Siri AI
For the first time ever, Siri is breaking out of its classic bottom-of-the-screen overlay and moving into this type of dedicated, standalone space where users can house entire ongoing conversations.
What is Dedicated App (or Standalone App)
Following the tradition of California landmarks, Apple officially named its new M-series exclusive desktop operating system, macOS 27, after this iconic landmark
What is Golden Gate
This brand-new, highly anticipated Safari feature requires kids to ping their parents via Messages to get explicit approval before they can visit a brand-new website
What is Ask to Browse
This two-word feature allows Siri AI to read and understand what is happening right on your display, letting you ask questions about an image or article you are currently looking at
What is Onscreen Awareness
iOS 27 introduces a refined visual style across the system interface, updating the aesthetic with this translucent design language that now includes a custom transparency slider.
What is Liquid Glass
Apple's existing Communication Safety feature already blurs nudity by default for minors under 18, but in 2026 it is expanding to automatically block images or videos containing these two other types of graphic content
What are Gore and Violence (or graphic violence)
Moving past just the iPhone, this Apple feature expands to Mac and iPad in 2026, allowing users to use a keyboard shortcut or screenshot to instantly select something on their screen and type directly to Siri for an explanation
What is Visual Intelligence
In a major hardware transition, macOS 27 Golden Gate officially drops software support for all MacBooks powered by chips made by this third-party semiconductor giant.
What is Intel
Built into Setup Assistant, this is the foundational first step parents are now guided through when setting up a minor's device, which automatically locks down adult websites and mandates age-appropriate media.
What is a Child Account
Because the advanced server models driving Siri AI are incredibly intensive, Apple announced that certain image generation features will require this type of restriction unless you are on a premium iCloud+ plan.
What is a Daily Usage Limit
Users wearing the upcoming AirPods Pro 3 can now seamlessly sync their live heart rate data straight through their iPhone while working out, thanks to an expansion of this Apple fitness platform.
What is GymKit
Replacing rigid all-or-nothing limits, this new Screen Time feature allows parents to set total daily time restrictions across broad app buckets like Entertainment, Games, and Social Media
What are Time Allowances
While iOS 27 continues to support older hardware, Apple announced that advanced Siri AI features will be strictly limited to newer devices, meaning you need at least this specific generation of base-model iPhone to run it.
What is iPhone 16 or newer
This new Safari automation tool, powered by Apple Intelligence, lets you instruct the browser to monitor a specific webpage in the background and ping you the exact moment a product restocks or drops in price.
What is NotifyMe
To help developers protect kids without compromising data privacy, Apple released two new developer tools to analyze graphic content and handle parent permissions, known as SensitiveContentAnalysis and this "-Kit
What is PermissionKit
Breaking a structural tradition that dates back the software's inception, Apple announced at WWDC26 that its radically overhauled "Siri AI" assistant would finally be accessed this way iOS 27
What is a Standalone / Dedicated App