iOS 27 release date: it’s landing today, and Siri finally sounds like it means it

Apple’s newest software update is rolling out right now, and this is not a small one. iOS 27 arrives today, Monday 14 September, off the back of last week’s “Surprise and Shine” event where Apple also unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo. The headline act is a Siri overhaul that has been years in the making, but there is a lot more buried in this release than a smarter voice assistant. Below, we have pulled together everything worth knowing about the iOS 27 release date, the new features, and whether your iPhone actually makes the cut.

When is iOS 27 coming out?

If you are wondering exactly when iOS 27 is coming out in the UK, the rollout is timed for around 6pm BST today. Apple ships these updates from the US first, so the exact minute can wobble a little depending on server traffic, but you should see it appear within the hour either side of that.

To grab it: open Settings, tap General, then Software Update. Back up first if you can, either through iCloud or your computer. It is a habit worth keeping even when nothing has ever gone wrong before, and Apple’s own guide to updating your iPhone walks through both the wireless method and the computer-based backup if you would rather not rely on Wi-Fi alone.

Worth knowing: iOS 27 is not travelling alone. iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 are all landing on the same day, part of a release Apple has billed as carrying more than 250 changes across its software lineup. If you own more than one Apple device, expect a fair few update prompts today rather than just the one.

Siri finally gets an upgrade worth talking about

Classic Siri could set a timer and tell you it was raining. That was more or less the ceiling. iOS 27 replaces it with Siri AI, a genuinely conversational assistant that can hold its own against the ChatGPT-style tools you have probably already been using instead of Siri for the last two years. Apple first showed this off at WWDC in June, and it has spent the summer in beta since.

Siri AI gets its own dedicated app, sits behind a side-button press and hold as before, and can now see what is on your screen and pull in your personal data to give answers that are actually relevant to you rather than generically correct. It works across a wider range of apps than the old Siri ever managed too, and your conversations sync privately across your devices through iCloud.

The catches: it is English only for now, there are daily usage caps with a paid tier for more expansive access coming later, and UK users get it in full while Apple has confirmed that Siri AI will not be available on iPhones in the EU at launch, a consequence of the ongoing standoff over the Digital Markets Act. All of this needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, since it runs on the latest generation of Apple Intelligence.

More Apple Intelligence, sharper Liquid Glass

Siri is not the only thing getting smarter. The Photos app picks up Extend and Reframe tools for reworking a shot after the fact, Image Playground can now generate photorealistic images rather than the slightly cartoonish results we got used to, and Shortcuts lets you build an automation just by describing what you want in plain English. HomeKit Secure Video cameras will also start writing their own descriptions of what they catch, so your security app can tell you a parcel was left at the door rather than just flagging “motion detected.”

Visually, Liquid Glass, the interface look Apple introduced last year, has been tightened up further: better contrast, more consistent light refraction, and crisper app icons. There is a new slider so you can dial the glassy effect back if you found the original a bit much, which should please anyone who spent last year toggling accessibility settings just to read their notifications properly.

The upgrades you will actually notice day to day

The less flashy changes might matter more in practice. Apple says app launches are up to 30 percent quicker, new photos load into your library up to 70 percent faster, and AirDrop transfers can be up to 80 percent faster. None of that makes a keynote slide exciting, but it is the sort of thing you will feel within a week of updating, especially on an older handset that has started to feel sluggish.

There is also iPhone Handoff, a new feature that lets you use one phone number across two iPhones and switch between them freely, handy for anyone juggling a work and personal device or excited about pairing the new iPhone Duo with their existing phone. Setup happens through Settings and Cellular, where you designate a main iPhone and a companion device, and Apple’s support document on the feature spells out exactly what each device needs. It does require carrier support though, and it is not free everywhere: T-Mobile in the US is charging $5 a month for it, while Deutsche Telekom in Germany is on board too. Verizon and the UK’s EE have both said they plan to support it by the end of the year, but neither has switched it on yet, so do not expect it to work on a UK number just yet.

US users also get Apple Cash bill splitting, which uses Apple Intelligence to scan a receipt through the Camera app, work out who owes what including tax and tip, and settle up through Apple Cash and Messages. It is not available in the UK at launch, so do not go looking for it in Settings.

Smaller changes worth knowing about

Find My gets a genuinely useful privacy fix: instead of the old three-option choice of forever, until the end of the day, or one hour, you can now share your location for a custom stretch of time, down to the exact hour, or quietly pause sharing with one person until midnight without them getting a notification about it. Handy if you are hiding a surprise, less handy if someone was relying on that dot to know you got home safely, so use it thoughtfully.

CarPlay also picks up video browsing, letting compatible cars show you what is available to watch via AirPlay while you are parked, whether that is charging at a service station or waiting outside school. It only works while the car is stationary, for obvious reasons, and only in vehicles built to support it, so this one will take time to show up for most drivers. Apple first flagged the underlying AirPlay video feature at WWDC last year, and iOS 27 is what finally lets developers build proper video-browsing CarPlay apps around it.

Is your iPhone on the compatibility list?

iOS 27 itself has a wide reach. It runs on the iPhone 11 and every model after it, including the iPhone SE (2nd generation onward), and Apple has not dropped support for any device that could run last year’s update. The Apple Intelligence features, and Siri AI specifically, are a different story: you will need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer to get any of that.

Full iOS 27 compatibility list: iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd gen and later).

Worth a mention: the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max only went up for pre-order on 12 September, with deliveries starting this Friday, 18 September, so most people currently running this update will be doing so on an existing handset rather than brand new hardware.

Quick answers

When does iOS 27 come out? Today, Monday 14 September, from around 6pm BST.

Is iOS 27 available in the UK? Yes, though Siri AI is not available in the EU at launch and Apple Cash bill splitting is US only.

Do I need an iPhone 15 Pro for the new Siri? Yes. Siri AI and the wider Apple Intelligence features need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.

Will my older iPhone still update? If it is an iPhone 11 or newer, yes, though you will miss out on the AI features.

Is iPhone Handoff available on UK networks? Not yet. EE has said it plans to support it by the end of the year, but nothing is live at launch.

If your iPhone qualifies, this is one of the rare updates worth installing on day one rather than waiting for the inevitable point release. We will be putting Siri AI through its paces this week to see whether it actually delivers on the promise.