Apple previews iPadOS 27 with Apple Intelligence & Siri AI

Apple has previewed iPadOS 27, and the headline feature is an overhauled, Apple Intelligence powered version of Siri that the company is now calling Siri AI. The update is coming this fall, with Siri AI arriving in English later this year.

Apple detailed the release on its iPadOS preview page. Siri AI anchors the update, but it sits alongside a wide set of changes spanning the apps people use most, new child safety tools, and a long list of performance and design refinements.

Here is a condensed rundown of what is new.

Siri AI

The centerpiece of iPadOS 27 is a reworked Siri that Apple describes as a conversational assistant. Powered by Apple Intelligence, Siri AI can field open ended questions, help brainstorm ideas, and hold natural back and forth conversations rather than handling one off commands.

Apple says Siri AI can also draw on personal context to surface what a user is looking for, such as a photo from years ago, an email buried in an inbox, or a saved note. It can take actions in apps including Messages, Music, and Reminders based on what the user is doing in the moment, and it can reference information online for up to date answers on broad topics.

There is also a new dedicated Siri app. It brings conversations together across a user's Apple devices, so a question started on iPhone can be picked up on iPad. Conversations can be pinned for quick access.

Other Siri additions include Visual Intelligence integration, which lets users ask about something onscreen by taking a screenshot and tapping an item with a finger or circling it with Apple Pencil.

A new Write with Siri feature can draft text from scratch or give feedback wherever a user types, and in Messages and Mail it can match the user's writing style and tone.

Users can also customize how Siri sounds by adjusting voice, expressivity, and pace.

Apple notes that Siri AI will launch in beta and will not initially be available in the EU on iPadOS. The voice customization feature requires an iPad with an M4 chip and at least 12GB of memory.

Apple Intelligence across apps

Beyond Siri, Apple is extending Apple Intelligence deeper into built in apps.

Photos gains new editing tools, including Spatial Reframing to reframe a shot after it is taken, an Extend tool to expand an image, and an enhanced Clean Up that can remove larger objects.

Notes can take action on typed or handwritten content, turning bullet points into a formatted agenda or handwritten lecture notes into a study guide.

Safari can automatically group tabs into topics, and a new Notify Me option can monitor a page for changes such as a price drop or a restock.

Passwords app can flag weak or compromised passwords and update them on a user's behalf.

Image Playground adds new styles, including photorealistic results, and Shortcuts can now be built from a plain description.

Some of these features, including Suggestions in Messages and Mail, are launching in English first.

Child safety

Apple is adding several child safety tools to iPadOS 27.

In Setup Assistant, parents can choose exactly which system apps a child can use, then add more over time with Ask to Buy.

A new Ask to Browse feature requires kids to request permission before visiting new websites, with parents reviewing the request in Messages.

Communication Safety, which already helps shield children from nudity in Messages and FaceTime, now also steps in before a child sees gore or violence in shared images and videos.

Parents can set Time Allowances across categories like Entertainment, Games, and Social Media, with guidance Apple says was developed with clinical and child development experts.

A redesigned set of parental controls in Settings rounds out the changes.

Design and performance

iPadOS 27 refines the Liquid Glass design Apple introduced last year, with what the company describes as more uniform refraction and improved contrast for better readability.

App icons are sharper, and a new slider lets users tune the look of Liquid Glass from ultra clear to fully tinted.

On performance, Apple says browsing and transferring files from an iPad to an external drive is up to 5x faster, based on its own testing with an iPad Pro 11 inch (M4). App launches and AirDrop transfers are also said to be quicker, and the system can more smoothly choose the best available wireless or cellular connection.

Apple credits broader work under the hood, including an optimized CPU scheduler.

Everything else

Smaller additions are spread across the system. VoiceOver gains richer image descriptions, and a new captioning feature can generate synced subtitles for any video and translate existing captions into other languages. Maps gets an enhanced Flyover that uses aerial imagery and Visual Intelligence models for sharper detail. Other changes include AirPods Custom EQ, Photos slideshows that can be saved as videos, improved iCloud Shared Albums, faster Messages syncing, and new Apple Intelligence features in the Home app, including support for 4K HomeKit Secure Video.

Compatibility

iPadOS 27 supports the iPad Pro (M4 and later), iPad Pro 12.9 inch (4th generation and later), and iPad Pro 11 inch (2nd generation and later). It also supports the iPad Air (M2 and later, and 4th generation and later), iPad (A16, and 9th generation and later), and iPad mini (A17 Pro, and 6th generation and later).

The release is expected this fall.