IOS 27 Beta 3 Speeds Up Apps and AirDrop on Older iPhones

Apple pushed the third beta of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to registered developers today, arriving two weeks after the second beta dropped. Developers can grab it through Settings, under General and then Software Update.

The performance work buried in this release may matter more to everyday users than any headline AI feature. Apple says apps launch faster, AirDrop transfers are quicker, the keyboard appears more rapidly, and the system handles transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular more smoothly. Those improvements apply even on older iPhones, which is the kind of claim that tends to be tested pretty thoroughly once a public release lands.

What Siri AI Actually Does

The bigger architectural shift in iOS 27 is what Apple is calling Siri AI, a full conversational assistant that pulls from general world knowledge alongside personal data from apps like Messages and Mail. It operates with onscreen awareness, meaning it can answer questions based on what is currently displayed. A standalone Siri app now houses conversations, and Write with Siri is available systemwide for generating or editing text.

Visual Intelligence has moved into the Camera app under a new Siri mode, which is worth watching given Apple’s broader visual AI strategy and reported interest in wearable camera hardware. The rebuilt Siri assistant is not a simple update dropped on install, and Apple has positioned the rollout carefully through a waitlist process rather than flipping everything on at once.

Apple Intelligence features also extend into Photos, Safari, Shortcuts, Wallet, and Passwords. On the visual side, Liquid Glass received refinements and a new transparency slider for customization. The iOS 27 developer beta cycle has been running alongside other software updates, with Apple managing several release tracks simultaneously through the summer testing period.