Apple Intelligence is the iOS 27 gate everybody knows about, and it is not the only one. Once you read the footnotes on Apple’s pages, iOS 27 splits the iPhone line into three tiers, then adds separate requirements for a home hub, particular AirPods, an Apple Watch Series 12 and, in one case, a specific carrier.
None of that sits in a single table on Apple’s site. Here is every hardware requirement Apple has actually published for the September 14 update, in one place.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Update | iOS 27, free, Monday, September 14, 2026 |
| iPhone tiers Apple defines | Three: iOS 27 itself, Apple Intelligence, and an advanced on-device model tier |
| Baseline | iPhone 11 and later, plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later) |
| Apple Intelligence | iPhone 16 and later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Top tier | iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo |
| Per-feature device table from Apple | Not published |
The three iPhone tiers
| Tier | What it unlocks | Models Apple lists |
|---|---|---|
| Runs iOS 27 | Liquid Glass, the speed work, rebuilt search, Screen Time and Wallet changes | iPhone 11 and later, plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later) |
| Apple Intelligence | Siri AI in beta, Image Playground, Genmoji, Clean Up, Spatial Reframing, Extend, Call Context, Visual Intelligence | iPhone 16 and later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Advanced on-device model | Siri voice customization for pitch, speed, tone and accent, plus improved on-device Dictation | iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo |
The third tier is the one nobody talks about. Apple also extends it to iPad models with an M4 or later and 12GB or more of unified memory, Macs with an M3 or later and the same memory floor, and Apple Vision Pro with an M5. An iPhone 16 Pro clears the Apple Intelligence bar and misses this one.
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The gates that are not about your iPhone at all
| Feature | What Apple says it needs |
|---|---|
| Tap to Share in Apple Pay | iPhone 12 or later on iOS 27, and it is not available in the European Economic Area |
| Home clip descriptions, AI clip search and 4K recording | A home hub, meaning HomePod 2nd generation, HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K, plus iCloud+, an Apple Intelligence device and supported cameras |
| Live Translation with AirPods | AirPods 4 with ANC, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods Max 2, paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or later |
| GymKit on iPhone | Compatible cardio equipment. Heart rate during those workouts needs AirPods Pro 3 |
| Live Rewind, Siri Recap and Sound Recognition | Apple Watch Series 12 or Ultra 4 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone, and Apple dates them to a beta late in 2026 |
| Health Age | An Apple Watch, and Apple says it is coming late in 2026 |
| Apple Reference Image capture | iPhone 18 Pro models. Any device on iOS 27, iPadOS 27 or macOS 27 can develop and view one |
| Photographic Styles texture and grain | iPhone models that support the latest generation of Photographic Styles, which Apple does not name |
| iPhone Handoff | T-Mobile in the United States and Telekom in Germany at launch |
The iPhone Handoff line is the strangest of them, because it is a carrier gate rather than a hardware one. Two carriers in two countries at launch is all Apple has published, and it appears in a footnote to the iPhone 18 Pro announcement rather than on the iOS 27 page.
Gates that have nothing to do with what you own
- Language. Apple Intelligence works in 16 languages, and Siri AI starts in English only, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish following in October
- Region. Siri AI is not initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS or watchOS, and Apple says features that rely on Siri AI go with it. Apple Reference Image and Clean Up carry separate China restrictions
- Age. Apple states that Siri AI is not available to users under 13
- Volume. Server-backed features including Siri AI, the photo editing tools, Image Playground and cloud models in Shortcuts carry daily usage limits, and Apple says expanded access will be available for a fee in the future
- Time. Messages Suggestions and the Passwords security alerts that update a weak password are both dated only as a future software update, and the SynthID watermark is dated later this year
The two gates worth checking before Monday
If you own an Apple Watch Series 12, note that its most talked-about software features are not part of Monday. Audio Intelligence, which is the umbrella for Live Rewind, Siri Recap and Sound Recognition, is a beta Apple dates to late 2026.
If you own AirPods 5, Custom EQ arrives with iOS 27, but hands-free Siri AI needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone, and Apple lists the older AirPods models that support Live Translation rather than including every current pair automatically.
What Apple has not said
Apple has published no per-feature device table for iOS 27. It has not named the iPhone models that support the latest generation of Photographic Styles, and it has not enumerated which features rely on Siri AI and therefore disappear in the EU. It has also published no price or date for the paid tier its own footnote promises.
iOS 27 is free from Monday, September 14. The tier your iPhone sits in will be obvious within a minute of the update finishing, because the features you do not qualify for simply do not appear in Settings. Our event recap has the rest of what Apple announced.
