iOS 27 leak reveals major performance boost and new AI features in 2026

New Delhi: Apple is working on bringing its next-generation iPhone software, and early reports suggest a very different strategy this time. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, iOS 27 isn't going to dramatically change how the UI will look but will instead focus on polishing the core experience while pushing Apple deeper into AI. This shift mirrors Apple's famous Snow Leopard era on macOS, where the company focused on stability and performance over flashy features.

A back-to-basics update focused on cleanup

According to rumour, iOS 27 will help Apple refine system performance, iron out animations, fix long-standing bugs, and finally get rid of outdated code accumulated over years of constant additions to features.

This seems like a reaction to continued, though not widespread, user complaints of random app crashes, frame drops, UI delays and occasional overheating on recent versions.

With iOS 27, Apple seems to be laying the foundational reset needed, strengthening the system before bigger hardware innovations, including foldable iPhones.

AI still a priority: More apps, new tools, Health+ integration

Despite the performance-first approach, iOS 27 is not purely a maintenance update. According to Gurman, in the next year, Apple will greatly expand upon Apple Intelligence. Some of the expected AI upgrades include:

• More Apple apps integrated with Apple Intelligence
• Deeper machine-learning tools are built into the system
• New AI-powered health agent aims to offer personalised wellness insights.

The new health AI tool reportedly ties into a future Health+ subscription service that will add premium intelligent guidance for users.

Siri's biggest upgrade yet

Improvements are already set for Siri with iOS 26.4, but the big transformation might just come with iOS 27. According to reports, Siri is being redesigned using the advanced Apple Intelligence models, along with technology sourced from its partnership with Google's Gemini AI team.

Internally, Apple is testing a chatbot-like app to experiment with the next generation of its AI models, but this will not be released as a standalone product.

macOS 27 is Also Getting the Same Deep Clean, but the ‘quality-first’ strategy does not end with iPhones. 

According to Gurman, macOS 27 is also supposed to feature major internal cleanup while adopting AI upgrades where needed. Developer betas of iOS 27, macOS 27 and other platform updates should arrive shortly after WWDC 2026. 

A calm update that could bring big long-term gains

If Apple follows through with this plan, iOS 27 may appear subtle in terms of visible features, but it will make iPhones faster, more stable, and more future-ready. 

For users who have been asking Apple to fix small annoyances instead of adding more features, iOS 27 may finally be the refresh they want.