VisionOS 27 fixes some things—Siri AI still breaks

In visionOS 27, Apple pushes forward with a raft of spatial upgrades—from a new multi-pane Control Center and expanded Safari layouts to Spatial Panoramas and faster Wi‑Fi connections. But the update’s headline addition, the new Siri AI powered by Apple Founda

The most striking thing about visionOS 27 isn’t that it’s missing ambition. It’s that it’s trying to grow a platform while one of its biggest steps forward—Siri AI—isn’t working for at least one early tester.

On an Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 27 beta 1, the new Siri AI doesn’t return results. The user says access to the feature was gained, but every attempt leads only to an error. It’s a jarring moment in a release Apple is presenting as part of a serious AI push: Siri AI is built on the new Apple Foundation Models powering Apple Intelligence. Yet in this beta build, it’s effectively silent.

The irony is that the headset still feels usable as usual. Commands work through voice. and the AI side can be ignored entirely—something that makes the promise of spatial AI feel both close and oddly distant. Apple even showed a demo during the WWDC keynote: a person asks whether objects on a table might fit into a bag they’re looking to buy. The user notes that this type of capability can already be done through Visual Intelligence on an iPhone. but adds that it can be simpler in a mixed reality headset because the camera and display are always in play.

It’s also a reminder that spatial computing is where AI could matter most. The tester describes a “spatial computing platform” as one that can benefit more than traditional screens. because it’s tied directly to what you see and what you want to do with that view. And the scale of that future isn’t lost on them—an eventual “Apple Glass” concept. described as AI-powered glasses with an AR display. is framed as something that could arrive by 2030.

Still, the real-world experience in visionOS 27 beta 1 is clear: Siri AI is present, and it’s broken for this tester right now.

Alongside the AI problem. the rest of visionOS 27 reads like steady. quality-of-life development—enough to make it hard to believe Apple is walking away from the platform. The user was asked for first impressions. and their verdict is blunt: it’s “a good release.” They also say rumors of Apple abandoning Apple Vision Pro don’t hold up. arguing instead that Apple is interested in developing the platform—even if new hardware is “years away.”.

One older issue still isn’t fixed. The release continues the “continued lack of converting compatible iPad apps to native ones. ” and the tester also points to what they call “Apple’s developer relations issues.” But even with those gaps. visionOS 27 adds features across browsing. environments. controls. widgets. and spatial integration.

WWDC 2026 had a heavy AI focus, and the user admits it made them worry Vision Pro would get sidelined. Instead, they say Apple shared a page with “250 new features,” and that visionOS 27 updates were discussed later. The headline improvements start with Safari.

Native visionOS applications like Safari can be expanded into an ultra-wide view. The window expands and becomes “more curved and rounded,” with a look they describe as similar to Mac Virtual Display. In practice, they say you can fill your entire field of view with one giant app. Safari also gets a new tab view: it breaks tabs out onto a carousel. with windows that are “tall and skinny. ” almost iPad-like. The user says most web rendering still looks good at that size. and they particularly like the way it supports browsing multiple sources while writing in a Drafts window near a keyboard.

Apple also adds more spatial browsing functionality in Safari. Websites in Safari can now render “360-degree backgrounds around the user for immersive experiences.” The tester doesn’t sound convinced every site will benefit, but the capability is now there.

From browsing to environments, visionOS 27 makes customization more dimensional. Custom environments are described as like giant desktop wallpapers, but with more depth. The new Spatial Panorama feature is central to that. Users can add custom spatial environments using panorama photos in their library. as long as photos captured or saved from the internet have an aspect ratio wide enough and a resolution high enough that the Photos app registers them as panoramic. When foreground depth can be applied, the tester says the separation is noticeable. They cite an example panorama taken at a Christmas tree farm, where the tree tops “really popped.”.

That custom environment work is powered by Spatial Panoramas, described as an upgrade to the Photos app’s 3D image conversion feature that now works on panoramas.

Apple also adds a new built-in environment: Thorsmork, located in Iceland. The tester describes it as a snow-covered landscape with a rippling creek to the user’s left. In daytime, they say the moon appears low in the sky in front of you. At night, an aurora waves while the creek is frozen over.

Control Center gets its own change, and this one feels structural rather than cosmetic. The tester says Control Center has now been rethought for a third time, and this version feels right. Instead of a single pane, it’s now three panes. One pane shows now playing audio controls and a notifications pane link. The middle panel is where the utility controls live, including Mac Virtual Display. The third pane holds controls for the current spatial environment. including a night/day toggle when using Apple’s more advanced environments.

The names of custom environments—drawn from location data in panoramas—appear in Control Center too, which the tester calls a “nice little touch.”

Notifications also get reworked again. When a notification dot appears above the user’s head. looking at it reveals a “rich notification” that can be interacted with. Apple adds a new small widget size and a widget for initiating Mac Virtual Display. which the tester says makes it easier than going to Control Center each time.

There’s also a practical spatial integration tool for people who work with 3D rendering. If someone uses Mac Virtual Display and works with a 3D object rendering app. they can pull the object into their spatial environment. The tester frames it as removing the awkward need to send and receive files between devices.

Apple also says it made Wi‑Fi connections faster during boot up. The Vision Pro should be connected to the internet by the time the user can navigate the interface.

Putting this all together, visionOS 27 is portrayed as a “comparably complete and rich update” compared with visionOS 26. Features expand—Spatial Photos becomes Spatial Panoramas—and new ideas arrive, like custom environments. Looking back at last year’s standout—spatial widgets—the tester writes that it’s hard to top them. But they also suggest Siri AI could be the real shift, at least when it’s working.

They also mention additional changes beyond what they focused on: Apple expanded spatial controller support and added trackable objects, which they say are “going to be huge for the future of the visionOS platform.”

Even with all that progress, one recurring frustration keeps circling back: developer support. The tester argues that during WWDC. Apple seemingly did “nothing… to push developers towards building natively for Apple Vision Pro.” The user says Apple didn’t need to do it during the keynote. but could have put out PR about an evangelist program.

The small user base is part of the reason this matters. The tester says Apple Vision Pro is “just the start of the visionOS platform” and that it has a small user base. They also state there won’t be a lighter or cheaper version for some time. So, in their view, any work on the platform is primarily a bonus for existing users.

The developer issue becomes more concrete when they compare submission pace. The user says Apple gets “1,000 app submissions an hour,” but believes Apple Vision Pro might be getting “one app submission a day.” They call the “unchanging compatible apps list” damning.

And yet, they still land on a tempered conclusion: visionOS 27 should be enough to quell rumors of Apple abandoning the platform. Their closing wish is simple and time-bound—more feature updates through the year, instead of waiting for visionOS 28.

For now, Siri AI is the one part of the future that the tester says doesn’t arrive. Everything else is still moving—just not at the speed the headset’s AI pitch promises.

Apple Vision Pro visionOS 27 Siri AI Apple Foundation Models Apple Intelligence Spatial Panoramas custom environments Thorsmork Safari tab carousel Control Center Mac Virtual Display trackable objects