Apple Brings GymKit to iPhone and AirPods Pro 3 in iOS 27

Q: Is Apple Intelligence a true OS upgrade or a feature reserved for the newest iPhones?

Apple Intelligence is both an OS upgrade and a hardware-gated feature set, but for many users it will feel reserved to newer iPhones. In iOS 27, Apple has woven Apple Intelligence into the system itself: the new Siri AI, writing tools, camera and visual features, Wallet insights, automation, and other AI functions are part of the operating system, not a separate app or paid add-on. That makes it a genuine platform upgrade. But access is uneven. iOS 27 runs on iPhones as old as the iPhone 11, yet the headline Apple Intelligence features do not. Apple’s own compatibility limits mean the core AI experience is available only on the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models and newer supported devices. Older supported phones can install iOS 27, but they will miss much of what Apple is promoting. There is also a second layer of restriction. Some Apple Intelligence features can run on supported devices through a mix of on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute, but the most advanced on-device model requires even newer hardware with more memory, such as top-end iPhone 17 models and certain newer iPads and Macs. In practice, that means the best performance and the fullest feature set are concentrated on Apple’s latest premium devices. So the answer is mixed: Apple Intelligence is a real OS-level shift, but its most important and most powerful capabilities are effectively reserved for newer iPhones.

3 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · Jul 9

iOS 27 lets users start GymKit treadmill workouts from an iPhone, with AirPods Pro 3 supplying heart-rate data and the machine sending distance, pace, incline and calorie metrics.
The setup extends Apple Watch-style gym tracking to watch-free workouts, with data stored privately on iPhone and removed from the equipment after the session.
Testing showed the feature needs AirPods heart-rate permission enabled; without AirPods, the iPhone disconnected when the workout began because it lacked a heart-rate source.
A 16-minute test walk logged 0.66 miles, 65 active calories and a 115 BPM average heart rate, and the workout later synced back to the Apple Watch Exercise ring.
Apple positions the feature as a backup when a watch is dead or forgotten, while also broadening its fitness ecosystem for iPhone and AirPods users.