iOS 27 Beta 2 Performance Is Amazing and I Can Never Go Back to Stable iOS 26

Apple released iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 beta 2 to developers yesterday, exactly two weeks after beta 1 followed the WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8. The release comes alongside beta 2 for macOS 27 Golden Gate, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27, though watchOS 27 did not receive a second beta yesterday.

Initial impressions to iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 beta 2 have been nothing but amazing. Siri AI is a lot more responsive and faster than beta 1, and overall system performance is much better. Based on the few hours that I have tested it since last night, even the battery life seems a lot better. In my opinion, this beta leaves stable iOS 26 in dust. 

Everything new in iOS 27 beta 2

• The most visible change in this build is the arrival of Write with Siri on the keyboard for iPhone and iPad. The familiar Writing Tools panel introduced with iOS 18 Apple Intelligence has been removed entirely, including the dedicated buttons for tones like “Friendly” and “Professional.” A Write with Siri suggestion now populates directly in the keyboard instead, giving users a conversational, Siri-driven way to generate or refine text across any app. That makes Write with Siri a system-level replacement rather than a feature layered on top of the old tools.
• RCS inline replies are now supported in Messages

  

• Apple Home can now update an Apple TV 4K remotely, using the same mechanism already available for HomePod
• Apple Wallet’s Insights feature is expanding to more regions and additional card types
• Siri’s Expressive Voice Preview now lists Pace and Expressivity as “coming soon,” suggesting those controls are not yet finalised
• A new section in Settings > Siri for Visual Intelligence lets you enable ‘Highlight to Image Search’ to let Siri automatically sent the image to third parties to provide results.
  
• Create a Pass in Wallet app now has different texture options.
• Camera app now highlights tools in the interface when some options are changed/enabled.
• AirPods Max 2 firmware updates now work, resolving a known issue that blocked updates in beta 1
• iPhone Mirroring between iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate is more reliable, with app resizing and automatic return to iPhone size both working more consistently after crash issues in beta 1

As mentioned before, my experience has been very positive with regards to performance and responsiveness with this beta. Beta 1 was already impressive, but Apple’s optimization efforts are already showing results. There is still a long time before the stable release around September, so good signs all around!