The latest beta release for the iPhone‘s operating system, iOS 27 beta 5, is here.
With this release from Apple come some design changes and feature updates. However, new features and design tweaks aren’t the biggest news to come with this new beta release. iOS 27 beta 5 provides references to 6 unreleased iPhone models, essentially confirming the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup for the very first time.
What’s new with iOS 27 beta 5?
The most visual updates with iOS 27 beta 5 are new icons for several major Apple apps. Safari, Siri, Preview, App Store and Remote app icons have all received updates. Some other apps have received more minor Liquid Glass-related tweaks.
Siri’s AI update continues to receive upgrades as well. iOS 27 beta 5 brings more voice customization options. Pace and Expressivity can now be adjusted for all of the available American English voices and the British English voices as well.
Contacts also received a slight upgrade. If a company is associated with a specific contact, Contacts will now show that company name under the contact’s name and in the search results.
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Apple is providing users with more control over the Search function on their iPhone in iOS 27 beta 5. Users can choose whether app results appear in Search. If turned on, users can also control whether Search results show four or eight apps. There’s a new “Search the Web” option at the bottom of Search results too.
There’s a slew of additional smaller updates as well. For example, Software Update will now let users know when the last update was installed on their iPhone, the Clock app uses a thicker font for Alarms and Timers, and Control Center no longer displays cellular network information while the iPhone is connected to WiFi.
iOS 27 beta 5 makes the iPhone 18 lineup ‘official’
There have been plenty of leaks, rumors, and speculation regarding Apple’s upcoming new iPhone lineup. However, the iOS 27 beta 5 provides some of the strongest evidence yet that those devices are on the way. For the very first time, iPhone system files make references to 6 new iPhone models, alongside the existing iPhones. The new iPhones are referred to as V62, V63, V64, V67, V68, and V69.
Previous leaks and reporting indicate that those identifiers line up with the iPhone Air 2, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18, the rumored foldable iPhone that may be called the iPhone Ultra, and iPhone 18e respectively.
If you’d like to update your iPhone to the iOS 27 beta 5 release, open the Settings app, tap General, and select Software Update. After that, select the iOS 27 Developer Beta under Beta Updates and your iPhone will be able to update to the latest beta version.
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