Highlights
- Apple will prioritise performance, reliability and stability in iOS 27.
- Apple still plans to add AI-driven tools including a new health agent possibly tied to Apple Health+ and its first AI-enhanced web search.
- Additional improvements will target enterprise users, emerging markets with bespoke features, and visual refinements to the Liquid Glass design language.
Apple is expected to change course with next year’s iOS update. According to a recent Bloomberg report, the Cupertino Giant will be shifting its focus away from major feature additions and toward improving reliability and performance. Here’s what we know.
Apple’s Plans for iOS 27
According to the latest Power On newsletter, Apple may finally be hitting pause on aggressive feature rollouts and instead prioritising the “quality and underlying performance” of its software.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is scaling back major new features for WWDC 2026. This strategy will apply not only to iOS 27 and macOS 27 but also to watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and the rest of Apple’s software lineup.
Caption – iOS 27 to focus on improving quality and underlying performance. (Image credit – Apple)
The move comes after the company introduced its new Liquid Glass design language across all major platforms this year. The redesign along with several feature-heavy releases in recent years has prompted growing complaints about software quality among users.
It will be the first time since iOS 12 that Apple places software stability above extensive feature additions.
Gurman writes, “Aiming to improve the software, engineering teams are now combing through Apple’s operating systems, hunting for bloat to cut, bugs to eliminate, and any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality. Like Snow Leopard set the groundwork for future overhauls and new types of Macs, iOS 27 will lay the foundation for foldable iPhones and other new hardware.”
iOS 27 – What To Expect?
However, Apple is not expected to completely replicate the “zero new features” philosophy of OS X Snow Leopard from 2009. Gurman notes that Apple will still introduce a set of new AI features in iOS 27 to ensure the company doesn’t fall behind in the ongoing AI race.
Two major AI-powered capabilities that are currently rumoured include –
- Apple’s new AI health agent, which may debut alongside an Apple Health+ subscription
- Apple’s first AI-enhanced web search feature
These additions will arrive shortly after the release of an AI-focused Siri update in iOS 26.4. The upgraded Siri is expected to use a custom version of Google Gemini, which will avoid sending any user data to Google’s servers due to Apple’s private cloud compute setup.
Beyond the focus on software stability and AI, Gurman outlines three more areas Apple plans to improve:
- Enhanced tools and features for enterprise users
- Tailored (“bespoke”) features designed for emerging markets
- Visual refinements to the recently introduced Liquid Glass design language
With all these changes, it appears iOS 27 will prioritise polishing rather than adding a large slate of new features.
FAQs
Q1. What is Apple’s main focus for iOS 27?
Answer. Apple will prioritise performance, reliability, and stability over major new features, marking its first quality-focused release since iOS 12.
Q2. Will iOS 27 include any new features despite the stability push?
Answer. Yes. Apple plans to introduce AI-driven tools such as a new AI health agent (possibly tied to Apple Health+) and its first AI-enhanced web search.
Q3. What other improvements are expected in iOS 27?
Answer. Apple aims to deliver enhanced enterprise tools, bespoke features for emerging markets, and visual refinements to its Liquid Glass design language.
Also Read –
https://www.mymobileindia.com/apple-intelligence-to-get-major-overhaul-with-ios-27-says-report/