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Should I upgrade?
Yes, update now. Apple has released version 27.2 of iOS, iPadOS and WatchOS which bring improvements to the previous 27.0 release or the 27.1 release if you have an iPhone Duo. To update go to Settings / General / Software Update and look for iOS 27 which may be under the Also Available heading.
The list below is a very short list of some new features which have caught my attention but for many of us the long-awaited release of Siri AI will be the most persuasive reason to update so long as our devices can support it. (See the links below).
New for everyone
Siri AI and a new Siri app. This is by far the most significant feature of version 27 and gives Siri a huge AI boost. Siri can now behave as an AI chatbot but one that can perform many tasks within apps for you and which is aware of screen contents and your personal information on your device. It can already do many tasks that previously required multiple steps with or without VoiceOver. It is available only on devices which support Apple Intelligence. Siri AI is still work in progress and Apple states that it is a beta version but it has some impressive features right now but there are certainly areas in which its performance is poor. If you want to try Siri AI you can request it at Settings / Siri; if the current Siri AI doesn't work well for you you can revert to Classic Siri and then try Siri AI again in a future iOS 27 update.
Several other Apple Intelligence upgrades including the ability to create Siri Shortcuts with a description of what you want them to do. This is available only on devices which support Apple Intelligence;
A small thing, but it could be significant for many - it's now possible to set different volumes for your ring tone and alarms and timers. Take a look in Settings / Sounds & Haptics;
New for low vision users
There's a new slider in Settings / Appearance to control how Liquid Glass looks, from clear to fully tinted, which effectively turns off most of the clear, transparent effects. This gives you fine control if you like Liquid Glass effects but can't tolerate them full blast with the clear setting.
New for VoiceOver users
improved image descriptions. This is available only on devices which support Apple Intelligence;
Improved Live Recognition on devices which support Apple Intelligence; this has received a full AI makeover; you can have a conversation with it about what the camera sees with a long press of the Action Button and more;
Control of the amount of text, paragraph, line, sentence and element that is spoken as you swipe through text at Settings / Accessibility / VoiceOver / Text Navigation and similar control of exploring a screen by dragging a finger over it at Settings / Accessibility / VoiceOver / Text Exploration;
customisable hints. Hints are those suggestions like "double tap to open". They can be very useful but some are definitely unnecessary as you become more proficient with VoiceOver. At Settings / Accessibility / VoiceOver / Verbosity / Hints it is now possible to set a delay before a hint is spoken and to select between never, always and app-specific hints to set which hints are spoken. When you are familiar with all the basic VoiceOver hints, switching to app-specific hints could be a good choice so you don't miss VoiceOver features in apps.
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last updated 26 October 2026
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