iPadOS 27 Features Revealed at WWDC 2026: New Siri AI, Parental Controls, and Liquid Glass Design

Apple is using WWDC 2026 to show how iPadOS 27 refines the tablet experience rather than overhauling it. The update focuses on deeper Apple Intelligence integration, a more helpful Siri AI, and stronger parental controls, while design tweaks like Liquid Glass controls aim to please both long-time users and newer iPad owners.

The company continues its newer naming scheme, so iPadOS 27 is labelled for the year ahead. Apple confirms that Apple Intelligence features run both on-device and in the cloud, with the most advanced on-device model limited to iPads using the M4 chip, which means older and cheaper models lose some functions.

Apple Intelligence and Siri AI upgrades

Apple Intelligence in iPadOS 27 is built into the system rather than being a separate app. The new Siri AI assistant sits at the centre of this, with Apple promising a more conversational approach, a refreshed visual style, and a dedicated Siri app that lets people manage longer, more complex interactions across their devices.

Demonstrations during WWDC 2026 showed Siri AI handling a World Cup watch party plan. The assistant pulled together a match schedule, suggested menu ideas, and even searched through past chats to find a suggestion shared by a daughter. Apple also highlighted a pop-out Siri window on iPad, plus cross-device continuity for ongoing AI conversations.

Apple mentions a feature called on-screen awareness, meant to let Siri AI react to what appears on the display. The company did not share many technical details, but framed it as a tool for context-aware help. Siri AI will also offer writing suggestions and proofreading across apps, with Apple stressing that privacy stays central to these features.

Liquid Glass Controls in iPadOS 27

While iPadOS 27 focuses on function, Apple is not ignoring looks. Liquid Glass, a blurred, shiny interface style that has divided opinion, remains present and even more visible in updated icons. However, Apple now includes a slider so users can adjust how transparent or tinted these Liquid Glass elements appear.

This slider means people who enjoy the bright, translucent style can keep it strong, while others can tone it down until it is almost solid. Apple plans to extend this Liquid Glass control approach across its other operating systems as well, aiming to support a range of visual preferences without dropping the design language.

Child Safety and Parental Controls

Another major emphasis for iPadOS 27 is digital wellbeing for younger users. Apple is rolling out a wide expansion of parental controls on iPad, with upgraded screen time management and more extensive tools that app makers can tap into. Developers gain better hooks to integrate Apple’s family controls directly within their own software.

"At Apple, our mission has always been to create technology that empowers people and enriches their lives, while helping keep them safe," said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple's vice president of Health and Fitness. "Our approach to helping families create safer digital experiences is grounded in the belief that every child is unique."

iPadOS 27 Release Date and Availability

Tim Cook closed the WWDC 2026 keynote by pointing to a Fall release window for iPadOS 27. A beta version is also scheduled to appear for testers ahead of the public rollout. Apple’s chip requirements and feature tiers for Apple Intelligence on iPadOS 27 can be summarised as follows.

Apple presents iPadOS 27 as an update that polishes rather than transforms. Long-time users receive more control over the Liquid Glass design, families see stronger parental tools, and those on newer iPads benefit from deeper Apple Intelligence and Siri AI support, all scheduled to arrive with the wider Fall release.