iPadOS 27 is now available, bringing a major software update to the iPad with Siri AI, expanded Apple Intelligence features, Visual Intelligence, Liquid Glass refinements, faster performance, improved windowing, new child safety controls, and changes across Apple’s built-in apps.
Siri AI is one of the biggest additions. The new assistant can understand personal context, answer questions using information on your iPad, take actions across apps, work with what’s on your screen, and continue conversations through a dedicated Siri app. iPadOS 27 also adds smarter Shortcuts, new photo editing tools, Safari improvements, faster file transfers, and a long list of smaller system changes.
We’ve rounded up more than 100 notable iPadOS 27 features and changes below, covering major additions alongside smaller refinements that can make a difference in everyday use.
iPadOS 27 Features At A Glance
- Siri AI with personal context and cross-app actions
- Dedicated Siri app with conversation syncing
- Visual Intelligence on iPad
- Write with Siri
- Customizable Siri voice on select iPads
- New Apple Intelligence photo editing tools
- AI-powered Safari tab grouping and Notify Me
- Natural-language Shortcuts
- Liquid Glass customization
- New windowing and multitasking improvements
- Faster external-drive transfers
- New child safety controls
- Expanded Communication Safety
- AirPods Custom EQ
- Smarter Home app features
- Improved iCloud Shared Albums
- Enhanced Maps Flyover
- Automatic captions and caption translation
- Faster Messages syncing
- More relevant Mail search
iPadOS 27 Design And Liquid Glass Changes
1. Customizable Liquid Glass Appearance
A new slider lets users adjust the Liquid Glass interface between an ultra-clear and fully tinted appearance.
2. Improved Liquid Glass Readability
Apple has refined Liquid Glass with more uniform refraction and improved contrast to make interface controls easier to see.
3. Sharper App Icons
App icons receive additional detail and refinement as part of the updated Liquid Glass design.
4. Edge-To-Edge Sidebars
Supported app sidebars can extend closer to the edges of the display for a more immersive layout.
5. More Colorful Sidebar Icons
Supported apps can use more colorful icons in their sidebars.
6. Improved Menu Bar
The menu bar receives additional controls, including an option to keep it visible.
7. App Names In The Status Bar
iPadOS 27 can display the active app’s name in the status bar.
8. Better Visual Separation
Liquid Glass elements have been adjusted to provide clearer separation between controls and the content underneath.
9. Resizable iPhone Apps
iPhone apps running on iPad can be resized more flexibly.
10. Refined System Controls
System interface elements have been adjusted throughout iPadOS 27 for a more consistent appearance.
Siri AI On iPad
11. New Siri AI
Siri AI adds more conversational responses, richer answers, and new Apple Intelligence capabilities on compatible iPads.
12. Personal Context
Siri can use relevant personal information to answer requests, including information found in supported photos, emails, and notes.
13. Cross-App Actions
Siri can perform supported actions across apps such as Messages, Music, Reminders, Mail, and Notes.
14. Conversational Follow-Up
Siri AI supports natural back-and-forth conversations, allowing users to continue asking questions without repeating the entire context.
15. Online Knowledge
Siri AI can reference information online to answer questions about topics that require current or more detailed information.
16. Dedicated Siri App
iPadOS 27 introduces a dedicated Siri app for starting and managing conversations.
17. Synced Siri Conversations
Conversations in the Siri app can sync across Apple devices so you can continue where you left off.
18. Pinned Siri Conversations
Important Siri conversations can be pinned for easier access.
19. Write With Siri
Write with Siri can generate drafts from scratch or provide feedback on existing writing.
20. Personalized Writing Style
In Messages and Mail, Write with Siri can match your writing style, punctuation, and tone.
21. Customizable Siri Voice
On supported iPads, users can customize Siri’s voice, including its expressivity and pace. The feature requires an iPad with M4 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory.
Visual Intelligence On iPad
22. Visual Intelligence From Screenshots
Visual Intelligence can analyze what’s displayed on the iPad through a screenshot-based interface.
23. Tap Or Circle Items
You can tap an item or circle it with Apple Pencil to investigate it using Visual Intelligence.
24. Identify Objects And Products
Visual Intelligence can recognize objects and products and provide additional information or image-search results.
25. Identify Plants, Animals And Landmarks
Supported Visual Intelligence features can identify plants, animals, landmarks, artwork, and books.
26. Translate And Summarize Text
Visual Intelligence can translate text and summarize information found in supported images and screenshots.
27. Understand Everyday Information
Visual Intelligence can help interpret handwriting, recipes, labels, signs, and other information visible on screen.
28. Search For Products Online
Visual Intelligence can help find products shown in images and surface relevant shopping results.
29. Recognize Events And Information
Visual Intelligence can identify information such as events and other useful details contained in supported visual content.
Apple Intelligence In iPad Apps
30. Spatial Reframing In Photos
Spatial Reframing lets you change the composition of a photo after it has been captured.
