Apple releases iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27 with Siri AI and Liquid Glass refinements
Apple has published its 2026 major OS updates, rolling out iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and tvOS 27. The releases center on a new Siri AI assistant and refinements to the system-wide Liquid Glass design; macOS 27 is also the final release that will support Rosetta for Intel apps.
Why It Matters
Deploying a large-language-model based Siri across most devices represents a significant push by Apple to embed advanced AI into everyday system workflows. The end of Rosetta support in future macOS versions signals a firm move away from Intel-era app compatibility.
Key Facts
- Release: Apple released iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and tvOS 27 in 2026
- Flagship feature: Siri AI is the headline feature across all releases except tvOS
- Siri capabilities: Can explain on-screen content, search a user's past context (for example, emails and text messages), and interact with apps when developers enable support
- New Siri app: Apple added a standalone Siri app, comparable in concept to chat-style LLM apps
- Apple Intelligence models: Uses AFM 3 family: on-device AFM 3 Core (3B parameters) and AFM 3 Core Advanced (20B parameter sparse model activating 1–4B parameters), plus AFM 3 Cloud, ADM 3 Cloud (Image) and AFM3 Cloud Pro on remote servers
Apple has begun distributing its 2026 operating system updates, including iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and tvOS 27. The company emphasized a new generation of assistant features while applying visual tweaks across platforms. The headline feature is Siri AI, a context-aware assistant built on large language models and integrated into most of the updated systems. The assistant can take natural-language requests to describe what’s on the screen, search a user’s prior personal context such as older emails and messages, and—when developers add support—perform actions inside third-party apps. Apple also provides a dedicated Siri app that offers a chat-style interaction similar to standalone LLM chat apps. Under the hood Apple is running a family of in-house models branded AFM 3. For on-device use the company offers AFM 3 Core, a 3-billion-parameter model, and AFM 3 Core Advanced, a sparse 20-billion-parameter model that activates only 1 to 4 billion parameters depending on the task. More capable models—AFM 3 Cloud, ADM 3 Cloud (for images) and AFM3 Cloud Pro—run on remote servers to handle heavier workloads. Other new AI-driven capabilities announced include generating Shortcut automations or Safari extensions from a prompt and expanded photo-editing tools. On the design side, Apple added a system-wide slider that lets users adjust the transparency of the Liquid Glass visual effect. macOS 27 Golden Gate receives a series of smaller interface refinements intended to address user feedback about Liquid Glass rather than an overhaul. Apple also notes that Golden Gate will be the last macOS release to offer Rosetta compatibility for Intel apps, marking an end-point for that translation layer going forward.
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