Apple has started rolling out the first developer beta of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 for iPhone and iPad users. The build number is 24A5355q, and it gives developers an early look at several system-level upgrades Apple is preparing across performance, search, iCloud sharing, parental controls, Siri, Safari, Home, and Photos.
For users who want the public test version, Apple says they’ll need to sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program first, then install it from Settings, General, Software Update, and Beta Updates. The developer preview requires an account enrolled in the Apple Developer Program, after which it can also be installed through the standard Software Update page.
One of the biggest themes in iOS 27 is performance. Apple says the update brings optimizations for app launch speed, photo display, network switching, AirDrop, disk read and write behavior, and the CPU scheduler. According to the company, apps on iPhone and iPad can open up to 30% faster after upgrading, while newly captured or imported photos can appear up to 70% faster.
Apple has also rebuilt search at a lower level inside Spotlight, Photos, and Mail. After a device is updated to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS 27, the system immediately begins indexing the device to improve search results. New content is indexed right away too, which should make recently added messages, files, photos, and mail easier to find without waiting around.
iCloud sharing is getting a useful expansion as well. Apple now supports adding photos to iCloud Shared Albums from Android, Windows 10, and Windows 11 devices. Full-resolution sharing is supported, so the feature isn’t limited to compressed previews or lightweight copies.
The update also introduces a new set of parental control features. Apple is adding child accounts, making it easier for parents to set a new account as a “child account.” Parents can check whether each App Store app is suitable for their child, and the “Ask to Browse and Buy” setting is enabled by default for children under 13.
Siri is more deeply integrated into the iPhone camera app in iOS 27. Apple’s demo shows users enabling Siri inside Camera so the assistant can identify objects and save them into the Siri app. In one example, the feature is used to log food intake from the camera view. For privacy, Apple says this is handled through the second-generation on-device model in Apple Intelligence.
Safari is getting smarter too. The new version can detect the web pages a user has open and automatically organize tabs to make them easier to find. Users can also describe, in natural language, the type of content they want Safari to watch for. When that content changes, Safari can send a notification.
Apple is also building a system-level Automatic Proofreading feature on top of Siri AI. The idea is to bring AI-assisted correction directly into the operating system, rather than leaving writing cleanup only to individual apps.
The Home app is another area where Apple is using AI to cut down on noise. For homes with a lot of smart accessories, constant alerts can become overwhelming. In iOS 27, the Home app can use AI to simplify accessory notifications and reduce unnecessary interruptions. It can also recognize video clips from connected cameras and generate descriptions for them.
Those camera clips can be grouped across different cameras when they are related. Users can also search video clips with natural language, which should make it easier to find a specific moment without manually scrubbing through long recordings.
The Photos app gets several upgrades of its own. Apple is adding a “spatial composition” feature that uses an on-device spatial model and a Private Cloud Compute-based spatial model to turn photos into 3D spatial scenes. Users can later zoom in, move around, and adjust the viewing angle of a photo. Apple says the feature supports all photos, including images captured with the camera.
Apple is also improving image expansion and background-object removal, giving those editing tools better results than before. Image Playground is being updated as well, with new support for generating more realistic-looking images.
One detail that will matter to owners of older phones: Apple says the iPhone 11 can be upgraded to iOS 27. That keeps a relatively old iPhone model on the current software track and gives it access to at least some of the broader system improvements included in this release.
For U.S. readers, the short version is that iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 aren’t just small maintenance releases. Apple is using this beta to push faster app behavior, deeper system search, broader iCloud sharing, stronger family controls, more camera-aware Siri features, and more AI-assisted tools across everyday apps.
