iOS 27 development has been ramping up, and this past weekend Mark Gurman outlined a major goal Apple reportedly has for the update: improving quality and performance. Here’s why I think that’s a great move.
iPhone could get Snow Leopard-style update in iOS 27
Mark Gurman, writing in his Power On newsletter:
After the sweeping design overhaul of iOS 26 and the debut of Liquid Glass across its platforms, Apple is working on a Snow Leopard-style update. For iOS 27 and next year’s other major operating system updates — including macOS 27 — the company is focused on improving the software’s quality and underlying performance. […]
Aiming to improve the software, engineering teams are now combing through Apple’s operating systems, hunting for bloat to cut, bugs to eliminate, and any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality.
macOS Snow Leopard famously used a “no new features” marketing pitch. Technically it did have some feature changes, but for the most part the update is fondly revered for its exceptional performance.
Now, it seems Apple might take that approach with iOS 27.
Not quite to the extreme of Snow Leopard, since Gurman reiterates what he’s shared before about major new AI features coming in the update. He’s also mentioned upgrades in the works for the foldable iPhone.
But despite the presence of some new features in iOS 27, it sounds like one of Apple’s major goals is to pay special attention to bug fixes and performance.
And while “bug fixes and performance improvements” don’t inspire the same excitement as a new design or new features, I think they’re just what the iPhone needs now.
iOS 27 could deliver in the most needed areas
iOS 26 was a very ambitious software update. Apple introduced a new systemwide Liquid Glass design, not only on iPhone but also every other major Apple platform.
The update also came with a bunch of new AI features, and major updates to Apple Wallet, CarPlay, Apple Music, and a lot more.
Following such a major release with a Snow Leopard-style update seems like the logical best move.
The iPhone is approaching its 20th anniversary. There’s not a lot of low-hanging fruit that can still be addressed in iOS, feature-wise.
But the device nonetheless remains more essential than ever to life in modern society.
As we increasingly depend on the iPhone for so much, its reliability becomes even more crucial.
Apple knows this. And I suspect it’s why the company still hasn’t pushed iOS 26 as the default software update for users. Despite iOS 26 shipping over two months ago, and iOS 26.1 earlier this month, the recommended update featured in the Settings app is still iOS 18.7.2.
At some point that will change, but for now Apple is being intentionally slow to push iOS 26 to all users—likely because it wants more time to address bugs and performance issues.
Following the major changes of iOS 26, a focus on performance in iOS 27 is well deserved. And it comes ahead of iPhone-dependent Apple Glasses debuting next year. It’s a problem when your iPhone flakes out, but with glasses I imagine bugs are far more jarring.
AI is the main area where Apple is generally seen as needing to catch up. So if Apple can deliver a better performing iOS 27 that also delivers great AI upgrades, that sounds like exactly what the iPhone needs.
What are your thoughts on Apple reportedly making iOS 27 more of a Snow Leopard-style update? Let us know in the comments.
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