Apple has begun rolling out iOS 27 to eligible iPhones in India, bringing the company's long-awaited overhaul of Siri alongside a broader set of Apple Intelligence features, performance upgrades and interface changes.
iOS 27 What's new: Siri AI
The headline change in iOS 27 is Siri's transformation into 'Siri AI', a significantly more capable version of Apple's assistant built on Apple Intelligence. The new Siri can hold more natural, multi-turn conversations, follow up on earlier questions without users repeating context, and understand what's currently on screen. It can also draw on personal context stored across apps such as Mail, Messages and Photos — for instance, surfacing a booking code from an old email during a call, or locating a photo without a manual search. For the first time, Siri gets a dedicated standalone app rather than existing only as a voice overlay, and it is designed to work more fluidly with third-party apps as developers update them for the new system.
Alongside Siri AI, iOS 27 brings new AI-powered photo editing tools, including a Spatial Reframing feature and an upgraded Clean Up tool, plus a Siri-powered visual search directly from the camera viewfinder. Apple has also added new child-safety controls aimed at making it easier for parents to manage what kids can access on an iPhone.
What Indian users get, and what they don't
Indian users get feature parity with global markets on most of the AI-driven tools in iOS 27, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Mail and Messages summaries, voicemail summaries, Siri's product knowledge, Type to Siri and dictation.
However, Siri AI itself is rolling out only in English at launch, meaning the full conversational experience may not be immediately available to users who rely on other languages, even if their device is otherwise eligible. Apple has said support for additional languages will follow the initial English rollout. Siri AI is also not launching in the European Union alongside the rest of iOS 27, a delay Apple has attributed to compliance requirements under the EU's Digital Markets Act - a restriction that does not apply to India.
iOS 27: Which iPhone users can update?
iOS 27 itself is compatible with iPhone 11 and later, including the second-generation iPhone SE, meaning the base update should reach a wide range of devices. But the full Siri AI and Apple Intelligence feature set has stricter hardware requirements. It needs an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or an iPhone 16 model or later. Owners of the iPhone 11 through iPhone 14, as well as the standard iPhone 15, will be able to install iOS 27 but should not expect the complete Siri AI experience.
Beyond Siri, Apple says iOS 27 also improves general performance, with apps reportedly launching up to 30 percent faster, Photos content loading up to 70 percent faster, and AirDrop transfers up to 80 percent faster, alongside refinements to the Liquid Glass interface first introduced last year and updates across Safari, Camera, Photos, Maps and Find My.
iOS 27:How to update in India
To install iOS 27:
1. Ensure the iPhone is sufficiently charged and connected to a stable Wi-Fi network.
2. Back up important data before beginning the update.
3. Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update.
4. Once iOS 27 appears, tap Update and follow the on-screen instructions.
Apple began the rollout globally on September 14, with the update expected to reach Indian users around 10:30 PM IST, in line with the company's usual rollout timing. Given heavy demand in the first few hours after release, some users may experience slower downloads; those who don't see the update appear immediately are advised to check again later rather than assume their device is ineligible. Users can also turn on Automatic Updates so their iPhone downloads iOS 27 without manual checking.
