CALIFORNIA: Apple came to WWDC26 with a lot to say. The company previewed the next generation of Apple Intelligence, introduced an entirely rebuilt assistant called Siri AI, unveiled powerful new parental controls and announced sweeping performance and design improvements across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and tvOS 27.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, set the tone. “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,” he said.
Siri AI: a ground-up rebuild
The headline announcement is Siri AI, which Apple describes as an entirely new version of Siri, not an incremental upgrade. Built on a bold new architecture designed to protect user privacy, Siri AI is deeply integrated across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro.
The new Siri can draw on personal context to search across a user’s messages, emails, photos and more. It can execute actions across apps system-wide, answer questions based on content currently on screen, go out to the web for up-to-date information using broad world knowledge and generate helpful answers from what it finds. A dedicated Siri app lets users revisit past conversations or start new ones, all in one place, with conversational history synced privately across devices via iCloud.
Next-generation Apple Intelligence
Beyond Siri, the next generation of Apple Intelligence powers significant new capabilities across the system. These include new tools for editing images in Photos, browsing across multiple tabs in Safari, creating content with Image Playground and communicating more effectively in Messages and Mail.
Parental controls: Apple’s most ambitious move yet
Apple has overhauled its child safety and parental control features in what amounts to its most comprehensive push in this area to date.
Parents setting up a child account can now instantly enable age-appropriate protections across the system. A new Setup Assistant lets parents choose exactly which apps are available and stay in control of what gets added over time. Communication safety features allow parents to require approval for every new contact their child connects with and enable automatic interventions if explicit or violent content is being shared.
New screen time tools let parents set daily total time allowances across entertainment, games and social media app categories, with recommendations based on guidance from leading clinical and child development experts. Schedules let parents manage which apps children can access at different points in the day. Screen Time itself has been redesigned to be more intuitive, offering parents an at-a-glance view of their child’s average device usage and top apps. Apple has also launched a dedicated child safety website with the latest tools, resources and answers to common setup questions.
Performance: the numbers
The 2027 software releases deliver measurable speed gains across the board. iPhone and iPad apps launch up to 30 per cent faster. Photos load up to 70 per cent faster after being taken. AirDrop transfers are up to 80 per cent faster. Browsing and transferring files between external drives and iPad is up to five times faster, matching Finder on Mac. Network transitions between cellular and Wi-Fi are more seamless than before. Search has been rebuilt in Spotlight, Photos and Mail for greater stability and efficiency. Mail gets a completely new ranking system to surface more relevant results in Top Hits.
Design refinements
A new slider in Settings lets users personalise Liquid Glass, adjusting it anywhere from ultra-clear to fully tinted. App icons have been updated to appear sharper and more defined. On Mac, the update restores design elements long favoured by users, including a more uniform toolbar across the top of apps, edge-to-edge sidebars, coloured sidebar icons and more.
What else is coming this autumn
The full list of additional features arriving later this year is extensive. iCloud Shared Albums will introduce cross-platform photo sharing with full-resolution support. The Health app will bring support for perimenopause and menopause in Cycle Tracking, including notifications about cycle deviations inclusive of perimenopause. On Apple Watch, a new dynamic app grid will feature icons for five Siri-suggested apps, users will be able to open a widget in the Smart Stack with a new tap gesture, and a new Find My app will consolidate Find Devices, Find Items and Find People into one place. AirPods users will get custom EQ to personalise their sound, and expanded Apple GymKit functionality will let AirPods Pro 3 users sync heart rate data through iPhone. Apple Vision Pro users will be able to turn panoramas into spatial scenes and use them as personal Environments, and Wi-Fi connectivity on Vision Pro will be up to three times faster. Apple Maps will get an enhanced Flyover experience combining aerial imagery with AI for more detailed visuals.
A new Siri from the ground up. AI woven deeper into every app. Children safer online. Software that is measurably faster across six platforms. Apple did not hold back at WWDC26.
