Gurman compared this strategy to the 2009 Snow Leopard release for the Mac, which focused on bug fixes, decluttering, and efficiency.
Getting a grip on AI is also a major priority, the report said. The company is working on an AI web search tool and an Apple Intelligence overhaul, along with plans to integrate its AI into more apps. We’ve still yet to see the smarter, more personal AI-powered Siri that the company has been talking about since 2024, but according to Gurman, it’s expected to arrive no earlier than iOS 27 — possibly with iOS 26.4 this coming spring.
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