Over the years, Apple has built a kind of trust in the minds of users owing to its connected ecosystem and fluid software support. However, the company has not only lagged behind in the AI race in the last few years, it has also failed to deliver on some of its own promised features, including the revamped Siri.
Things have improved with iOS 26, where the company hasn’t faced as many delays as its predecessor, but users have still complained about issues with subsequent software rollouts — including Liquid Glass transparency, battery drain, app freezes and overheating. With iOS 27, however, the company is reportedly looking to turn a fresh corner by going back to the basics.
Apple’s new update
As per a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is not planning iOS 26-style sweeping changes with the new OS and is instead focusing on improving the software’s quality and underlying performance.
The company is reportedly adopting a Snow Leopard-style update policy for the new release, where it will prioritise reducing bugs and improving performance on iPhones and iPads.
Notably, Apple released the Mac OS X Snow Leopard update in 2009, where it focused on subtle improvements and quality control instead of flashy new features. The tech giant rewrote core pieces of the software, fixed bugs, removed older code and cleared unnecessary system files to make the Mac faster, more stable and more efficient.
The Cupertino-based company has reportedly tried to bring this quality-first mindset to iOS and iPadOS in the past but hasn’t had the opportunity due to the “relentless competition” in the mobile space.
What could iOS 27 offer?
Apple is reportedly looking to improve the software with iOS 27, and engineering teams at the company are currently combing through Apple’s operating systems to hunt for bloat and bugs to eliminate, and to look for any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality.
The update is also said to lay the groundwork for foldable iPhones and other new hardware. The report notes that AI and performance could be the two biggest upgrades in iOS 27.
As for AI, the biggest change could be the addition of the revamped Siri — set to debut with iOS 26.4 — with additional apps being woven into the experience in iOS 27. This could include a health-focused AI agent and an AI-powered web search tool that could take on ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Apple is also said to be internally testing a full-fledged chatbot app dubbed Veritas, which serves as a text-based proving ground for the re-architected Siri. The company is not planning a standalone chatbot app, but this work could lay the foundation for Apple’s deeper push into the category.