Apple has pushed the third public betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to testers, moving its next major software releases another step closer to their expected arrival later this year. The latest builds arrive roughly two weeks after the second public beta, giving Apple a wider pool of users to identify bugs and performance problems before the software reaches everyone.
Anyone enrolled in Apple’s public beta program can install the new versions on a compatible device through Settings, under General and Software Update. As usual, beta software comes with the possibility of crashes, battery issues and incompatible apps, so installing it on a primary iPhone or iPad still carries some risk.
The bigger story with iOS 27 is Apple’s attempt to turn Siri into a much more capable AI assistant. The redesigned Siri can work with information on the device, understand what is currently displayed on screen and perform actions across supported apps. Apple is also introducing a dedicated Siri experience for longer conversational exchanges, moving the assistant closer to the interaction model popularised by generative AI services such as ChatGPT and Claude.
There is an important hardware limitation, however. The more advanced Siri AI features require an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, meaning owners of older devices will not receive the complete iOS 27 experience even if their phones remain eligible for the operating system itself.
Apple is also continuing to refine Liquid Glass, the visual design language introduced with its previous software generation. iOS 27 adds more control over transparency while adjusting parts of the interface that Apple has been testing throughout the beta cycle. That suggests the company is still responding to usability concerns rather than treating the design as finished.
Artificial intelligence is spreading into more familiar parts of the operating system as well. Visual Intelligence is being integrated into the Camera app, while Photos gains AI-assisted editing features. Siri can generate and refine text, and Apple is extending natural-language creation tools to Shortcuts and Safari extensions. Safari itself can automatically organise tabs, another example of Apple using automation for smaller everyday tasks rather than limiting AI to a standalone chatbot.
Elsewhere, the update includes custom EQ options for AirPods, support for 4K security cameras in the Home app and additional parental safety controls. Apple is also focusing heavily on responsiveness, with reported improvements to app launches, keyboard loading and AirDrop transfers. Performance gains on older supported iPhones could prove particularly valuable if they survive through the final release.
The third iOS 27 public beta is less about introducing one surprise feature than showing how broadly Apple is trying to integrate AI into its ecosystem. The more important test now is whether those additions feel genuinely useful — and reliable — once millions of users begin depending on them outside the controlled environment of a beta program.
