Apple WWDC 2026 Highlights: iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, Revamped Siri AI, More

Hyderabad: Apple announced new versions of its software across devices, including iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2026) at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. The presentation focuses heavily on Apple Intelligence features and a revamped Siri AI that now also exists as a dedicated application across Apple devices.

The WWDC keynote started with Apple CEO Tim Cook talking about the company, his time at Apple, and the stars of the show—developers. Let's take a look at the highlights from the keynote presentation.

Apple iOS 27

The iOS 27 comes as an upgrade to the iOS 26 and its Liquid Design interface with the promise of better speed, sharper layers, and a slider to adjust transparency levels. The apps come with new features, including an upgraded Flyover feature with richer aerial imagery for Apple Maps and iCloud Shared Albums support for Android and Windows. One big highlight of iOS 27 is the new Child Accounts feature that comes with a plethora of new parental controls.

Siri AI is now deeply integrated into the iOS (Apple)

The iOS 27 will support all iPhones that support the current iOS 26, which includes devices from the latest iPhone 17 series to iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2nd-gen.

The first developer beta for iOS 27 is now available. The public beta release is expected to arrive in July, followed by a stable release in September alongside new-gen iPhone models.

macOS Golden Gate, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27

The new versions of Apple software focus more on refining the experience rather than introducing new features. It said that the design changes for software have been shaped by user feedback. Additionally, the newly introduced Siri AI application is available across devices. The release window for all these software iterations is the same as the iOS 27.

Apple announced that macOS Tahoe was the last software to support pre-Apple Silicon Macs. This means Intel-powered Macs will no longer support the new macOS Golden Gate.

With its new architecture, the next generation of Apple Intelligence adds new capabilities across the system (Apple)

Apple iPadOS 27 is compatible with iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad models with the M1 chip or later. Apple watchOS 27 is compatible with Watch Ultra 2 and Ultra 3, Watch Series 10 and Series 11, and Watch SE (3rd generation).

The tvOS 27 comes with a redesigned Podcasts app and several new features. The visionOS 27 comes with Visual Intelligence features and improvements across the system.

Apple Intelligence and Siri AI

Apple introduced an updated Apple Intelligence that is based on a new architecture, which it says is designed to protect users' privacy. It powers a plethora of new features across Apple apps.

Additionally, it powers the Siri AI, a new version of Siri that is deeply integrated with Apple devices and can draw on personal context understanding to search across apps and services and get things done with just voice commands. It can also access content on the screen for context and go to the web to get up-to-date information.

Also existing as a dedicated application, the new Siri AI in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 has limited support across devices, which includes the following:

• iPhone 16 models or later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPad models with M1 or later
• Mac with M1 or later
• Apple Vision Pro
• Apple Watch Series 10 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3 (when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone)

Apple announced software improvements across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS (Apple)

Some Siri AI features may not be available in all languages and regions. Meanwhile, Siri AI will not be available initially in the EU on iOS and iPadOS. Additionally, Siri AI and the other new Apple Intelligence features will not be available in China due to regulatory requirements.

Notably, the WWDC 2026 will run for five days until June 12, providing developer access to Apple Developer Forums, one-on-one appointments with experts, and online presentations and Q&A sessions hosted by Apple engineers and designers.