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It's available on every iPhone that's compatible with iOS 26

The next major operating system forgoes a long list of new features in favour of an industrial spring-clean that promises to dramatically boost performance of older devices. Everything from launching your favourite apps to sending files via AirDrop should be speedier with iOS 27 installed, Apple claims.

While most believe installing the newest software on an older iPhone will slow it down, Apple engineers set out to disprove that theory. Update an iPhone 11 Pro to iOS 27 and the applications installed on your handset will open 30% faster – not too shabby for a device first launched back in 2019.

Sending photos and videos via AirDrop will be up to 80% quicker compared to the previous version of iOS, which launched last September and introduced the Liquid Glass redesign. The pause between hitting the shutter button and a new photograph appearing in your Photo Library has been slashed too.

Aside from the work under the bonnet, Apple will also introduce a slew of new Child Safety features with iOS 27.

Parents will be able to approve each new website that younger users attempt to visit, as well as every new contact they attempt to call or text. Apple already automatically blocks nudity on-screen — even during FaceTime calls — but for the first time, it'll also filter out violence and gore on-screen.

If you own an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, or anything newer than an iPhone 16, iOS 27 will include Siri AI.

The chatty Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant, first introduced with the iPhone 4S back in October 2011, has been completely rebuilt from the ground up. It now combines general knowledge with information sourced from texts, emails, notes, and (almost) everything else stored on your device to check your availability, suggest recipes, compose messages, plot directions, summarise information, create reminders, and more.

You can link multiple requests together. For example, you could ask Siri AI to find the date that a friend suggested for dinner (triggering a search across thousands of texts and emails to source the date), and if you're free (a quick scan of the calendar), put an appointment in your calendar (creating a new event and all of the appropriate reminders).

Can your iPhone update to iOS 27?

Unlike its predecessor, iOS 26, which ditched support for three older iPhone models when it was announced, the incoming iOS 27 will be available on every iPhone that supports the current operating system.

In other words, if your iPhone is currently running some version of iOS 26, then you'll be able to upgrade to iOS 27 when it's released. The following iPhone models will be able to upgrade to iOS 27:

Does your iPhone support every feature in iOS 27?

There is a bit of a caveat. While Apple is rolling out iOS 27 to iPhone 11 and newer — and promising up to 30% faster app launches on that seven-year-old hardware — it doesn't mean that every iOS 27 feature will be available on every device. Since many of the Apple Intelligence features are designed to run on-device, this functionality is limited to hardware with a system-on-a-chip that's fast enough to handle those requests.

Below, we've rounded up some of the flashy new features that will only be available on specific models.

Siri AI

The new AI assistant, which has been rebuilt from the ground-up, is only available on iPhone models that are compatible with Apple Intelligence. That means you'll need anything newer than iPhone 16, or an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max. This also covers new features like Write With Siri.

If you have an older iPhone, Siri will remain the same as on iOS 26.

Apple Intelligence

Apple lists Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27 for the same supported iPhone set: iPhone 16 models and later, plus iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. That includes things like Visual Intelligence, the new editing features built into Photos — Clean Up / Extend / Spatial Reframing, the standalone Image Playground app, Live Translation, and Call Context, to name just a few.

Newer-device-only Siri AI extras

Lastly, there are a few Siri AI features that are specific to the latest-and-greatest iPhone models running the newest A19 Pro. Only these handsets will be able to customise how Siri AI sounds, with Apple offering the ability to "pick a voice, then customise expressivity and pace until it clicks for you." Likewise, the company is promising "improved accuracy in Dictation" across the operating system for a select few models.