Follow our detailed instructions to get up-and-running with iOS 27
If you want to get your hands on the latest iPhone features before its worldwide launch, this is your chance.
The next major software release — known as iOS 27 — was announced last month and completely reboots chatty AI assistant Siri, adds a slew of new child safety features, and lets you toggle the exact amount of transparency in the Liquid Glass design introduced last summer. For those with older iPhone models, installing the new update promises to significantly boost performance, with up to 80% faster speeds.
Apple isn't expected to launch iOS 27 until sometime this autumn, with these operating system upgrades typically only arriving a few days before the next iPhone lands on shelves. But you can download and install iOS 27 today.
That's because Apple has launched a public beta program for its next-generation operating systems, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, watchOS 27, and tvOS 27.
If you haven't used beta software before, it's likely to arrive with software glitches, unexpected crashes, and compatibility issues with third-party applications. Battery life could suffer, and some features might be missing.
That's because developers are still hard at work on iOS 27 ahead of a worldwide release in a few months.
By downloading the public beta, you're agreeing to help the teams at Apple iron out any bugs and improve compatibility. As such, it's critical to back up your personal data before you consider installing the public beta. If you have an older device you're not using day-to-day, you might want to use that to test the beta instead.
Still want to install the iOS 27 public beta? Great. Here's everything you need to do.
First up, navigate to beta.apple.com using the browser on your iPhone and sign in with your Apple Account. This must be the same account used on the iPhone that you want to use to run the beta software.
If you've never taken part in a public beta before, you'll need to complete an enrolment process and accept an agreement. Once registered, launch the Settings app and navigate to General > Software Update.
Then choose Beta Updates and pick iOS 27 Public Beta from the available options. Swipe back to return to the Software Update screen and choose either Update Now or Update Tonight.
Keep your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi and charging throughout the process.
The download size is likely to exceed several gigabytes, so if you've got a slower internet speed, you might be waiting some time for the installation to complete. Don't be alarmed if your iPhone restarts a few times during the process. iOS 27 is available as a free update for any iPhone that can run iOS 26.
In other words, if you're running the most up-to-date version of the operating system today, you're guaranteed another year of free updates from Apple.
iPhone 11, which first launched over seven years ago, is the oldest device that can be updated to iOS 27.
Engineers at Apple specifically tailored iOS 27 to bolster performance on older devices, bringing a range of performance improvements to the CPU Scheduler that were previously exclusive to newer hardware. According to the company, iPhone 11 owners can expect apps to launch 30% faster, while AirDrop transfers will be 80% speedier.
But iOS 27 isn't just about Apple engineers tinkering under the bonnet to boost performance; there's also a slew of new functionality coming with the free operating system update.
First up, Apple has completely rebuilt its Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant, Siri.
Dubbed Siri AI, this new version can scour the internet to answer almost any general knowledge query and search thousands of texts, emails, photos, videos, and notes stored on your devices to surface addresses, dates, or other details from your own life, too.
Whether you want recipe suggestions for an event you're planning in a group chat, additional context about a historical site featured in a photo, or help with a first draft... Siri AI relies on brand-new Artificial Intelligence models, personal context from information stored on your device, and up-to-date information from across the web to put together an answer.
iOS 27 also lets you adjust the translucency of the Liquid Glass design with a new slider, use the front- and rear-facing cameras at the same time during a FaceTime call, generate your own Safari extension or Apple Shortcuts recipe using natural language, thanks to built-in Apple Intelligence support, and much more.
Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, said: "Apple products are an essential part of people’s lives, and this year we’re bringing powerful new capabilities to empower our users in even more ways.
"We’re delivering the next generation of Apple Intelligence across our platforms; introducing Siri AI, a profoundly more intelligent, knowledgeable, and capable Siri; expanding child safety features with intuitive new tools for families; and making our software platforms faster, more reliable, and more delightful than ever before."
If everything goes to plan, Apple will release its new software update to billions of devices in September. Here is the complete list of iPhone models that can be updated to iOS 27.
