Apple has started testing iOS 27.2.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions.
iOS 27.2.1 should be a minor update that includes bug fixes and/or security patches, including for the iPhone Duo that launched Friday, October 23. We do not know exactly when the update will be released, but usually upcoming iOS versions begin to show up in our logs a few days to a few weeks before they are made available to the public.
There may also be a macOS 27.2.1 update with a fix that prevents macOS command-line tools from accepting eMudhra's compromised web certificates. The certificates have already been blocked in Safari, Mail, and apps that use Apple's networking and security frameworks since October 19, with no software update required for that.
In addition, we expect the first iOS 27.3 developer beta to be released tomorrow.
In a press release on the Apple Newsroom website in China last week, Apple said the iOS 27.3 beta would be released on Wednesday, November 4, but that likely means Tuesday, November 3 in the U.S. due to time zone differences. Apple said iOS 27.3 will be released to the public in December, but it did not provide a specific date.
iOS 27.3 will enable some Apple Intelligence features in China on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer, such as Writing Tools, Genmoji, Clean Up, Notification Summaries, Priority Notifications, Visual Intelligence, and Live Translation with AirPods.
Apple also said it has partnered with Alibaba to add support for its AI assistant Qwen within Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence.
Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC 2026 will not be available in China on iOS 27.3, according to Apple.
Image Playground will also not be available in China.
Both the iPhone and Siri language will need to be set to English and Chinese (Simplified). Apple Intelligence features will not be available on the Mac, iPad, or other devices in China until Apple receives the necessary approvals, it said.
