What's new at WWDC 2026
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Summary
Apple previewed iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27. All will arrive as free updates this fall.
This year will be almost entirely about refinement and speed: a cleaner, less busy Liquid Glass look, and some everyday tasks running several times faster.
The one truly new addition will be the next generation of Apple Intelligence, woven into Passwords, Safari, Shortcuts, Photos, and more, plus a rebuilt, more conversational Siri.
On any Apple Intelligence device, you will get all the new AI features. Only enhanced dictation and the more expressive Siri voice will need newer hardware. Intel Macs will not get macOS 27 at all.
WWDC 2026 wrapped up yesterday. WWDC is really an event for Apple's developers, not for the rest of us, so if you watched the keynote or read the headlines and came away overwhelmed, that is completely okay. Here is the plain-English version: what will change this fall, what will matter, and whether your devices will get it.
Most of this year's changes come down to refinement and speed. Apple will make things faster, in some cases several times faster, and it is cleaning up the Liquid Glass look it introduced last year, after a lot of people found it too busy and inconsistent. The one part that will feel truly new is Apple Intelligence, which this fall will reach into apps you use every day.
When will the updates be released?
Apple generally releases the annual software updates in mid-September (my guess is September 14). Occasionally, Mac or iPad releases end up coming out in October. Siri AI is not scheduled to be released when 27 is initially shipped, but later this year. It’s on its way, though; they have already opened it up for beta testing (which I do not recommend).
Is this a big update or a small one?
For most people, this will be a refinement year, and I mean that in the best sense. The Liquid Glass look Apple introduced in last year's macOS Tahoe and iOS 26 struck a lot of people as too see-through, too busy, and inconsistent from one screen to the next. Apple clearly heard that. This fall, a new slider in Settings will let you adjust the look anywhere from ultra-clear to fully tinted, app icons will be sharper, and the Mac will regain familiar touches like a more uniform toolbar, edge-to-edge sidebars, and colored sidebar icons. If macOS or iOS started feeling a little foreign to you, this is Apple steering back toward familiar territory.
How much faster will everything be?
This is the part I am most pleased about, because speed helps everyone, no matter which features they use. By Apple's own testing:
Apps will launch up to 30 percent faster.
New photos will appear in your library up to 70 percent faster.
AirDrop transfers will be up to 80 percent faster.
On iPad, browsing and copying files to an external drive will be up to five times faster.
Moving between Wi-Fi and cellular will be smoother.
Search across Spotlight, Photos, and Mail will be rebuilt to be faster and more reliable.
A few of these are minor, but several are the kind of everyday speed-up you will feel many times a day.
Why is Apple talking about a "new Siri"?
Apple is rebuilding the assistant and renaming it Siri AI. Instead of the one-question-at-a-time Siri you know, this version will hold a back-and-forth conversation, and it will get its own app that keeps your conversations in one place and syncs them privately across your devices. It will be able to answer questions about what is on your screen, search across your own messages, emails, and photos for a personal answer, and pull current information from the web.
What can the new Apple Intelligence actually do for me?
The AI will be spread across apps rather than locked in one place. The standouts:
Passwords will be able to fix themselves. When a login is caught in a data leak or reused across accounts, the Passwords app will, in many cases, be able to change that password for you.
Safari will get three handy tricks. It will organize your open tabs by topic, it will let you ask it to watch a web page and notify you when something specific changes like a restock or a price drop, and it will let you describe a small extension in plain words to customize how a site looks or behaves.
Shortcuts without the headache. You will be able to describe what you want in plain English, and Apple Intelligence will build the automation for you.
Proofreading everywhere. Your writing will be proofread automatically as you type, in any app.
Smarter Photos. A feature called Spatial Reframing will let you improve a photo's composition after you have taken it, and Image Playground, Apple's image generator, will be able to make photorealistic images.
Follow-through in Messages and Mail. When a conversation implies a task, you will get a one-tap suggestion to create a reminder or a note.
