iOS 27 will come with a slider to adjust the level of transparency in Liquid Glass.
Apple
June 11 update: The post first published on June 8 has been updated with additional details on the update release schedule and Siri waitlist information.
The next iPhone software, iOS 27, is coming. Apple recently unveiled it at its Worldwide Developers Conference, and has set a timetable for when it will be available in developer beta, public beta, and general release. Here’s everything you need to know.
There is a lot in new software. While the main feature is that Apple is giving a new Siri the intelligence it calls Siri AI, there are a lot more details as well. They range from important updates to parental controls to a unique volume level for alarms (so if you’ve turned off the background notification level, you don’t have to miss an alarm as a result).
Apple iOS 27: who is it for
Apple surprised many when it announced that the new software would be supported by every iPhone running iOS 26. That is, from iPhone 11 to iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air. Of course, it will also run on the next iPhones when they launch in September. These are believed to be the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first folding iPhone, possibly called the iPhone Ultra.
It was expected that the four initial iPhones on the list (iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone SE 2nd Edition) would not be compatible, but they are. Of course, these earlier phones won’t run Apple Intelligence and won’t get Siri AI.
However, if your current iPhone is capable of iOS 26, it will handle iOS 27 as well.
Apple iOS 27 developer beta: available now
Earlier today, June 8, 2026, Apple revealed full details of its next-generation iPhone software at WWDC. During the conference it was announced that the first version of the developer software would be made available today.
This has been done and developers can download it now. To get the beta you can register as a developer. It’s for developers and personally I would advise non-developers to wait for the public beta release (see below), but it’s free to sign up as a developer. From there you go to Settings, General and Software Update, where you turn on Beta Updates and select iOS 27 Developer Beta. The size of the download will vary but expect it to be large, around 20GB in some cases.
As always, it is advised that if you download it, your daily driver is not the best place for it. A secondary iPhone is better, as it will inevitably have bugs and some things won’t work.
What is not usual is that this time Apple is encouraging users to ensure that they have personal data on the device, so that the context-aware features can be seen at their best.
One of the biggest changes in iOS 27 is the new Siri AI, but it’s worth noting that it’s only available to developers through a waiting list. To get a location, go to Settings, then Siri and choose to join the new Siri waiting list. Once clicked it will confirm that you have been added to the waiting list. It says you will be notified when it becomes available for your iPhone.
Apple iOS 27 public beta: coming in July, 2026
Apple made a second announcement about the availability of the new software when it said the public beta would arrive in July.
This is the usual timetable, and routinely occurs in mid-July, shortly after the arrival of the third developer beta, and this beta forms the basis of the first public beta. Last year’s iOS 26 public beta arrived a little later and coincided with the fourth public beta.
Apple iOS 27 Release Candidate: Expected in early September 2026
Developer and public betas will continue to appear through July and August, with the final beta, called a Release Candidate, expected in early September.
This often appears on or around the day of the September keynote, which won’t be announced for months, although my best guess is that it will be on Wednesday, September 9.
This means the release candidate could be either way, or a day or two.
Apple iOS 27 Full Release: Estimated September 14, 2026
The exact date won’t be known until the next iPhones are unveiled in September. If that unveiling happens, as I think it will, in a keynote on Wednesday, September 9, then the general release will likely be on or around Monday, September 14.
