The third developer beta of iOS 27 is here, and it’s finally lighting up some of the most anticipated AI features for Siri and Accessibility. Dropping today for developers, the update also brings a round of key refinements to the Control Center, Photos, and AirPods ahead of the public launch in September.
This build gives us the clearest picture yet of the final user experience, moving beyond groundwork to activate features that make the iPhone feel genuinely smarter.
Siri and Accessibility Gain On-Device Intelligence
Siri voice customization, a feature teased in earlier betas, is now fully functional. You can finally tweak the pace and expressivity of Siri's voice, letting you make the assistant sound exactly how you want.
This level of personalization requires serious on-device processing, so the feature is limited to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air.
The system can even answer questions about what it sees and supports custom activities, making the iPhone a far more powerful tool for users who need visual assistance.
Interface and App Refinements
Apple has pushed several welcome tweaks that sharpen the daily user experience.
- Photos: A new "Show Rating Controls" toggle in Settings lets you display star ratings on photos and videos, which now appear as badges on thumbnails.
- Wallpaper: A slick new animation smoothly reveals a cutout of your wallpaper's subject when you swipe down into the notification center.
- Control Center: You can now see cellular details like signal strength and network type (LTE or 5G) directly in Control Center, even when you're on Wi-Fi.
- Reminders: The app icon gets a fresh look with new Liquid Glass-style to-do list bullets.
- Lock Screen: The Control Center buttons on the Lock Screen now use black icons on certain wallpapers for much better visibility.
Key Functional Updates and Clarifications
Beyond the visual polish, beta 3 clarifies how some key features will work.