Lead: On February 15, 2026, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter that Apple is preparing iOS 27 with a focus on tidying its codebase, applying modest interface adjustments and subtly updating older apps. The reported goal is cleaner internal systems and improved efficiency, which Apple engineers hope will translate into better battery life for users. Gurman also noted continued work on AI and Siri features, with some WWDC 2024 promises pushed toward the iOS 27 cycle. Apple has not published an official roadmap confirming all of these details.
Key Takeaways
- Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (Power On newsletter, Feb 15, 2026) reports iOS 27 will prioritize internal code cleanup to improve performance and stability.
- Three engineering levers described: remove legacy “scraps” of code, apply modest interface tweaks (Liquid Glass adjustments), and upgrade legacy apps to run more efficiently.
- Apple hopes lower-level efficiency gains will produce measurable battery-life improvements for devices, though no specific metrics were reported.
- Work on AI and Siri continues; several Siri features announced at WWDC 2024 are reportedly being shifted toward iOS 27.
- It remains unclear whether Apple will advertise these under-the-hood changes as a product benefit or treat them as routine maintenance.
Background
For years Apple’s iOS has been known for tight integration between hardware and software, with software quality a frequent selling point. In recent cycles, users and reviewers have pointed to more frequent bugs, variable performance and shorter battery life at times, prompting concern about software maintenance and complexity. Developers and engineers often trace such regressions to accumulated legacy code, divergent app implementations and new features layered atop older systems.
Reports ahead of iOS 27 have repeatedly signaled a shift from feature-driven releases toward performance, stability and efficiency work. That approach follows a broader industry pattern where mature platforms periodically invest in refactoring and cleanup to reduce technical debt. Apple’s reported focus on updating older apps and polishing UI subsystems reflects that maintenance-first posture.
Main Event
Gurman’s account describes engineers scanning iOS for obsolete or redundant code — “scraps” that were once harmless but now complicate performance tuning and power management. Those cleanup efforts typically involve removing dead branches, consolidating duplicated logic and modernizing API usage inside system frameworks. According to the report, this is not a superficial rewrite but an iterative pruning process intended to simplify how subsystems interact under load.
Alongside codebase work, Gurman says Apple plans modest interface refinements rather than sweeping visual changes. The report names tweaks to “Liquid Glass,” Apple’s material and motion vocabulary, aimed at smoothing animations and reducing transient CPU/GPU spikes. Sources described these UI edits as subtle improvements rather than a new design language.
Finally, iOS 27 is said to include targeted updates for aging first-party apps so they can better leverage modern APIs and power-saving primitives. Those app-level adjustments are intended to reduce background activity, lower energy use during common tasks and ensure apps play well with revised system scheduling. Gurman frames these moves as a compound strategy: many small efficiency gains adding up to a noticeable experience uplift.
Analysis & Implications
Code cleanup can yield meaningful battery gains when it reduces unnecessary CPU wakeups, streamlines graphics paths or eliminates redundant background work. For users, the benefits are usually incremental and visible over time rather than dramatic overnight changes. If iOS 27 successfully removes friction points, average device runtime under typical daily workloads could improve, especially on older hardware where inefficiencies compound.
From Apple’s perspective, focusing on internal quality addresses both customer satisfaction and long-term platform health. Cleaner code reduces maintenance costs, speeds future feature development and lowers regression risk. It also signals to developers that Apple intends to stabilize the underlying platform before layering new capabilities, which can improve third-party app reliability.
On the marketing front, whether Apple advertises these efficiency gains is uncertain. Apple has previously highlighted performance and battery improvements when they were user-facing (for example, changes that extend perceived device life or introduce explicit low-power features). But under-the-hood refactors are often presented as general system updates rather than headline features. The decision will affect user expectations and the perceived value of the iOS 27 upgrade.
Comparison & Data
| Reported iOS Release | Primary Focus (reported) |
|---|---|
| iOS 27 (reported) | Codebase cleanup, minor UI tweaks, legacy app updates, Siri/AI work |
| WWDC 2024 announcements | New Siri promises, some features delayed into later iOS cycle |
The table summarizes public reporting rather than benchmarked measurements. There are no vendor-published battery metrics tied specifically to these changes yet, so comparisons rely on stated engineering priorities. If Apple shares before/after telemetry or lab test results closer to release, that data will be necessary to quantify real-world gains across models and usage patterns.
Reactions & Quotes
“iOS has become a bit of a mess under the hood,”
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg, Power On
The line encapsulates Gurman’s central claim that accumulated complexity has made targeted cleanup necessary. He frames the work as an effort to restore iOS’s historical strengths in stability and efficiency.
“Engineers hope underlying code changes will result in efficiency gains that end up giving users more juice,”
Bloomberg reporting on Power On
This summarizing observation highlights that the battery benefit is an expected side effect of broader maintenance, not necessarily a single feature Apple can point to in a marketing campaign.
Unconfirmed
- Magnitude of battery improvement: no specific percentage or device-by-device gains have been reported or verified.
- Whether Apple will explicitly market iOS 27’s efficiency work as a battery-life feature is unconfirmed.
- Exact list of removed or rewritten code components has not been released and remains internal to engineering teams.
- Timeline and scope for the rumored Siri chatbot remain tentative pending official announcements around the June keynote.
Bottom Line
Apple’s reported approach for iOS 27 emphasizes maintenance: pruning legacy code, fine-tuning UI systems and modernizing older apps. Those steps are consistent with a platform seeking to reduce technical debt and stabilize user experience after several feature-forward cycles. Users can reasonably expect some efficiency and reliability improvements, but the size and visibility of battery gains will depend on implementation details and device models.
Watch for Apple’s messaging around the June keynote and any technical notes in developer betas; those will reveal whether the company frames iOS 27 as a performance-first release or lets the improvements speak through day-to-day device behavior. Independent tests and battery benchmarks after public release will be the definitive measure of whether the cleanup delivers meaningful gains.