Report: Apple to Focus on Performance Improvements and AI Features With Next Year’s iOS 27

It’s just been two months since Apple released iOS 26, which also marked the switch to a year-based naming scheme for the company’s entire OS lineup. While iOS 26.2 is expected to be released in December with AirPods Live Translation in the EU and other changes, we’re already starting to get information about next year’s iOS 27 update.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that iOS 27 will focus on polish and new AI features. The reporter compared the update to the release of macOS “Snow Leopard” back in 2009, which mostly delivered performance improvements following the release of macOS “Leopard” two years earlier.

Despite Apple having a solid beta testing program, major software releases often come with unexpected bugs and performance issues, and iOS 26 was no exception. That’s why we saw Apple release iOS 26.0.1 in late September, which brought important bug fixes before iOS 26.1 came earlier this month with a couple of new features

“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,” Gurman explained.

While a focus on quality is always welcome, Apple is also lagging when it comes to AI features, and the company hopes to start catching up next year. According to Gurman, this will start in the Spring with the release of a revamped Siri coming in iOS 26.4. With iOS 27, Apple is also expected to introduce its own AI-powered web search tool to compete with ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other “answer engines.”

“Internally, Apple has also been testing a full-fledged chatbot app dubbed Veritas. It serves as an internal, text-based proving ground for the re-architected Siri. While Apple has no plans to offer a standalone chatbot app, the technology could lay the groundwork for a deeper push into the category later,” Gurman also reported.

Lastly, another new AI feature that’s expected to come with iOS 27 is an AI-powered health coach that will be locked behind a new Health+ subscription. Gurman previously reported that this new health-focused agent will use data collected from Apple devices to offer tailored health recommendations.