While iOS 26.3 is already in the starting blocks and the official release is likely to take place soon, other updates are casting their shadows. iOS 26.4 is of particular interest, which will probably be accompanied by more far-reaching changes and will add some functions that Apple already announced in summer 2024. In the latest edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Mark Gurman comments on the release period for the first developer beta. He also takes a look at the next major release, which Cupertino will most likely present in June of this year. New Siri in two weeks?
The release candidate for iOS 26.3 is already available, so it is quite likely that it will be released for all users in the coming days. Apple usually releases the first beta build of the next system version for registered developers a short time later. According to Gurman, Cupertino still needs a little time: If there are no further delays, the release is planned for the 9th calendar week. February 23rd is the earliest possible date. The new system version is accompanied by “some components” of Siri. These are probably mainly the features that Apple presented at WWDC 2024 but have not yet been able to implement. Siri would therefore be able, among other things, to capture content on the screen and provide it with personal contextual information.
iOS 27 takes things rather calmly
Apple will introduce iOS 27 for the first time this summer. According to Gurman, the event “is likely to be more reserved this year”: Cupertino is primarily focusing on performance improvements, bug fixes and fine-tuning the design. The biggest innovation is once again Siri: The company is working on making the voice assistant even more personal and giving it a chatbot interface. In the past few months, different reports have emerged about Apple’s plans for iOS 27: An internal change to the code name led to the conclusion that the company was working on major features (see here). According to Gurman’s assessment, Apple’s focus is largely on detailed improvements.
