Apple WWDC 2026 Recap: iOS 27

Apple has just held their grand annual event, WWDC 2026. For those who missed the very long live stream, don't worry. This time Apple is really focused on overhauling the system to make it even smoother, adding stricter child protection features, and of course: making Siri much smarter through the latest generation of Apple Intelligence.

Let's discuss the interesting points that will completely change your experience using Apple gadgets!

1. Even Smoother Performance & Good News for iPhone 11 Users

This year Apple isn't just selling cosmetic features, but really "tinkering" with the inner parts of the system to make it more responsive.

• iOS 27 Still Supports iPhone 11: This is the most joyful news! Apple optimized their CPU Scheduler down to old chipsets. So, if your iPhone can currently run iOS 26, it is guaranteed to be safe and receive the iOS 27 update later.

• Opening Apps & AirDrop Get Faster: Thanks to data optimization, opening apps is now 30% faster. Want to send files via AirDrop? Now speed increases up to 80%! Even if you often plug an external drive into your iPad, the transfer speed jumps up to 5 times.

• Mac OS Golden Gate & Liquid Glass Design: The latest macOS name this year is Golden Gate. Apple also updated their Liquid Glass design. Now there is a new slider in settings, so you can adjust the screen's transparency level yourself, whether you want it completely clear (ultra clear) or somewhat opaque (tinted).

2. Keeping Kids Safe in the Digital World Gets Easier

For parents, Apple introduced the Child Safety feature that is much more intuitive and flexible based on child health research.

• "Ask to Browse" Feature: Previously, children had to ask permission via Ask to Buy to download apps, now if they want to open a new website in Safari, they also need to get the green light from their parents first.

• Violent Content Sensor (Gore): The Communication Safety feature is now stricter. Not only can it blur photos or videos with nudity, but now it can automatically detect and block extreme violent content (gore) before it is seen by children.

• Time Allowances: Now parents can set daily time limits for games, entertainment, and social media all at once, complete with automatic recommendations tailored to the child's age.

3. New Generation Apple Intelligence: Result of Collaboration with Google Gemini!

This is the most interesting plot twist at this year's WWDC. Apple officially announced that they are collaborating with Google to use the Gemini model technology as the driving engine for their newest Apple Intelligence!

The amazing thing is, all these complex AI processes are run in a hybrid manner—most of it directly on the device (on-device) and the rest via Private Cloud Compute. This means Apple guarantees 100% that our personal data will not be stored, peeked at, or leaked to anyone, including to Apple itself. This AI has multimodal capabilities, meaning it understands text, voice, images, and even knows what is currently displayed on your phone screen (on-screen awareness).

4. Say Hello to "Siri AI", an Assistant That Can Really Think with You

Forget the old Siri that often didn't make sense. Now, its name officially changes to Siri AI.

• Can Brainstorm with You: You can now have deep two-way conversations with Siri. For example, you want to organize a World Cup watch party. You just ask Siri to find the schedule, find typical food recipes from the competing countries, combine the list into a party menu, and even ask Siri to draft an email or chat to invite your friends. Everything is done without you having to open and close apps.

• Has Its Own Eyes (Visual Intelligence): Just open your iPhone camera (or use a shortcut on Mac), then point it at an object in front of you. Point at food? Siri will give you nutritional information. Point at a restaurant bill? Siri can directly help calculate and split the bill via Apple Cash.

• Important Note: Siri AI will be released in English Beta version later this year. But unfortunately, this Siri AI feature is not yet available in the European Union and China due to local regulatory issues there.

5. Other Smart Features in Our Daily Apps

Besides Siri, several built-in Apple apps also got smarter:

• Photos (Spatial Reframing): Ever taken a photo but when you looked at it again, it was a bit tilted or not quite right? Thanks to AI, now you can adjust the viewing angle (framing) of the photo in 3D after the photo was taken. The AI will automatically fill in the empty areas around it very neatly and naturally, as if you actually moved the camera while taking the picture.

• Safari Gets Neater: If you are the type of person who likes to open dozens of tabs until dizzy, Safari can now automatically group those tabs by topic. There is also a Notify Me feature, so you just tell Safari to monitor a website (for example, an online store where an item is out of stock), later when the item is restocked, you will get a notification immediately.

• Shortcuts & Xcode for Developers: For those who like to create automations on iPhone, now just type in everyday language, the AI will arrange the Shortcuts steps. For developers, the Xcode app now has an Agentic Coding assistant that makes coding and testing apps much more instant.

When Can You Try It?

For developers, the Developer Beta version is available for download starting today. If you are a regular user and want to try a more stable version, the Public Beta will launch next month (July). As for the official global release, Apple schedules it for this fall.