What is the current version of iOS? iOS 27 Release Date and Features

Originally developed in 2007, iOS is Apple's mobile phone operating system. Engineered to run exclusively on Apple hardware, iOS is the software that runs your iPhone. In 2019, Apple rebranded its iPad software as iPadOS, though the two systems are closely linked. Similarly, the Apple Watch runs watchOS, while the Apple TV runs tvOS.

Note that iOS is not the same as Android, which is Google's open-source smartphone operating system. Android runs devices like the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy.

A big part of the Apple experience is iCloud, which handles syncing and backups across all your devices. Here's our guide to what iCloud is and how it works if you want to dig deeper.

Here are all of the current Apple iPhones that will run on iOS 27:

*Expected 2026 models.

Apple announced that iOS 27 will cover the same devices as iOS 26. That's a pleasant surprise, as iOS updates usually drop the oldest models from the previous generation. No devices were discontinued during this software generation.

If you have a compatible device, make sure you're ready to update to iOS 27 when it launches this fall. Earlier versions of iOS are more susceptible to security threats and major bugs.

With each annual iOS update, Apple introduces important security updates, bug fixes, Apple Intelligence capabilities, and new features. iOS 27 is a more focused update than last year's sweeping redesign, but there are still several meaningful changes. Here are the biggest updates coming with iOS 27.

Siri AI: Apple Intelligence finally comes to Siri

Apple first promised an AI-enabled Siri back in 2024 with iOS 18. Finally, after two years, iOS 27 is delivering on that promise.

Siri AI is a completely rebuilt assistant powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence. The major upgrades include:

• Personal context understanding: Siri can pull a restaurant recommendation from a text thread or surface a hotel confirmation buried in your email.
• Onscreen awareness: Siri can answer questions about whatever is currently on your screen.
• New dedicated Siri app: Apple syncs your conversation history across all Apple devices via iCloud, so you can pick up a thread on iPhone that you started on your Mac.

Parental Controls: A serious upgrade for child safety

Apple is overhauling its child safety tools with iOS 27, organized around four key areas:

• What kids can see: Parents choose which apps are available when children set up their phone, and can require approval before a child accesses any new website in Safari or downloads a new app.
• Who they can talk to: Parents manage contacts across Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, and can require approval before kids add anyone new. Communication Safety now also blocks violent or graphic content in shared images and videos.
• When they can access apps: Time Allowances let parents set limits by app category (Entertainment, Games, or Social Media), with daily schedules that restrict access during specific times of day, like school hours.
• How parents stay informed: A redesigned Screen Time dashboard shows daily average usage and top apps. Parents can pause device access with a single tap, or extend it when kids need a few more minutes with their device.

Photos: Reframe, Extend, and a better Clean Up

iOS 27 brings three image editing upgrades to the Photos app, all powered by Apple Intelligence:

• Clean Up: This existing tool gets a quality upgrade that produces more natural-looking results when removing objects from pictures. 
• Extend: A new tool that expands the edges of an image to give subjects more breathing room, with Apple Intelligence using image generation to fill in what's missing.
• Reframe: This new tool allows users to adjust a photo's composition by touching and dragging to shift the perspective in real time. New content is only generated where the perspective changed, keeping the rest of the image intact.

Apple Intelligence updates: Safari, Shortcuts, Passwords, and more

Beyond the Photos app, iOS 27 pushes Apple Intelligence into several other native apps. Many of these are agentic AI tools, meaning Apple Intelligence can execute tasks independently without additional input from you. Here are the top new Apple Intelligence features in apps:

• Safari: Tabs are automatically organized by topic, a new Notify Me feature monitors webpages for changes, and you can create custom extensions just by describing what you want.
• Shortcuts: A new Describe a Shortcut feature lets you build automations in plain language.
• Image Playground: Now supports photo-realistic image generation, with edits via natural language or by tapping and circling objects directly.
• Passwords: Apple Intelligence can now automatically fix weak or compromised credentials with a single tap, navigating websites on your behalf to update them.
• Home app: Related smart home notifications are consolidated into single activity summaries, and HomeKit Secure Video cameras gain generated video descriptions and searchable clip history.
• Call Context: When you call a business, the Phone app can automatically surface relevant info—like a confirmation number—from other apps, without listening to your call. 

Liquid Glass refinements: Bug fixes and customization

Liquid Glass was the defining change of iOS 26, offering a new visual interface across Apple's entire ecosystem. However, the reaction has been mixed. The translucent look is distinctive, but some users struggled to read text against the clear backgrounds, and the system shipped with several visual bugs.

iOS 27 is addressing problems in Liquid Glass with:

• Intensity controls: New settings let you dial back the Liquid Glass effect to your preference.
• Bug fixes: Apple is resolving the visual bugs that have accumulated since the iOS 26 launch, like laggy screens or sluggish animations.

Liquid Glass isn't completely going away, but this is an acknowledgment from Apple that the design's execution has been flawed throughout iOS 26.