Apple limits iOS 27 AI features to iPhone 16 and select devices

Apple announced that the upcoming iOS 27 will include the new Apple Intelligence AI system only on the iPhone 16 and newer models. The advanced Siri capabilities, contextual voice commands and on‑device AI models will not be available for older iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches or Vision Pro, creating a clear hardware‑based divide within the ecosystem. The AI functions require about 32 GB of storage, and Apple has introduced a new gesture for activating Siri and expanded AI‑generated content tools for supported devices.

In the German‑language preview pages, Apple omitted many of the AI features for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, citing European platform regulations. The German site lists the new functionalities only for Mac and Vision Pro, while the English version mentions them for the full range of Apple hardware. An UBS survey of over 7,500 participants across the US, UK, Germany, China and Japan showed only 24 % would consider upgrading primarily for the AI features, indicating limited consumer demand for the exclusive upgrade path.