31. Extend Photos
The Extend tool can expand the composition of an existing photo.
32. Enhanced Clean Up
Clean Up can remove larger unwanted objects from photos.
33. Organize Notes With Apple Intelligence
Siri can turn bullet points into a structured agenda or transform handwritten lecture notes into a detailed study guide.
34. Smarter Safari Tab Groups
Safari can automatically organize tabs into groups based on their topics.
35. Safari Notify Me
Notify Me can monitor supported webpages and alert you when a page changes, including when a product price changes or an item is restocked.
36. Password Security Alerts
The Passwords app can identify weak or compromised passwords.
37. Automatic Password Updates
Supported passwords can be updated on your behalf. Apple lists this feature as coming in a future software update.
38. Image Playground Improvements
Image Playground can create and transform images from descriptions, including photorealistic styles.
39. Contextual Suggestions
Mail and, in a future software update, Messages can provide contextual suggestions for actions such as creating a calendar event or finding a photo.
iPadOS 27 Shortcuts
40. Create Shortcuts With Natural Language
You can describe what you want a shortcut to do instead of manually building every action.
41. Connect Actions Across Apps
Apple Intelligence can connect actions across multiple apps to create more advanced automations.
42. Automate Complex Workflows
Natural-language requests can create shortcuts for multi-step tasks, such as changing window layouts and opening specific apps.
43. Apple Intelligence In Shortcuts
Shortcuts can use Apple Intelligence capabilities to handle more complex workflows, with usage limits potentially applying to server-based features.
iPadOS 27 Safari Features
44. Automatic Tab Organization
Safari can automatically group related tabs according to their topics.
45. Easier Tab Discovery
Topic-based groups make large collections of open tabs easier to navigate.
46. Webpage Change Notifications
Safari Notify Me can monitor supported webpages for changes.
47. Price Change Alerts
Supported product pages can be monitored for price changes.
48. Restock Alerts
Safari can notify you when a monitored product becomes available again on supported pages.
iPadOS 27 Messages Features
49. Faster Messages Sync
Unread counts and missed-message notifications sync more quickly when you return to your iPad.
50. More Reliable Messages Sync
Messages now synchronize more reliably across Apple devices.
51. Large Media Transfers Cause Fewer Interruptions
Large photos and videos are handled more efficiently so they are less likely to interfere with regular text conversations.
52. Improved Message Sending Indicators
iPadOS 27 improves the way message-sending activity is represented while messages are being delivered.
53. Consolidated Tapback Notifications
Tapback activity is consolidated more effectively to reduce notification clutter.
54. Contextual Messages Suggestions
Messages will offer contextual action suggestions based on conversations. Apple lists this feature as coming in a future software update.
iPadOS 27 Windowing And Multitasking
55. More Flexible Windowing
The updated windowing system gives apps more flexibility when arranging and resizing multiple windows.
56. Freely Resizable Windows
App windows can be resized to better fit different multitasking layouts.
57. Improved Window Management
iPadOS 27 makes it easier to arrange and manage multiple apps on screen.
58. Faster Window Interactions
Apple has optimized windowing actions to make resizing and rearranging apps more responsive.
59. Side-By-Side App Layouts
Supported apps can be arranged alongside one another for multitasking.
60. Windowed Apps In Shortcuts
Shortcuts can control Windowed Apps as part of automated workflows.
61. More Desktop-Like Controls
The updated windowing system provides a more flexible desktop-style workflow on iPad.
iPadOS 27 Performance Improvements
62. Faster External Drive Browsing
Browsing files stored on an external drive is faster in iPadOS 27.
63. Up To 5x Faster External Drive Transfers
Apple says transferring files from iPad to an external drive can be up to five times faster in its testing.
64. Faster App Launches
Apps can launch more quickly on supported iPads.
65. Faster AirDrop Transfers
AirDrop transfers are more responsive in iPadOS 27.
66. Optimized CPU Scheduling
Apple has optimized the CPU scheduler to improve system responsiveness.
67. Faster Search Indexing
The system search index has been rebuilt and optimized.
68. Improved Overall Responsiveness
Multiple system-level optimizations make common iPadOS actions feel faster and more responsive.
69. Smoother Network Switching
iPadOS can more seamlessly switch between available Wi-Fi and cellular connections to maintain connectivity while moving between networks.
iPadOS 27 Child Safety Features
70. Choose Apps During Setup
Parents can select which system apps their children can use when setting up a child account.
71. Essential And Recommended App Sets
Setup Assistant provides options for selecting essential apps, a recommended collection, or individual apps.
72. Add Apps With Ask To Buy
Parents can approve additional apps over time using Ask to Buy.
73. Ask To Browse
Children can request permission to access new websites.
74. Review Website Requests
Parents can review website requests before approving access.
75. Expanded Communication Safety
Communication Safety can intervene before children view or share images and videos containing gore or violence, alongside existing protections against nudity.
