(Credit: René Ramos/PCMag Composite/Adobe Stock)
Apple will pull the curtain back on iOS 27 at WWDC 2026, and the rumor mill is already in high gear. But after iOS 26's Liquid Glass-powered visual overhaul, an incremental improvement just won't cut it. Apple has left iPhone power users high and dry, and now's the time for the company to move past flashy aesthetics and treat its handsets like the workstations they can be. On that note, here are five features I want to see when iOS 27 is revealed later this year.
1. Siri That Thinks Ahead
To truly evolve, Siri must transition from a simplistic voice-activated remote control to an anticipatory assistant. Siri has historically been reactive, waiting for a "Hey Siri" command. This means Siri needs a manual trigger for just about everything, and every conversation is essentially a one-and-done interaction. An anticipatory assistant uses your habits, location, and schedule to provide help proactively, or when you need it. Give me a Siri that can see what's on my screen and perform multi-step tasks, like finding a specific photo in my album, editing it, and sending it to my parents in a message, all in one go.
(Credit: Apple)Naturally, there are many challenges that would come with that Siri change. Privacy is a glaring concern, as an AI assistant with access to and memory of my habits, history, and upcoming events, plus on-device awareness, is an Achilles' heel Apple must properly secure before rolling it out to the public. Apple is currently partnering with Google to improve Siri, and a standalone app is rumored to be in the works. Hopefully, the fruits of this collaboration deliver the iPhone AI assistant I want.
2. iPhone as a Desktop Powerhouse
However you feel about the Apple ecosystem, the company's devices are workhorses. The iPhone's A-series chips improve every year, and the latest iterations are more than capable of driving a full workstation. Apple leverages the A18 Pro chip (found in last year's iPhone 16 series) in the new MacBook Neo, creating a powerful, relatively inexpensive entry-level laptop. Despite this power, iOS 26 supports only basic screen mirroring, which doesn't cut it for productivity. Screen mirroring lacks multitasking support, has mismatched aspect ratios, and features an unnecessarily large button layout given that it's mirroring an iPhone.
The above is a rudimentary offering compared with the iPad's Stage Manager or Samsung's DeX. I use DeX; it's essentially a full desktop environment with a taskbar, start menu, and resizable (and even overlapping) windows. When I connect my Samsung phone to a monitor, it becomes a desktop computer with full keyboard and mouse support. DeX also lets me use my phone as a trackpad, keyboard, or a screen for a separate task, such as texting or making calls.
I want to see the same functionality for the iPhone—complete with native desktop behaviors to leverage as much power as possible. It would be a tremendous boost to productivity and gaming, and the pinnacle of iPhone evolution, making it essentially the only computer I, and many people, would need to carry.
3. Widgets That Actually Work
iOS 26's widgets are technically interactive. But they feel somewhat half-baked, like remote controls rather than mini-apps you can interact with from the home screen. Today, iOS 26 supports basic actions without requiring you to open the full app, including simple toggles and media controls. Any heavy background task forces the iPhone to open the main app.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)That's why I need true widget interactivity in iOS 27, something that bridges the gap between a static display and a functional mini-app on my home screen. For example, I want to type a quick note in the widget without the app jumping into the foreground. Likewise, viewing and interacting with a live, moving map within the Apple Maps widget would be great. Right now, it only displays your current location, and tapping the widget opens the app.
For now, widgets are good for quick glances and simple triggers. My dream versions of them in iOS 27 would let me complete full tasks without ever leaving my home screen.
4. Liquid Glass, Your Way
Although iOS 26 offers several ways to control the Liquid Glass aesthetic, including the Reduce Transparency toggle and various tinted presets, the system still relies on all-or-nothing presets. I can choose between a highly transparent Clear look or a high-contrast, tinted version, but there is no middle ground. Even with the addition of Reduce Bright Effects in iOS 26.4, the experience remains fragmented across the Accessibility and Display settings.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)I want a system-wide opacity slider that provides granular control over the interface. Instead of toggling between extremes that are often too dark or too distracting, a dedicated slider would let me fine-tune Liquid Glass's transparency to the specific percentage I find most appealing. This way, I could tweak settings and ensure legibility across any wallpaper while maintaining its attractive, modern design.
5. Spotlight from macOS, on iPhone
Rumors abound of search improvements coming to iOS 27 this year, including a Google AI Mode-like search bar. If that's announced at WWDC, it would be an excellent addition. However, I want to see some of the macOS Tahoe Spotlight improvements jump to iOS 27 as well.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)For example, Quick Keys for shortcuts and a Browse Mode to scan my iPhone's contents would alleviate the need to scour through app grids to find what I'm looking for. One of the biggest challenges is that iPhones generally don't use keyboard shortcuts; instead, they rely on touch commands. Because of that, proper Spotlight implementation would need a gesture-based equivalent. Nonetheless, this is an option I want on the table, just in case my iPhone desktop wish comes true. It would be a productivity boon.