Apple increases storage requirements for advanced on-device AI in iOS 27 on select devices

Apple’s latest iOS 27 update has quietly doubled the storage needed for its most advanced on-device AI features on high-end devices, potentially impacting recent iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro users.

Apple’s iOS 27 has quietly raised the bar for on-device artificial intelligence on certain newer devices, with Apple’s own support pages showing that the storage needed for the most advanced Apple Intelligence features has increased from 8GB to as much as 14GB. According to Apple’s documentation, the higher requirement applies to a limited group of iPhones, while other supported models still need only 8GB of free space.

The change affects the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air, alongside iPad models with M4 chips and at least 12GB of unified memory, Mac models with M3 chips and at least 12GB of unified memory, and Apple Vision Pro with an M5 chip. MacRumors reported earlier this year that these devices were the first to be tied to Apple’s most capable on-device AI model, which requires more memory than the standard Apple Intelligence setup used on other devices.

Apple says the larger model is needed for two features in particular: a more expressive Siri voice, and improved dictation accuracy. The company says Siri AI runs on-device and is built around a system architecture that can reach core functions such as Spotlight and App Toolbox while keeping user data private. That design helps explain why Apple is reserving the heaviest local AI features for devices with more memory headroom.

For most compatible iPhones, the practical impact is unchanged: Apple Intelligence still needs up to 8GB. But for users on the newer, higher-end models, the update could consume significantly more space once installed. Apple says the features become available automatically on eligible devices after updating, so anyone short on storage may need to clear space before installing iOS 27.