iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27 and watchOS 27 add many new options and capabilities to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch. Unfortunately, some new features may not work on older devices. This means that certain options are no longer available if, for example, you own an older iPhone or Mac.
This has to do with the specifications of the device. Some functions require a more powerful chip or a specific Apple Silicon processor in the Mac. We list these and more functions that you should do without on some devices below.
Siri AI not in the EU
Siri AI will not be available in the European Union on iPhone and iPad for the time being, as Apple is not allowed to roll out the new features under the current interpretation of the European Digital Markets Act and the resulting interoperability and data access requirements. Apple says the company would have to give any other virtual assistant the same access to personal data and app controls as Siri AI, which is not desirable for privacy and security reasons.
An alternative solution from Apple was rejected by the European Commission, blocking the introduction of Siri AI on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 in the EU postponed without a concrete new date. As a result, the extended Siri AI features are not available on iPhone and iPad in EU countries, even if the system language and Siri language are set to English, because Apple checks on the server side whether a device and Apple ID fall within the EU and indicates that availability is limited by region.
On Mac and Apple Vision Pro, Siri AI is available to EU users once they install macOS 27 or visionOS 27 and set the language to a supported language such as English. For Apple Watch, Siri AI is theoretically possible, but Apple requires a paired iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence or Siri AI. Since this support is missing on iPhones in the EU, Siri AI on watchOS 27 is not usable for European users. More information about Siri AI in the EU can be found in the article below.
Apple Intelligence limitations
In software updates 27, Apple uses a new ‘powerful on-device model‘, a heavier language model that runs completely locally on your device and therefore requires much more RAM than the standard Apple Intelligence layer. While Apple Intelligence in previous versions was sufficient with 8 GB of memory, this most powerful on-device model requires at least 12 GB of RAM to make functions such as Siri AI sound even more expressive and to make the dictation function work more accurately and securely throughout the system.
As a result, these most extensive Apple Intelligence options are limited to a small group of recent devices: iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro (Max) on the iPhone side, iPads with an M4 chip or newer with 12 GB or more memory and Macs with an M3 chip or newer with at least 12 GB of memory. On other devices with Apple Intelligence, the basic functions remain available, but Apple switches to lighter models or to Private Cloud Compute for the most demanding tasks, so that the experience works but not all the new capabilities of the powerful on-device model are available.
Support iOS 27 / iPadOS 27 functions
In this article we list all the new features of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, unfortunately not all devices support these new features. In addition, there are also regional restrictions. Below is an overview:
iOS 27
- iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro (Max): You can use all the new features, including Apple Intelligence’s powerful on-device model
- iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, iPhone 16 (Plus), iPhone 16 Pro (Max), iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 Pro (Max): You can use all the new features, including ‘normal’ version Apple Intelligence
- iPhone 15 (Plus), iPhone 14 (Pro), iPhone 13 (Pro),iPhone 12 (Pro), iPhone 11 (Pro), iPhone SE 3rd generation and iPhone SE 2nd generation: You can use all new features except the above and; all Apple Intelligence features
iPadOS 27
- 13-inch iPad Pro (M4 or M5), 11-inch iPad Pro (M4 or M5), 13-inch iPad Air (M4), 11-inch iPad Air (M4): You can use all the new features, including Apple Intelligence’s powerful on-device model
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (M3, M2 and M1), 11-inch iPad Pro (M3, M2 and M1), 13-inch iPad Air (M2), 11-inch iPad Air (M2 and M1), iPad mini (A17 Pro): You can use all the new features, including ‘normal’ version Apple Intelligence
- iPad Air (4th generation), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (4th generation),11-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation), iPad, iPad (A16 and 9th generation) and iPad mini (6th generation): You can use all new features except the above and; all Apple Intelligence features
Regional restrictions
Some features are not available in Dutch or in the Netherlands and Belgium. Below is an overview:
- Siri AI; including Siri app, screen awareness, Siri in Camera and Visual Intelligence extensions (not available in the EU)
- Suggestions in Messages and Mail to help you take quick actions based on the context of your conversation (not available in Dutch)
- Receive relevant information during a conversation. Call Context automatically shows useful information from different apps, such as a confirmation code from Mail when you call an airline. (not available in Dutch)
- Improved accuracy for the dictation function (not available in Dutch)
- Live translation in Messages (not available in Dutch)
- Live translation in phone and FaceTime (not available in Dutch)
- Improved previously visited places in Maps (not available in the EU)
Support macOS 27 functions
In this article we list all the innovations in macOS 27, unfortunately not all devices support these new options. In addition, there are also regional and processor limitations. Below is an overview:
- Mac with an M3 chip or newer with at least 12 GB of memory: You can use all the new features, including Apple Intelligence’s powerful on-device model
- MacBook Pro with M1 chip from 2020 or newer, MacBook Air with M1 chip from 2020 or newer, Mac mini with M1 chip from 2020 or newer, iMac with M1 chip from 2021 or newer, Mac Studio with M1 Max or Ultra from 2022 or newer, Mac Pro with M2 Ultra from 2023, MacBook Neo A18 Pro from 2026 or newer: You can use all the new features, including ‘normal’ version Apple Intelligence
Regional restrictions
Some features are not available in Dutch or in the Netherlands and Belgium. Below is an overview:
- Siri AI; including Siri app, screen awareness, Siri in Camera and Visual Intelligence extensions (only in English)
- Suggestions in Messages and Mail to help you take quick actions based on the context of your conversation (not available in Dutch)
- Improved accuracy for the dictation function (not available in Dutch)
- Live translation in Messages (not available in Dutch)
- Live translation in phone and FaceTime (not available in Dutch)
- Improved previously visited places in Maps (not available in the EU)
Support watchOS 27 functions
In this article we list all the innovations in watchOS 27. Because the new software update is only available on Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, Apple Watch Series 9 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3rd generation, you can use all watchOS 27 features except those that are regionally restricted. Below is an overview:
- Siri AI; including Siri app and Dynamic Grid for apps (requires an iPhone with Siri AI)
- Workout Buddy (only in English or Spanish)
- Apple Watch supports Live Translation in Messages with Apple Intelligence (not in Dutch)
- Smart answers adapted based on context (English only)
- Receive relevant information during a conversation. Call Context automatically shows useful information from different apps, such as a confirmation code from Mail when you call an airline. (not available in Dutch)
Support tvOS 27 functions
In this article we list all the innovations in tvOS 27. Because the new software update is only available on Apple TV 4K 2nd generation or later, you can use all tvOS 27 features except those that are regionally restricted. Below is an overview:
- Live transcription for video without subtitles: This feature allows the Apple TV to automatically convert narration in movies or home videos to subtitles, completely locally on the device (only in English)