Apple announced iPadOS 27 on June 8, 2026, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, bringing a range of performance improvements, AI updates, and new parental control tools to the iPad.
On the performance side, apps will launch up to 30 percent faster through intelligent preloading, and switching between multiple apps will be more responsive. Safari is also gaining an Organize Tabs feature that automatically sorts open tabs into groups based on each site’s content.
The most significant additions center on Siri. In line with iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate 27, iPadOS 27 integrates the new Siri AI directly into Spotlight search, which will distinguish automatically between assistant prompts and standard app or document searches. A new dedicated Siri app will also allow users to hold extended conversations with the assistant and revisit past chats, functioning similarly to ChatGPT’s app.
Screen Time is receiving a major overhaul, giving parents and caregivers the ability to schedule when and for how long children can access specific apps and services. New APIs for parental controls and a Declared Age Range API will allow individual apps to offer customized or restricted experiences based on the user’s age. Updated child account settings will let caregivers limit access to specific apps and iMessage contacts. Children can also be required to request approval before viewing websites, a safety feature that will be turned on automatically for users under 13.
The announcement follows last year’s iPadOS 26, which introduced Apple’s Liquid Glass design language, a resizable windowing system modeled on macOS, a mobile version of the Preview app, and an improved Files app. A revamped AI-powered Siri had been expected with iPadOS 26 but did not ship following delays announced in March 2025. iPadOS 27 marks the arrival of that updated assistant for iPad users.
Source: The Verge