Apple WWDC 2026: iOS 27, Siri AI and Everything Else Announced

Apple kicked off WWDC 2026 yesterday with its biggest software event of the year. The headline announcement was a major overhaul of Siri, which Apple has been working on for some time, alongside iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate.

This year's event had a clear theme: AI features deeper inside Apple's operating systems, plus performance improvements and quality-of-life updates across the board. The new software is available as developer betas now, with public release expected in September 2026.

If your current device won't get the new updates, you can check your iPhone trade-in value, check your Apple Watch value, or check your MacBook value in a couple of minutes.

The big one: Siri AI

Apple's most-anticipated WWDC announcement was the long-awaited Siri overhaul. The new version, officially called Siri AI, is positioned as a "profoundly more capable assistant" that can understand context, learn about you, see what's on your screen, and take actions across apps on your behalf.

In practical terms, Siri AI is closer to what people expect from a modern AI assistant. It can read messages and emails, find files and photos, summarise content across apps, and respond to natural conversation rather than just commands.

The catch: the full Siri AI experience only runs on the most recent and powerful iPhones. Specifically, the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max have the 12GB of RAM needed for the advanced features.

Older Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones (iPhone 15 Pro onwards) will get some Siri AI capabilities, but not all of them. Anything older than the iPhone 15 Pro gets iOS 27 but not the new Siri at all.

Siri AI also won't launch in the EU at the same time as the rest of the world on iOS and iPadOS, due to ongoing Digital Markets Act compliance work. EU users will get it later on those platforms, though macOS and watchOS aren't affected by the delay.

iOS 27: what's new and which iPhones support it

iOS 27 brings the Siri AI upgrade plus a wave of performance improvements, refinements to last year's Liquid Glass design (with several interface elements now easier to read), and quality-of-life updates across Safari, Photos, Messages, and Mail.

Apple specifically highlighted three performance figures: 30% faster app launches, 70% faster photo library loading, and 80% faster AirDrop. These improvements apply across the supported device range, not just newer iPhones, which is genuinely useful for older models.

Other notable additions include enhanced parental controls with more granular time limits, a rebuilt search infrastructure powering Spotlight, Mail, and Photos, and full-resolution iCloud shared albums that work across Android and Windows too.

iOS 27 supports the same iPhones as iOS 26:

iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max
iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)
iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16 series (including the 16e)
iPhone 17 series (including the iPhone Air)

No iPhones got dropped this year. The iPhone 11 launched back in 2019, which means it's now reached seven years of major iOS updates - a long run by any standard. That said, the iPhone 11 has likely reached the end of the road. Future iOS versions will almost certainly drop it.

iPadOS 27: what's new and which iPads support it

iPadOS 27 brings the same Siri AI features (subject to chip requirements), the Liquid Glass design refinements, and performance improvements similar to iOS.

Supported iPads include:

iPad Pro - all M-series and recent A-series Pro models
iPad Air - 4th generation and later, including M-series Airs
iPad - 9th generation and later, including the iPad with A16
iPad mini - 6th generation and later, including the iPad mini with A17 Pro

As with iOS, the most advanced Apple Intelligence features require newer chips. Older supported iPads will get iPadOS 27 itself, but not the full set of AI features.

watchOS 27: the biggest compatibility shake-up

watchOS 27 brought the most surprising news of the keynote. Apple has significantly cut the list of supported Apple Watch models compared to previous years.

watchOS 27 supports only:

Apple Watch SE 3
Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Series 10
Apple Watch Series 11
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple Watch Ultra 3

That means Apple Watch Series 8 and earlier, the original Apple Watch Ultra (2022), and earlier Apple Watch SE models are no longer supported. The Ultra 1 cut is particularly notable - that watch launched in autumn 2022 and is less than four years old.

For affected owners, the watch still works. It just won't get the new features, the new Siri AI app, or future watchOS updates. Apple typically continues providing security updates for older watchOS versions for a couple of years after a device stops getting major updates.

For Apple Intelligence features on the Watch specifically, you'll need a Series 10 or later, Ultra 2 or later, or the SE 3, paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.

macOS Golden Gate: Intel Macs are out

Apple's latest Mac software is officially called macOS Golden Gate (rather than macOS 27 in plain numbering), continuing the company's California-themed naming convention.

The biggest news here is the compatibility list: macOS Golden Gate runs on Apple Silicon Macs only. Every Intel Mac has been dropped.

That covers MacBooks, MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis, and Mac Pros with Intel processors, including the last Intel MacBook Pros from 2019 and 2020 that were the only Intel Macs supported by macOS Tahoe.

Apple confirmed the newly launched MacBook Neo is included on the supported list, which is the first Mac to run on the A18 Pro chip rather than M-series silicon.

The transition was always coming - Apple has been moving away from Intel since 2020 - but this is the formal end of the road for Intel Mac software support.

What this means for your current device

The compatibility lists this year create three groups of owners with practical decisions to make.

If you have an iPhone 11: You'll get iOS 27, which makes seven years of iOS updates on a device launched in 2019. Future iOS versions will likely drop the iPhone 11, so this is worth knowing if you're weighing up whether to upgrade in the year ahead.

If you have an Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra 1, or earlier SE: watchOS 27 doesn't support these models. The Watch will keep working with watchOS 26 and continue to receive security updates for some time, but it won't get new features or the new Siri AI app.

If you have an Intel MacBook or iMac: macOS Golden Gate is Apple Silicon only, so Intel Macs are no longer supported for major updates. They'll keep working on macOS Tahoe (or older), with security updates expected to continue for the next year or two.

If you're considering an upgrade, you can check what your current device is worth:

For your next device, a refurbished model gets you years of further updates at significantly lower prices than buying new. You can browse refurbished iPhones, refurbished Apple Watches, or refurbished MacBooks.

WWDC 2026 lands as one of Apple's bigger software events in recent years, with the Siri AI overhaul and the performance improvements headlining the show.

The new updates land in September alongside the new iPhones, so most owners of supported devices have a few months to wait. The full picture of how the new software performs will become clearer as the public beta rolls out over the summer and the September launch approaches.