iPad users got their first look at iPadOS 27 on Monday, with Apple using the keynote address of WWDC26 to tout improvements to stability and performance before taking a deep dive into new AI-related features.
There are a great many enhancements for tablet users. Here are the standouts.
Two top iPadOS 27 features: Faster and more stable
Screenshot: Apple
Before Apple even began talking about new features for any of its devices, it started out by touting its efforts to make iPadOS 27 and all the company’s other new operating system versions more stable, with improved performance.
“We made things faster, smoother, even easier to use, and we took care of a bunch of things you’ve been asking about,” said Stacey Ford, VP, OS Program Management, during Monday’s WWDC26 keynote.
She went on with some specifics, including a promise that, “iPhone and iPad apps launch up to 30% faster.”
Ford also said that, “Browsing files and transferring them from iPad to an external drive is up to five times faster, making it just as fast as the Finder on Mac.”
Liquid Glass enhancements
Plus, there are improvements to Apple’s Liquid Glass aesthetic, which debuted in iPadOS 26 with a translucent and fluid look. iPadOS 27 will refine the look of Liquid Glass by introducing a dedicated slider to tune the appearance.
“Since everyone’s preference varies, we’re adding a new slider in settings to adjust Liquid Glass,” said Shubham Kedia, Director, Human Interface at Apple.
iPadOS 27: AI everywhere
Screenshot: Apple
Way back at WWDC24, Apple generated huge excitement by unveiling Apple Intelligence and promising a dramatically improved Siri capable of understanding personal context, interacting across apps and taking action based on on-screen content. Many of those headline features failed to arrive on schedule. Two years later, they’re finally drawing close.
The centerpiece of WWDC26, for iPad users as well as iPhone and Mac, is a new Siri AI. This is the long-awaited artificial-intelligence chatbot similar to ChatGPT and Claude.
“Siri AI is your conversational AI assistant with entirely new capabilities on iPad,” said Apple. “Ask open-ended questions, brainstorm ideas for work or creative projects, and engage in natural, back-and-forth conversations.”
It’s available through a new Siri app in iPadOS 27. This is also available for iOS 27 and macOS 27, so sessions that start on an iPhone can continue on an iPad.
For more on Siri AI, read Cult of Mac‘s in-depth description of the new capabilities: Siri gets major redesign with chat interface and dedicated app
More AI-related improvements for iPad
Not all the new artificial intelligent features in iPad iOS 27 are included in Siri AI. There are plenty embedded in individual apps.
The Safari web browser can automatically group open tabs by topics, helping users manage the dozens they may have open.
While most users prefer to take pictures with their iPhone, these are often edited on a tablet. The updated Photos app in iPadOS 27 includes powerful new AI-powered features for this task. Users can remove larger objects from images with an enhanced Clean Up tool, and expand what’s in a photo with the Extend tool. It’s even possible to reframe a photo after it’s been taken with Spatial Reframing.
Plus, there are new AI capabilities for those who write on their iPad, whether it’s professional or personal.
“Siri AI can now generate a draft from scratch or provide feedback on what you’ve written,” said Apple. “Just describe what you need in your own words. And in Messages and Mail, Siri AI can match your writing style, punctuation, and tone — so you sound like you.”
iPadOS 27 release date: Now at WWDC26
Despite today’s announcement, the operating system remains in development. New features are being added while bugs are being hunted down. It’s an immensely complex process that takes months.
Developers who want to start beta testing iPadOS 27 can do so starting Monday. Anyone else brave enough to try a prerelease version can do so in a few weeks; Apple plans to release a public beta in July. The full version won’t be available until autumn, which probably means September.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
