Apple is pushing ahead with iOS 27, seeding the second beta of its upcoming operating system to developers today. The update builds on what the company showed off at WWDC 2026, with most of the new additions centered on Siri. As reported by Engadget, the same changes appear across beta 2 versions of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, which all dropped at the same time.
That simultaneous rollout is worth noting. Apple has been pushing a more unified approach to its operating systems, and shipping the same features across iPhone, iPad, and Mac in the same beta wave is consistent with that direction. It also means developers and testers can evaluate how new features feel across different devices at the same stage of development, rather than finding out later that behavior differs between platforms.
Most of the spotlight in this beta goes to Siri, which Apple has been trying to rebuild into something people actually want to use. The biggest addition is Write with Siri, which replaces the old AI-powered Writing Tools prompt on iPhone and iPad. A large prompt with the words “Write with Siri” now appears above the keyboard before you start typing. If you ignore it and type on your own, it shrinks to just the Siri icon and gets out of your way. Beyond that, the Siri changes in beta 2 are smaller in scope:
- Faster performance overall
- Elements of the Expressive Voice preview now labeled as “coming soon”
The Expressive Voice label is a small but telling detail. It signals that Apple knows certain features aren’t ready yet and is managing expectations early, rather than shipping something half-finished and hoping no one notices.
There’s also good news for people who text across iPhone and Android. Beta 2 adds RCS support for message reactions and in-line replies inside the Messages app. RCS has been gaining ground as a more capable replacement for SMS, and Apple has been gradually improving how its devices handle RCS conversations with non-Apple users. Reactions and in-line replies are basic features that iMessage users have had for years, so bringing them to RCS chats closes a gap that has frustrated a lot of people.
A few other changes round out the update. iPhone Mirroring in macOS Golden Gate got a fix for issues that showed up in beta 1, and AirPods Max 2 can now receive firmware updates through this build. Neither is a headline feature, but both are the kind of practical fixes that make a beta more usable day to day. Apple is expected to release iOS 27 publicly this fall, and the pace of these updates suggests the company is on track for that window.