iOS 27 Public Beta: Everything You Need to Know About Siri AI, Compatible Devices, and the September Launch

Apple's iOS 27 public beta is arriving this month, bringing the most significant Siri overhaul in years. Dubbed Siri AI, the new assistant is powered by Google Gemini under a reported billion-dollar deal, and it introduces personal context understanding, on-screen awareness, and a dedicated Siri app . But not every iPhone that can run iOS 27 will get the full Siri AI experience — and even those that are eligible will need to join a waitlist. Here's everything you need to know about the iOS 27 public beta, including what Siri AI can do, which devices are compatible, and the complete timeline to the final September release.

iOS 27 Public Beta Release Date

The first public betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate are expected this week (the week of July 13, 2026), according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman . Apple confirmed a July public beta window at WWDC, and developer beta 3 (build 24A5380h) was released on July 6 . Multiple outlets report the public beta will arrive shortly after developer beta 3, placing it in mid-July .

Siri AI: The Complete Feature List

Apple introduced a major Siri overhaul branded Siri AI as part of the next generation of Apple Intelligence . Key features include:

• Personal context understanding — Siri can search across messages, emails, photos, and more, and take actions across apps systemwide .
• On-screen awareness — Siri can answer questions about content on the user's screen .
• Web-connected queries — It can pull up-to-date information from the web using broad world knowledge .
• Dedicated Siri app — A standalone app houses Siri AI conversations, letting users start, continue, and revisit them in one place .
• Google Gemini integration — Under a reported billion-dollar deal, the new Siri is powered by a Google Gemini model, with much of it hosted on Google servers (internally codenamed "Campo") .
• More conversational and capable — Apple describes it as acting less like a voice remote and more like a true assistant, with visual intelligence integration .

Important regional limitation: Due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple will not ship Siri AI in the European Union with the initial release of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 .

Siri AI Waitlist: How to Get Access

Access to the new Siri AI is not immediate for beta testers. After updating to iOS 27, users must:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the Apple Intelligence & Siri section.
3. Opt in to the waitlist to receive access when it becomes available .

This is similar to the waitlist system Apple used for Apple Intelligence during the iOS 18.1 beta cycle . The rollout is phased, starting with developer beta users, and early reports suggest the wait can range from 4 to 48 hours . Apple is still internally labeling the revamped Siri as a "beta" and "preview," suggesting it won't be marketed as finished software when it arrives .

Device Compatibility: iOS 27 vs. Siri AI

iOS 27 — Supported iPhones

Apple confirmed that every iPhone currently running iOS 26 is eligible for iOS 27, going back to the iPhone 11 series (2019) . The full list, according to Apple's official compatibility page, includes: iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air, iPhone 17e, iPhone 16 series, iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 series, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 14 series, iPhone 13 series, iPhone 12 series, iPhone 11 series, and iPhone SE (2nd generation and later) .

Siri AI / Apple Intelligence — Hardware Requirement

Running iOS 27 and running full Siri AI are not the same. The advanced Apple Intelligence features with on-device semantic processing require iPhone 15 Pro or newer (or an M-series iPad/Mac) due to intense local compute demands . Older iPhones (e.g., iPhone 11 through iPhone 15/15 Plus) will get iOS 27 but will not have access to the full Siri AI experience .

Furthermore, the most powerful on-device AI features — including expressive Siri voices and advanced dictation — require devices with at least 12 GB of unified memory. This currently means the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air (plus newer iPads and Macs with sufficient RAM) .

macOS 27 Golden Gate — Supported Macs

macOS 27 Golden Gate is the first version of macOS to run exclusively on Apple silicon Macs — it drops support for Intel Macs entirely . Any Mac with an M-series chip (M1 and later) is supported, including: MacBook Air (M1 and later, 2020+), MacBook Pro (M1 and later, 2020+), iMac (M1 and later, 2021+), Mac mini (M1 and later, 2020+), Mac Studio (2022+), Mac Pro (Apple silicon, 2023+), and the MacBook Neo (2026) .

How to Install the iOS 27 Public Beta

1. Go to beta.apple.com and enroll in the free Apple Beta Software Program using your Apple ID .
2. On your iPhone, navigate to Settings → General → Software Update.
3. Choose the "iOS 27 Public Beta" option and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install.
4. For Siri AI access, after updating, go to Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri and join the waitlist .

Note: The developer beta requires a $99/year Apple Developer account; the public beta is free .

Final September Launch Timeline

According to Apple and multiple reliable sources :

• Announcement: June 8, 2026 (WWDC 2026)
• Developer beta 1: June 8, 2026
• Developer beta 2: June 22, 2026
• Developer beta 3: July 6, 2026
• Public beta: Mid-July 2026 (expected week of July 13 per Gurman)
• Release Candidate: Expected around early September 2026
• General release (final): Expected mid-September 2026, alongside the new iPhone lineup