One note on what powers all this: the new Apple Intelligence will run on a new set of Apple models that Apple built in collaboration with Google, using the technology behind Google's Gemini. It will run partly on your device and partly on Apple's private servers, and Apple says your data will be used only to carry out your request, not stored or shared.
Which devices will get these updates?
You may have seen conflicting device lists in the news this week, because Apple posted some errors to its own site right after the keynote. Here is the corrected rundown of what will run this fall's updates, and which devices will get the new AI features on top:
Not sure what you have? On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, then General, then About, and look at the model name. On a Mac, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. Apple also has guides for identifying your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV. Don’t rush out and buy a new device just because you have a device that won't get the upgrades you want. We still have several more months before release, and Apple may have new hardware on the way.
Will your device get the 2027 updates and Siri AI?
A quick guide to where each Apple device lands this fall: whether it will run the new software at all, and whether it will get the Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features on top.
| Tier | Devices |
|---|---|
| ✕ Not supported Ran the 2026 software, but will not run the 2027 updates. Keeps working and gets security updates until fall of 2028. |
Mac: every Intel Mac (2019 Mac Pro, 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 2020 27-inch iMac). iPad: iPad (8th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad mini (5th generation), and the 2018 iPad Pro models. Apple Watch: Series 6, 7, and 8, SE (2nd generation), and the original Ultra. Apple TV: Apple TV HD (2015) and Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017). HomePod: the original HomePod (1st generation, 2018), although this drop is not yet confirmed by Apple. No iPhone or Vision Pro models are dropped this year. |
| ↻ Update only Gets all the refinements and speed improvements, but not the Apple Intelligence or Siri AI features. |
iPhone: iPhone 11 through iPhone 14 (including the 14 Pro models), iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation). iPad: iPad (9th and 10th generation) and the A16 iPad, iPad Air (4th generation), iPad mini (6th generation), and the 2020 iPad Pro models. Apple TV: Apple TV 4K (2nd and 3rd generation). HomePod: HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod mini. Mac: none. Every supported Mac is an Apple silicon model, so they all get Siri AI. |
| ★ Siri AI Everything above, plus the full set of Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI. |
iPhone: iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 model, and the iPhone 17 and 17e. iPad: any iPad with an M1 chip or later, plus the iPad mini (A17 Pro). Mac: every Apple silicon (M-series) Mac. Vision Pro: all models. |
| ⬆︎ Siri AI plus enhanced voice Everything in Siri AI, plus the more expressive Siri voice and the enhanced dictation. |
iPhone: iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. iPad: iPad with an M4 chip or later and at least 12GB of memory. Mac: Mac with an M3 chip or later and at least 12GB of memory. |
What other small touches will you notice?
A handful of smaller additions worth a mention:
AirPods will get a custom equalizer so you can tune how they sound.
The Health app will add perimenopause and menopause support in Cycle Tracking.
iCloud Shared Albums will share full-resolution photos, and people on Android and Windows will be able to join a shared album.
Apple Maps will get a sharper, more detailed Flyover view.
Apple Watch will get a dynamic grid of suggested apps and a single Find My app that combines devices, items, and people.
Those are the ones I think you will notice most, and there are literally hundreds more refinements and improvements:
Further reading
The Passwords news builds on how Passwords became a real app.
Curious about the more secure alternative to passwords? Read what passkeys are and why you should use them.
Key takeaways
Wait for the free fall release instead of installing the beta on a device you rely on. Really, betas have been known to just delete people’s data.
Check the supported hardware list above. If you have an Intel Mac, this update will leave it behind, so start planning for a newer one.
If passwords stress you out, the Passwords app's automatic fixes alone will be reason enough to update once it is stable.
If all of this feels like a lot to sort through, you do not have to do it alone. I offer one-on-one tech tutoring in San Francisco and Washington DC, and over Zoom anywhere, where we can figure out which features your devices will actually get, set them up the way you work, and make sense of the new Siri together once it arrives. You can book a session here.
