After trying out iOS 27, my iPhone still doesn’t seem to have undergone a significant improvement.

      Every June, after Apple concludes its annual WWDC keynote, I install the latest iOS beta on my iPhone, watch the progress bar gradually fill, and anticipate the expected restart. For many years, picking up my phone afterward felt nearly the same as it did before the update.

      I encountered the same grid of icons, the same Control Center, and the same version of Siri until iOS 26 finally altered that experience in 2025.

      Rachit Agarwal / Digital Trends

      iOS 26 elevated the standard. iOS 27 didn’t quite meet it.

      It was the first significant update in years that made compatible iPhones feel authentically different, and I attribute much of this to Apple’s Liquid Glass design philosophy. With a revamped Control Center and numerous customization options (including the Clear Look for the Home Screen), iOS 26 genuinely felt impactful.

      In contrast, iOS 27 didn’t captivate me as much. I’m not claiming it’s poor. The new Apple Intelligence features, particularly the enhanced Siri experience (first promised in 2024), alongside the new Photos features, are compelling enough that I’ve written detailed articles about them.

      However, if you were to ask me if iOS 27 has fundamentally altered the way I use my iPhone 17 on a daily basis, even with the introduction of Apple Intelligence, my candid response would be no. This is somewhat surprising to me.

      Apple

      To Apple’s credit, the AI features are legitimate, functional, and occasionally delightful. The catch is that their value heavily relies on how naturally they integrate into your routine.

      The issue isn’t Siri AI; it’s me.

      In recent years, I’ve experimented with almost every prominent AI service to determine which suits me best, and most have already become part of my workflow. I pay a monthly fee for Claude because it has become my primary tool for research, fact-checking, and data analysis.

      On the other hand, Gemini excels at creating images and summarizing emails in Gmail, while AI Mode has largely replaced Google Search for me.

      Despite Siri AI’s conversational abilities, I still haven’t found a convincing reason to incorporate it into my daily routine.

      Apple

      Indeed, I asked the assistant to retrieve photos using natural language, and it performed commendably (for the most part). The Extend feature in Photos also impressed me. However, neither feature is something I frequently revisit. Most of the AI I utilize is actually on my MacBook, rather than my iPhone.

      So, what else is genuinely new?

      What about the other updates in the iOS 27 changelog? Respectfully, it seems that Apple is running out of avenues to reinvent the core iPhone experience or create a new one that isn’t centered around AI.

      Safari now automatically groups tabs by topic, and Notes allows you to link to specific sections within a document. AirPods finally receive a proper EQ slider in iOS 27, and Apple Wallet can scan loyalty cards.

      These are practical enhancements that seamlessly improve your experience in the background. The downside is that I have already moved on from several of these apps because they lagged behind for too long.

      Shikhar Mehrotra / Digital Trends

      The minor improvements are genuinely beneficial.

      It’s not as though there aren’t changes I appreciate. For example, AirDrop appears significantly faster in iOS 27. App launches are noticeably quicker, and switching between mobile data and Wi-Fi is much more seamless. Apple’s Continuity features remain intact and arguably improved thanks to background refinements (even if they still occasionally misbehave).

      However, after willingly putting my iPhone 17 through beta testing and installing iOS 27 with both excitement and trepidation, I felt somewhat underwhelmed compared to my initial expectations.

      Perhaps this signifies the pinnacle of iOS.

      A more mature perspective might suggest that iOS has already attained a near-perfect state, both visually and feature-wise, and once you reach that point, every new feature or experience risks destabilizing what already functions well.

      Apple

      It seems I need to reassess my expectations for Apple’s yearly updates. iOS 26 felt so thrilling and different because many prior versions appeared almost identical.

      While I wouldn’t classify iOS 27 as merely a fresh coat of paint, it also doesn’t seem to represent the significant advance it might initially appear to be, at least not if Siri AI and Apple Intelligence aren’t already integral to your iPhone usage.