Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 5: Icons, Search and More

Apple has released iOS 27 beta 5 to developers, bringing another round of changes as it continues to refine the iPhone software ahead of its public release. The latest beta focuses on smaller interface tweaks, Search improvements, and additional Siri-related updates rather than introducing major new features.

Here’s everything new we’ve found so far in iOS 27 beta 5.

New app icons and Liquid Glass refinements

iOS 27 beta 5 updates the icons for several Apple apps, including Safari, Siri, Remote, and Preview. Apple has also made further refinements to other system icons as it continues polishing the Liquid Glass design across iOS 27.

These are subtle visual changes, but they show that Apple is still fine-tuning the interface ahead of the final release.

iOS 27 new icons - Safari Preview Remote Siri

Search gets new controls

Apple has added a new ‘Before Search’ section to Search settings in iOS 27 beta 5. The new controls let users manage how many app suggestions, app shortcut suggestions, and recent searches appear when they use Search from the Home Screen.

This gives users more control over the suggestions displayed before they start typing, particularly if they prefer a less crowded Search experience.

iOS 27 before searching Large

Siri gets another voice option

Apple’s enhanced Siri voice now supports British English in beta 5. This expands the language and voice options available with the Siri AI in iOS 27.

Apple is also continuing to work on Siri AI behind the scenes, with indexing activity starting over again in the latest beta.

New Siri Animation

There’s an improved Siri animation which looks much better than before. It’s also fluid and does not drop any frames.

[iOS 27 DB5] New Siri AI search animation
byu/Androbots iniOSBeta

Siri now shows Search the Web option

This was a pet peeve of mine as it wasn’t easy to go to a web search from Siri AI. Glad it’s resolved.

[iOS 27 DB5] search the web inside the search now – I don’t think it was visible before
byu/DavidGman iniOSBeta

New Siri Visual Intelligence icon in Control Center

The glyph in Control Center is now updated.

[iOS 27 DB5] New Siri Visual Intelligence icon in Control Center
byu/Common_Floor_7195 iniOSBeta

Cellular information changes in Control Center

iOS 27 beta 5 makes a small change to Control Center. The cellular network type is no longer displayed when an iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi.

The change removes information that may be less relevant while the device is actively using a Wi-Fi connection.

 

5G+ arrives for supported carriers

For customers around the world, iOS 27 beta 5 adds 5G+ to the status information displayed on supported connections.

This is a carrier-specific change rather than a feature that will affect every iPhone user, but it is another small connectivity update included in the latest beta.

Transition Animations Fixed, FINALLY

Apple has fixed transition animations after over year of reported issues. They are smooth as butter now.

[iOS 27 DB5] Shared element transitions fixed after over a year
by
u/Aeteriss in
iOSBeta

New Splash Screens

What’s the point of a new beta without new splash screens? Photos and Shortcuts get new ones this time.

[iOS 27 DB5] New Splash Screen For Photos and Shortcuts
by
u/No_Afternoon3387 in
iOSBeta

Alarm clock fonts have been tweaked

The design and fonts for the alarms timings have been tweaked and they don’t look the best. You can immediately tell they have been changed:

iOS 27 alarm font

Mail App Personalized Smart Replies

Mail app settings now show a personalized smart replies toggle which learns from your previously sent emails and shows tailored responses above the keyboard. These are context-aware and use on-device processing so no data reaches the cloud. However, beware when using these as my experience has been less than ideal when testing this feature.

iOS 27 personalize smart replies

Large Reminder Widget shows Auto-Categories

It shows both auto-categories and shared reminders.

[iOS 27 DB5] Large Reminder Widget(s) now show Auto-Categories
by
u/Common_Floor_7195 in
iOSBeta

Performance and bugs

The performance and stability of the operating system is much better compared to beta 4. Many issues reported in previous betas seem to have been resolved and it seems that Apple put the long gap between beta 4 and beta 5 to good use. However, this new beta has a major bug that makes the top of web pages un-clickable or un-tappable in Safari. Don’t be alarmed as it is not an issue with the websites but a Safari bug. 

iOS 27 beta 5 release date and compatibility

iOS 27 beta 5 is currently available to developers, with Apple expected to continue testing the update throughout August. The final version of iOS 27 is expected to arrive in September 2026 alongside the next iPhone lineup.

iOS 27 supports the iPhone 11 and newer, as well as the iPhone SE (2nd generation) and newer. Some Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features require newer iPhone models.

Apple could still introduce additional changes in the remaining beta releases before iOS 27 is finalized.

Newsletter
Never miss an Apple story
One email a day, the news that matters. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
About the Author

Asma Hussain is an editor at iThinkDifferent, where she covers Apple news, streaming services, mobile gaming, and app reviews, with a particular focus on social media and consumer tech. She writes hands-on guides and app coverage drawn from day-to-day use across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Outside of writing, she's interested in digital illustration, internet culture, and the small design decisions that shape how people use technology.