iOS 27 Is Here, but the New Siri Needs a Newer iPhone
Apple's update runs on the iPhone 11 and later. Its headline feature, the rebuilt Siri AI, only works on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer.
Apple released iOS 27 on Monday, September 14. Updates for the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Vision Pro came out the same day.
Who Gets It
iOS 27 runs on the iPhone 11 and newer, plus the second generation iPhone SE and later. That is the same list of phones that got iOS 26, so no one was dropped this year.
The New Siri, With a Catch
The main new feature is Siri AI, Apple's rebuilt assistant. You can type to it, it remembers your conversation, and it handles follow-up questions without starting over.
The catch is that Siri AI needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Older phones still get the update, but not the smarter Siri.
Other Changes Worth Knowing
- Visual Intelligence can be opened from the Camera app to learn about what you point at.
- Photos adds Extend, which fills in more of an image, and Spatial Reframe, which shifts the angle.
- Parental controls and Screen Time got more options.
- Communication Safety now flags graphic images.
- Cycle Tracking adds alerts related to perimenopause.
MacRumors counts more than 250 other new features and changes.
How to Update
Back up your iPhone first. Then open Settings, tap General, then Software Update. Parents should look over the new Screen Time and Communication Safety options once the update is done.
Questions Readers Ask
Can my iPhone get iOS 27?
If you have an iPhone 11 or newer, or a second generation iPhone SE or newer, yes. It is the same list of phones that got iOS 26.
Why does the new Siri need a newer iPhone?
Siri AI runs heavy AI work on the phone itself. Apple limits it to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer, which have the chip and memory to handle it.
Where This Came From
We confirmed the facts in this story against these reports. The words above are our own.
