Apple will unveil iOS 27 at WWDC 2026 on June 8, and the conversation is already moving beyond the eye-catching Liquid Glass design unveiled at iOS 26 towards significant updates in functionality and intelligence, according to the first beta versions and rumors. But that’s just the beginning. With the right improvements, iOS could raise the iPhone from a highly capable personal assistant to a complete mobile workstation. This is what I’m most looking forward to seeing in iOS 27.
1. Siri that thinks about the future
To truly evolve, Siri must move from a simplistic voice-activated remote to an anticipatory assistant. Historically, Siri has been reactive, waiting for a “Hey Siri” command. This means that Siri needs a manual trigger for almost everything, and each conversation is essentially a one-time interaction. An anticipatory assistant uses your habits, location, and schedule to provide help. proactivelyor when you need it. Give me a Siri that can see what’s on my screen and perform multi-step tasks, like finding a specific photo in my album, editing it, and sending it to my parents in a message, all in one go.
(Credit: apple)
Naturally, there will be many challenges that will arise with that Siri change. Privacy is an obvious concern, as AI assistant with access and memory of my habits, history and upcoming events, as well as knowledge on the device, it is an Achilles heel that Apple must properly protect before releasing it to the public. Apple is currently partnering with Google to improve Siriand a A standalone app is rumored to be in the works. Hopefully, the fruits of this collaboration will deliver the iPhone AI assistant I want.
2. The iPhone as a desktop powerhouse
Regardless of what you think about Apple’s ecosystem, the company’s devices are workhorses. The iPhone A-series chips get better every year, and the latest versions are more than capable of handling an entire workstation. Apple takes advantage of the A18 Pro chip (found in last year iPhone 16 series) in the new macbook neocreating a powerful and relatively inexpensive entry-level laptop. Despite this power, iOS 26 only supports basic screen mirroring, which is not enough for productivity. Screen Mirroring lacks multitasking support, has mismatched aspect ratios, and features an unnecessarily large button layout given that it’s mirroring an iPhone.
The above is a rudimentary offering compared to that of the iPad. stage director either Samsung DeX. I use DeX; It’s essentially a complete desktop environment with a taskbar, start menu, and resizable (and even overlapping) windows. When I connect my Samsung phone to a monitor, it becomes a desktop computer with full keyboard and mouse support. DeX also allows me to use my phone as a trackpad, keyboard, or screen for a separate task, like texting or making calls.
I want to see the same functionality for the iPhone, complete with native desktop behaviors to leverage as much power as possible. It would be a huge boost to productivity and gamingand the pinnacle of the iPhone’s evolution, making it essentially the only computer I, and many people, would need to carry around.
iOS 26 widgets are technically interactive. But they feel a bit half-baked, like remote controls rather than applets you can interact with from the home screen. Today, iOS 26 supports basic actions without opening the full app, including simple toggles and media controls. Any heavy background task forces the iPhone to open the main app.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)
That’s why I need true widget interactivity in iOS 27, something that bridges the gap between a static screen and a functional applet on my home screen. For example, I want to write a quick note in the widget without the app coming to the foreground. Likewise, viewing and interacting with a live, moving map within the Apple Maps The widget would be great. Right now it just shows your current location and tapping the widget opens the app.
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For now, widgets are good for quick glances and simple triggers. My dream versions on iOS 27 would allow me to complete entire tasks without having to leave the home screen.
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4. Liquid glass, your way
Although iOS 26 offers several ways to control the aesthetics of Liquid Glassincluding the Reduce Transparency option and several color presets, the system still relies on all-or-nothing presets. I can choose between a highly sheer Clear look or a high contrast tinted version, but there is no middle ground. Even with the addition of Reduce Brightness Effects in iOS 26.4, the experience remains fragmented across Accessibility and Display settings.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)
I want a system-wide opacity slider that provides granular control over the interface. Instead of alternating between extremes that are often too dark or too distracting, a dedicated slider would allow me to adjust the transparency of Liquid Glass to the specific percentage that I find most attractive. This way, I could modify the settings and ensure readability on any wallpaper while maintaining its attractive and modern design.
5. Spotlight from macOS, on iPhone
Rumors abound about search improvements coming to iOS 27 this year, including a Search bar similar to Google AI mode. If that is announced at WWDC, it would be a great addition. However, I want to see some of the macOS Tahoe Spotlight improvements are also coming to iOS 27.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)
For example, hotkeys for shortcuts and a browse mode for scanning the contents of my iPhone would alleviate the need to search through app grids to find what I’m looking for. One of the biggest challenges is that iPhones generally don’t use keyboard shortcuts; instead, they rely on touch commands. So a proper implementation of Spotlight would need a gesture-based equivalent. However, this is an option I want to have on the table, in case my iPhone desktop wish comes true. It would be a great help for productivity.
About our expert
Gabriel Zamora
Senior Writer, Software
Experience
In 2014 I started my career at PCMag as a freelancer. That role became a full-time position in 2021, and I now review email marketing applications, mobile operating systems, web hosting services, music streaming platforms, and video games as a senior writer. I’m a Hunter College graduate, avid gamer, and Apple enthusiast.
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