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Stuff / News / After the big overhaul of iOS 26, next year’s update will be a tune-up

After the big overhaul of iOS 26, next year’s update will be a tune-up

Apple is planning for a modest update in iOS 27, according to report, with a view to improving the operating system

Hold Assist iOS 26 Featured

After the big update of iOS 26 iPhone operating system, Apple is looking at maintenance from iOS 27 according to a new report from an in-the-know Apple reporter.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says iOS 27 will focus on quality improvements and new AI features rather than the slew of redesigns and new features Apple has rolled out in recent releases.

In his Power On newsletter published yesterday Gurman likened next year’s release to the Mac OS X Snow Leopard release of 15-years ago, where there were no new features but plenty of housekeeping elements.

He wrote: “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.”

In the meantime Apple continues to work to get its long-delayed AI features out of the gate. In iOS 26.4, we’re expecting a new version of Siri powered by Google Gemini.

In iOS 27 Apple has been preparing an AI-based health coach for Apple Health and a web search feature powered by Apple Intelligence. Plans for iOS 27 are likely to be revealed by Apple in June 2026 at the annual WWDC keynote.

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I'm a freelance writer based in South Florida and has bylines for Trusted Reviews Wareable, Wired UK, Shortlist, Pellicle and DigitalSpy, FourFourTwo, The Observer, Empire Online, TechRadar and T3. I have authored more than 10 books on how to use technology for Flametree Publishing. I'm a podcast host for The Liverpool Way and teach yoga in my spare time.