Apple introduces iOS 27, supported from iPhone 11

At the WWDC 2026 global developers conference, taking place on June 9 in the US, Apple continued to upgrade the operating system for its devices to version 27.

As has been the practice for many years, Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared first on the Steve Jobs Theater stage to open WWDC 2026. Amid the applause of thousands of developers and guests, he introduced the latest changes to the Apple ecosystem before ceding the stage to the product teams.

This year’s WWDC has special meaning as it takes place not long after Apple announced its plan to transfer executive positions to the next generation of leaders. Many people see this as possibly the last time Tim Cook appears on the stage of Apple’s biggest developer conference of the year as CEO.

Tim Cook still maintains his familiar style, focusing on products and user experience. The focus of this year’s event is the “27” operating system series, in which the highlight is still iOS 27 for iPhone. The operating system version is described by Apple as faster, smarter and friendlier.

One of the most notable announcements was that iOS 27 continued support from a seven-year-old device, the iPhone 11. According to Apple, this was achieved thanks to deep changes in the CPU scheduler, helping the operating system manage hardware resources more effectively. The company says daily tasks and heavy applications can operate more smoothly even on older devices.

Performance was a theme throughout the iOS 27 presentation. Apple announced app opening speeds were 30% faster, while new photos appeared in the Photos library up to 70% faster. Photo sharing speed via AirDrop has also been improved by 80%.

One of the other upgrades of interest is Apple Intelligence and a completely new version of Siri.

On stage, Apple confirmed that it has established a strategic partnership with Google to leverage the foundational technologies behind the Gemini model ecosystem to build a new generation of Apple Foundation Models. Previously, the company cooperated with OpenAI for AI tasks, but the company behind ChatGPT was not mentioned by name at this event.

According to Apple, the new AI model will operate in a hybrid architecture, which can be processed directly on the device or transferred to a separate server system. The system is also greatly upgraded in terms of multimodal capabilities, allowing it to understand images, edit photos, answer questions related to visual content, and process natural language with greater accuracy. Apple also emphasized that privacy remains a core principle. User data is only used to fulfill the request at the time it is made and is not stored for model training.

The result of this collaboration is Siri AI, a version of the digital assistant that Apple describes as the biggest overhaul since Siri launched. Instead of just responding to individual commands, Siri can now understand personal context, remember the flow of conversations, and combine information from many different applications to perform tasks.

Besides, the company solves some common inconveniences during use. For example, when sending multiple large photos via iMessage, the upload process will no longer interrupt the entire conversation. The system has also been improved to automatically decide when to stay connected to Wi-Fi or switch to a mobile network to ensure a seamless experience.

After introducing the Liquid Glass design language on iOS 26, Apple continues to perfect this interface on the new version. Accordingly, application icons are supplemented with layers of liquid glass effects, creating depth and a clearer sense of reflection.

Users can also customize the transparency level of the interface through a new slider. The sidebar in many apps is extended to the edge of the screen, while adding a light refraction effect in the background while keeping the color of the icons inside intact.

Another big change is in the search system. Apple said it has completely rebuilt the search infrastructure for Spotlight, Photos and Mail. Once updated, your device will automatically scan and re-index all data to improve speed and accuracy when searching for content.

The area where Apple invests the most in new features is child safety. The company introduced the Ask to Browse Website feature, allowing children to send a request to access a specific website and parents can approve directly in the Messages app.

Apple also simplifies converting an Apple ID to a child account, and provides expert recommendations on managing screen time, display content, and age-appropriate contact lists.

In addition to the big changes, iOS 27 also adds many small improvements. Android and Windows users can join Shared Albums and share photos in full resolution. The Cycle Tracking app is expanded with perimenopause and menopause tracking tools. AirPods have an additional feature to customize EQ to personalize according to each user’s hearing characteristics.