Apple has rolled out iOS 27 Beta 3, packed with new features and improvements. Dive in to explore the latest enhancements and what they mean for users.
Apple released the third developer beta of iOS 27 build 24A5380h to devices enrolled in the Apple Developer Program via the Settings app today. The update delivered new Siri AI capabilities, interface refinements and performance fixes across key system areas.
Last updated: July 8, 2026.
The release matters because it advances Apple Intelligence integration on iPhone while tightening UI polish ahead of the public beta and wider rollout later this year. It also sets clearer hardware boundaries for on-device features, adds developer-facing stability improvements, and updates core apps such as Safari, Shortcuts and Photos with new controls and behaviors.
Siri AI and Apple Intelligence changes in beta 3
The standout change centers on Siri AI. Apple rebuilt the assistant with new Apple Foundation Models to enable richer conversations, personal context, broader world knowledge and on-screen awareness. On iPhone, Siri gained a new visual experience tied to the Dynamic Island and a dedicated Siri app to revisit conversations across devices.
Beta 3 added support for a new Siri voice on compatible devices and exposed customization for pace and expressivity on hardware with the A19 Pro chip, controlled by dedicated sliders.
Visual Intelligence joined Siri with a new Siri mode in the Camera app and improvements to Camera Control on iPhone, aligning with expanded Apple Intelligence across Photos, Safari, Passwords, Mail, Messages, Phone, Shortcuts and Home. Some capabilities run on-device while others use Private Cloud Compute. Not all features are available on all models: iOS 27 supports iPhone 11 and later (plus iPhone SE 2 and newer), while Siri AI requires newer Apple Intelligence-compatible hardware, and the most powerful on-device model targets devices such as iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air.
Interface, app and system refinements
Beta 3 refined the Liquid Glass design introduced last year with a new transparency slider that adjusts the look of the system UI. Apple also softened specular highlights on app icons, updating the appearance of clear and tinted icons. The Reminders app icon switched to hollow, colored bullet points for a cleaner look, and a new wallpaper swipe-down animation shipped alongside a subtle glow beneath the Siri bubble to enhance interactions. New Golden Gate Bridge wallpapers and screen savers appeared as part of the platform family updates that complement iOS.
Safari presented four new feature prompts on launch: automatically organize tabs, browse bookmarks by topic, get updates with notify me for page change tracking, and do more with extensions by creating custom extensions. The Shortcuts app now lets users launch directly into the action view for editing, in addition to the new natural language input method, improving automation workflows. In Control Center the status bar began showing cellular network signal and type even when on Wi-Fi to provide more complete connection context at a glance.
Performance, media and communication updates
System performance improvements were noticeable across app launches, Photos loading, Camera launch in Low Power Mode, AirDrop transfers and Wi-Fi-to-cellular transitions. In Photos, beta 3 enabled keywords and star ratings and added customizable slideshows, reinforcing the app’s organizational tools. Camera behavior felt smoother across capture scenarios, while Messages supported continuous sending for long or queued items. FaceTime introduced Dual Capture enabling simultaneous front and rear recording for supported use cases.
Audio and payments saw quality-of-life enhancements. AirPods gained a custom EQ option to fine-tune sound profiles, and Apple added easier Apple Pay card switching during checkout. Recovery options expanded for account and device access resilience. The update also renamed the Settings indexing banner to Optimizing Search and Siri reflecting ongoing search and assistant improvements, and it included detailed bug fixes and known issues in the internal notes for developers evaluating app compatibility.
Availability remained limited to developer beta testers through the Settings app. Apple continued summer testing with a public beta expected in July and the official iOS 27 release planned for September alongside the new iPhone lineup. Developers were advised to avoid installing the beta on a primary iPhone due to potential bugs and battery life issues, while the build offered an early look at features that will scale with hardware capabilities over the coming release cycle.
