Apple will pull the curtain again on iOS 27 at WWDC 2026, and the rumor mill is already in excessive gear. However after iOS 26’s Liquid Glass-powered visible overhaul, an incremental enchancment simply will not lower it. Apple has left iPhone energy customers excessive and dry, and now’s the time for the corporate to maneuver previous flashy aesthetics and deal with its handsets just like the workstations they are often. On that observe, listed here are 5 options I need to see when iOS 27 is revealed later this yr.
1. Siri That Thinks Forward
To really evolve, Siri should transition from a simplistic voice-activated distant management to an anticipatory assistant. Siri has traditionally been reactive, ready for a “Hey Siri” command. This implies Siri wants a guide set off for nearly all the things, and each dialog is basically a one-and-done interplay. An anticipatory assistant makes use of your habits, location, and schedule to supply assist proactively, or while you want it. Give me a Siri that may see what’s on my display screen and carry out multi-step duties, like discovering a particular picture in my album, modifying it, and sending it to my dad and mom in a message, multi functional go.
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Naturally, there are various challenges that might include that Siri change. Privateness is a obtrusive concern, as an AI assistant with entry to and reminiscence of my habits, historical past, and upcoming occasions, plus on-device consciousness, is an Achilles’ heel Apple should correctly safe earlier than rolling it out to the general public. Apple is at the moment partnering with Google to enhance Siri, and a standalone app is rumored to be within the works. Hopefully, the fruits of this collaboration ship the iPhone AI assistant I would like.
2. iPhone as a Desktop Powerhouse
Nevertheless you’re feeling concerning the Apple ecosystem, the corporate’s gadgets are workhorses. The iPhone’s A-series chips enhance yearly, and the most recent iterations are greater than able to driving a full workstation. Apple leverages the A18 Professional chip (present in final yr’s iPhone 16 collection) within the new MacBook Neo, creating a strong, comparatively cheap entry-level laptop computer. Regardless of this energy, iOS 26 helps solely fundamental display screen mirroring, which does not lower it for productiveness. Display mirroring lacks multitasking assist, has mismatched facet ratios, and options an unnecessarily massive button structure on condition that it is mirroring an iPhone.
The above is a rudimentary providing in contrast with the iPad’s Stage Supervisor or Samsung’s DeX. I take advantage of DeX; it is basically a full desktop setting with a taskbar, begin menu, and resizable (and even overlapping) home windows. After I join my Samsung cellphone to a monitor, it turns into a desktop laptop with full keyboard and mouse assist. DeX additionally lets me use my cellphone as a trackpad, keyboard, or a display screen for a separate process, corresponding to texting or making calls.
I need to see the identical performance for the iPhone—full with native desktop behaviors to leverage as a lot energy as doable. It might be an amazing enhance to productiveness and gaming, and the head of iPhone evolution, making it basically the one laptop I, and many individuals, would want to hold.
iOS 26’s widgets are technically interactive. However they really feel considerably half-baked, like distant controls fairly than mini-apps you possibly can work together with from the house display screen. As we speak, iOS 26 helps fundamental actions with out requiring you to open the complete app, together with easy toggles and media controls. Any heavy background process forces the iPhone to open the primary app.
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That is why I want true widget interactivity in iOS 27, one thing that bridges the hole between a static show and a purposeful mini-app on my house display screen. For instance, I need to sort a fast observe within the widget with out the app leaping into the foreground. Likewise, viewing and interacting with a reside, shifting map inside the Apple Maps widget can be nice. Proper now, it solely shows your present location, and tapping the widget opens the app.
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For now, widgets are good for fast glances and easy triggers. My dream variations of them in iOS 27 would let me full full duties with out ever leaving my house display screen.
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4. Liquid Glass, Your Approach
Though iOS 26 affords a number of methods to manage the Liquid Glass aesthetic, together with the Cut back Transparency toggle and varied tinted presets, the system nonetheless depends on all-or-nothing presets. I can select between a extremely clear Clear look or a high-contrast, tinted model, however there isn’t a center floor. Even with the addition of Cut back Brilliant Results in iOS 26.4, the expertise stays fragmented throughout the Accessibility and Show settings.
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I desire a system-wide opacity slider that gives granular management over the interface. As an alternative of toggling between extremes which might be typically too darkish or too distracting, a devoted slider would let me fine-tune Liquid Glass’s transparency to the precise share I discover most interesting. This fashion, I may tweak settings and guarantee legibility throughout any wallpaper whereas sustaining its engaging, fashionable design.
5. Highlight from macOS, on iPhone
Rumors abound of search enhancements coming to iOS 27 this yr, together with a Google AI Mode-like search bar. If that is introduced at WWDC, it could be a superb addition. Nevertheless, I need to see among the macOS Tahoe Highlight enhancements leap to iOS 27 as nicely.
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For instance, Fast Keys for shortcuts and a Browse Mode to scan my iPhone’s contents would alleviate the necessity to scour via app grids to search out what I am on the lookout for. One of many greatest challenges is that iPhones typically do not use keyboard shortcuts; as an alternative, they depend on contact instructions. Due to that, correct Highlight implementation would want a gesture-based equal. Nonetheless, that is an choice I would like on the desk, simply in case my iPhone desktop want comes true. It might be a productiveness boon.
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Gabriel Zamora
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In 2014, I started my profession at PCMag as a freelancer. That blossomed right into a full-time place in 2021, and I now assessment e-mail advertising and marketing apps, cell working techniques, webhosting companies, streaming music platforms, and video video games as a senior author. I am a graduate of Hunter Faculty, a hard-core gamer, and an Apple fanatic.
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