Apple’s next big software update for iPhone is shaping up to be more of a tune-up than a transformation. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, iOS 27 will take a page from Mac OS X Snow Leopard—Apple’s famously lean 2009 update that ditched flashy features in favour of fixing what was already there. The plan for iOS 27 is similar: comb through the system, cut bloat, eliminate bugs, and make the whole experience faster and more reliable.
Users have flagged a range of issues with iOS 26 since launch—battery drain, overheating, keyboard glitches, and choppy animations among them. iOS 27 is said to be Apple’s answer to all of that.
Liquid Glass isn’t going anywhere—but it may finally get a proper volume knob
That said, iOS 27 won’t be entirely feature-free. The most interesting potential addition is a systemwide Liquid Glass slider—something Apple was actually working on for iOS 26 but couldn’t ship. The company managed to get a version of it working for the lock screen clock, but hit a wall when trying to extend it across the entire OS, including the home screen, app folders, and navigation bars. Gurman says Apple could revisit this for iOS 27, and if it lands, it would let users dial in exactly how much glass effect they want system-wide.
AI remains the other big priority for iOS 27 alongside performance fixes
On the AI front, expect a revamped Siri with a chatbot-style interface, deeper Google Gemini integration across iOS and macOS, and a health-focused AI agent tied to a Health+ subscription. iOS 27 will also bring dedicated features for the upcoming foldable iPhone. Apple plans to announce iOS 27 at WWDC in June, with a public release expected in September.