76. Time Allowances
Parents can set usage allowances for categories such as Entertainment, Games, and Social Media.
77. Screen Time Schedules
Parents can choose which apps are available during specific times or days.
78. Redesigned Parental Controls
The Settings experience has a redesigned interface for managing children’s device use.
79. Quick Parental Controls
Parents can quickly pause device use, allow unlimited use, or change a schedule.
iPadOS 27 AirPods Features
80. AirPods Custom EQ
Compatible AirPods can use Custom EQ to adjust the lows, mids, and highs from AirPods settings.
81. More Personalized AirPods Sound
Custom EQ gives users more direct control over the sound profile of supported AirPods.
iPadOS 27 Home Features
82. Smarter Home Notifications
Apple Intelligence can intelligently combine related Home activity notifications.
83. HomeKit Secure Video Summaries
Supported HomeKit Secure Video footage can be described so you can understand what happened before watching the clip.
84. Natural-Language HomeKit Secure Video Search
You can search supported HomeKit Secure Video footage using descriptions of what happened.
85. 4K HomeKit Secure Video
Supported HomeKit Secure Video cameras can stream and record in 4K with compatible hardware and an eligible iCloud+ plan.
iPadOS 27 Maps Features
86. Enhanced Flyover
Maps Flyover uses aerial imagery and Visual Intelligence models to render more detailed environments.
87. More Detailed Flyover Scenes
Enhanced Flyover can show additional details such as architectural features and individual trees.
88. Local Lists
Maps adds Local Lists for discovering places based on recommendations and saved locations. Availability varies by region.
iPadOS 27 Photos And iCloud Features
89. Photos Slideshows
You can turn sets of photos and videos into slideshows directly in Photos.
90. Customizable Slideshow Duration
Photos slideshows let you control how long images remain on screen.
91. Slideshow Transition Styles
You can select different transition styles for slideshows.
92. Music For Slideshows
Slideshows can include music from supported sources.
93. Save Slideshows As Videos
A slideshow can be saved as a video in your Photos library.
94. Android And Windows Support For Shared Albums
People using Android or Windows can join and contribute to iCloud Shared Albums through iCloud.com.
95. Full-Resolution Shared Albums
iCloud Shared Albums adds support for sharing photos at full resolution.
96. More Shared Albums Controls
Shared Albums add new ways to filter photos, react to content, and invite people to contribute.
iPadOS 27 Accessibility Features
97. Richer VoiceOver Image Descriptions
VoiceOver can provide richer descriptions of images to help users understand visual content.
98. Automatic Video Captions
A new captioning feature can automatically generate synchronized subtitles for videos.
99. Caption Translation
Existing captions can be translated into other languages.
100. Improved Magnifier Tools
Magnifier adds tools designed to make everyday environments easier to navigate for people with low vision.
Other iPadOS 27 Changes
101. Natural-Language Calendar Events
You can describe an event and have Calendar create it from your description.
102. Natural-Language Calendar Editing
You can describe changes to an existing event and have Calendar adjust its details.
103. Smarter Mail Search
Mail uses a new ranking system to place more relevant results higher in search.
104. Faster Access To Buried Emails
Relevant messages can appear higher in search even when they are deep in your inbox.
105. Faster Messages Notifications
Missed-message notifications and unread counts are synchronized more quickly when returning to iPad.
106. Improved Cross-Device Synchronization
iPadOS 27 improves synchronization for several system services and app experiences.
107. Better External Storage Experience
The Files app benefits from performance improvements when browsing and transferring content on external storage.
108. Improved Connectivity Switching
The system can more smoothly transition between Wi-Fi and cellular connections.
109. New Tips App Content
iPadOS 27 adds updated guidance and information through the Tips experience.
iPadOS 27 Features Still Rolling Out
Not every iPadOS 27 feature is available immediately. Siri AI is available in beta and is initially rolling out in English. Some Apple Intelligence features are also subject to daily usage limits.
Apple has explicitly marked some features as coming in future software updates, including automatic password updates in Passwords and contextual Suggestions in Messages.
Availability can also vary by iPad model, language, region, and account configuration. Some Apple Intelligence features require newer Apple Silicon iPads, while Siri voice customization requires an iPad with M4 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory.
iPadOS 27 Compatibility
iPadOS 27 supports the following iPad models:
- iPad Pro models with M1 or later
- iPad Air models with M2 or later
- iPad 9th generation and later
- iPad mini with A17 Pro
Apple Intelligence is available on the iPad mini with A17 Pro and iPad models with M1 or later, although individual features can have additional hardware, language, and regional requirements.
When Was iPadOS 27 Released?
Apple released iPadOS 27 on September 14, 2026. The update is available as a free software update for compatible iPad models.
Siri AI is available in beta and is initially rolling out in English. Some features are still scheduled to arrive through future software updates.
