iOS 27 to Focus on Stability Over Features, Says Bloomberg’s Gurman

Apple is hitting pause on flashy upgrades. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the upcoming iOS 27 update will shift focus away from major feature rollouts and instead prioritize software quality. The company’s engineers are now working across all platforms, iOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS to fix bugs, cut bloat, and boost performance.

This will be Apple’s biggest stability-focused update since iOS 12. Internally, it’s being seen as a “Snow Leopard moment”, a nod to macOS 10.6, which famously emphasized refinement over innovation.

For users, that means fewer headlines but hopefully a better experience.

Internal Clean-Up Begins Across Apple’s Platforms

The decision comes after growing criticism of Apple’s software quality in recent years. With back-to-back feature-heavy releases and the recent “Liquid Glass” redesign, many users have noticed more bugs and rough edges than usual.

Gurman says Apple’s engineering teams are now doing a deep dive into the OS codebase, targeting areas that slow things down or cause reliability issues. The idea is to deliver a version of iOS that feels faster, smoother, and more consistent, especially on older devices.

Apple reportedly views this as laying the foundation for future hardware like foldable iPhones. Much like how Snow Leopard quietly prepared macOS for Intel transitions and Retina displays, iOS 27 is being built to support what’s coming next.

But AI Features Aren’t Taking a Back Seat

Despite the shift in priorities, iOS 27 won’t be completely feature-less. Two major AI additions are expected:

• An AI Health Agent that may launch alongside a new Apple Health+ subscription. It will analyze health data, offer insights, and guide users—all on-device.
• Apple’s first AI-powered web search feature, built to compete with services like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Apple aims to do this while keeping data private, just like it plans to with the Gemini-powered Siri update arriving in iOS 26.4.

Apple won’t repeat its 2009 claim of “zero new features” like it did with Snow Leopard, but the message is clear: performance first, AI second, and everything else after.

Small Tweaks Still Planned

Beyond AI, Apple is still preparing a few targeted changes:

• Enterprise features to make iPhones more appealing to business users
• Market-specific features for regions like India and Southeast Asia
• Visual refinements to the Liquid Glass UI

None of these are expected to be headliners, but they reflect Apple’s plan to make iOS 27 feel more polished overall.

If Apple sticks to this plan, iOS 27 could be the reset button long-time users have been hoping for. A version of iOS that runs faster, crashes less, and just feels better, even if it doesn’t introduce anything shiny.