At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2026), Apple officially unveiled iOS 27, introducing major Apple Intelligence upgrades, changes to Siri, parental controls enhancements, and improvements across core iPhone apps. The biggest headline? Unlike iOS 26 and contrary to earlier rumours, Apple is not dropping support for any older iPhones with iOS 27.
iOS 27 rollout: Complete list of compatible iPhone models
Apple confirms iOS 27 is compatible with the following iPhone models:
- iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17e
- iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e
- iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15
- iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14
- iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11
- iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)
Apple software chief Craig Federighi made a point of it on stage, saying Apple 'figured out a way to bring it to older models all the way back to iPhone 11,' calling iOS 27 'available to more users than any iOS release ever.'
If your iPhone was not compatible with iOS 26, it will not be compatible with iOS 27. That means older models such as the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR remain unsupported.
So, what is Siri AI?
The marquee feature of iOS 27 is a completely rebuilt Siri. Siri AI combines personal context, onscreen awareness, and web knowledge to deliver more natural conversations, richer answers, app actions, and cross-device chat history.
Siri will now be more conversational, detailed, and engaging, and will no longer hand off queries to third-party AI providers like ChatGPT, though under the hood, Siri AI is a full rebuild powered by Google Gemini, now with a standalone app and real-time screen awareness.
Which iPhones get Siri AI?
Here's the catch, just because your iPhone supports iOS 27 doesn't mean it gets Siri AI. Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 requires an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model and later. Some of the most advanced on-device Apple Intelligence features require an iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, or iPhone Air.
In practice, there are three tiers:
- iPhone 11 through iPhone 15 (non-Pro): Gets iOS 27 core features, but no Siri AI or Apple Intelligence.
- iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 family: Gets full Siri AI and Apple Intelligence.
- iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air: Gets all of the above, plus the most premium AI features, including new Siri voices.
Siri AI will initially launch in English and will support more languages later. Apple has also confirmed that Siri AI will not be available on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 in the European Union at launch, though it will be supported on macOS, watchOS, and visionOS in the region.
When will iOS 27 be released?
The first developer beta of iOS 27 is available today. A public beta will be available in July. Apple typically launches new versions of iOS in September, often around the second week, making Monday, September 14 a likely release date based on past patterns.
Can you download the beta now?
You can download the iOS 27 developer beta on up to 31 different iPhone models. However, as Tom's Guide notes, this early software is bound to have performance bugs and heavy battery drain. Most everyday users should wait for the public beta in July or the stable fall release.
What else is new in iOS 27?
Beyond Siri AI, iOS 27 comes with improved Liquid Glass, which you can adjust using a new transparency slider. Apple said during the keynote that iPhone apps now launch up to 30% faster, new photos appear in the Photos app up to 70% faster, and AirDrop transfers work up to 80 percent faster.
iCloud Plus subscribers get expanded Apple Intelligence access. Some AI features, including image generation, carry daily usage limits, but an active iCloud Plus plan raises those limits.
