It's Time for Apple to Stop Holding the iPhone Back. 5 Things I Want in iOS 27 | PCMag
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Apple continually boasts about the iPhone's processing power. Yet every year, iOS keeps that power locked behind seemingly arbitrary limitations. Last year's Liquid Glass operating system redesign proved Apple cares deeply about aesthetics. At WWDC 2026, iOS 27 must show the world that Apple cares about utility, too. True mobile productivity requires more than incremental improvements, so it's time for Apple to stop treating its users like casual consumers. Here are five ways Apple can finally unchain the iPhone this year. 1. Siri That Thinks AheadTo 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.
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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. You May Also Like
2. iPhone as a Desktop PowerhouseHowever 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 WorkiOS 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.
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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. Recommended by Our Editors Dark Cherry Could Be This Year’s Cosmic Orange, Says iPhone 18 Pro Leak In iOS 27, Siri App Will Reportedly Allow Automatic Chat Deletion for Privacy 7 Realistic Things I Want Apple to Announce at Tim Cook's Final WWDC
4. Liquid Glass, Your WayAlthough 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.
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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 iPhoneRumors 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.
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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.
About Our Expert Gabriel Zamora Senior Writer, Software Experience In 2014, I began my career at PCMag as a freelancer. That blossomed into a full-time position in 2021, and I now review email marketing apps, mobile operating systems, web hosting services, streaming music platforms, and video games as a senior writer. I'm a graduate of Hunter College, a hard-core gamer, and an Apple enthusiast. Areas of Expertise Web Hosting Streaming Music Services Email Marketing