Apple released iOS 27 on 14 September 2026, and like every year it comes with a long list of changes — most of which you'll never notice. So we've skipped the full release notes and picked out the five that'll actually change how you use your phone day-to-day.
A Siri that remembers the conversation
Siri now handles follow-up questions and typed input, and can draw on things like your emails and messages to answer more personal questions — instead of resetting after every request like before.
Point your camera, ask a question
A new Siri camera mode lets you point your phone at something in the real world — a receipt, a poster, a product — and ask Siri about it directly, no separate app needed.
Split a bill by scanning the receipt
Point your camera at a restaurant receipt and Siri can total it up and split it with Apple Cash, working out tax and tip automatically. More on this below.
One number, two phones
iPhone Handoff lets calls and texts follow the same number across two iPhones — handy for a work and personal phone, or an old phone kept as a backup. Some carriers charge extra for it.
Share your location, then stop automatically
You can now share your live location for a set amount of time — say, 4 hours — instead of choosing between "once" or "until I turn it off" and forgetting to turn it off.
Simpler parental controls
Setting up a child's account takes fewer steps, and Communication Safety can now detect and blur graphic images in Messages automatically — worth turning on if you manage a child's phone.
Worked example: splitting a bill with your camera
This is the feature that best shows off what's new — it's a genuinely useful shortcut, not just a tech demo. Here's how it plays out:
- You're at dinner with friends and the bill arrives.
- Open the camera, switch to Siri mode, and point it at the receipt.
- Siri reads the items off the receipt and asks who's paying for what.
- It calculates each person's share, including their portion of tax and tip.
- You send Apple Cash requests to each person for their exact amount — no calculator, no "just Bank Transfer me back."
It's a small thing, but it's the kind of feature that quietly saves you a few minutes every week once you start using it.
Which iPhones can run it?
iOS 27 itself installs on iPhone 11 and newer. That said, the headline Siri features need more processing power and are limited to iPhone 15 Pro and newer — if you're on an older model, you'll get the update but not the new Siri.
Worth checking before you update: make sure you've got at least a few GB of free storage, and that your phone is backed up — either to iCloud or your computer. Big OS updates are one of the more common times we see people lose photos or contacts, almost always because there wasn't a recent backup to fall back on.
Updated and something's not working?
Big iOS updates occasionally cause an app to misbehave, a Bluetooth device to stop pairing, or a phone to run hot and drain quickly for the first day or two. If that doesn't settle down, or you're not sure whether it's safe to update an older phone in the first place, bring it in and we'll sort it out.