iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 change how Notification Center opens, but only when Siri AI is enabled. 9to5Mac reports that with Siri AI turned on, swiping down from the center of the top edge now calls up Siri instead of notifications; users reach Notification Center by swiping down from the top-left corner.
The new behavior replaces a gesture that has been in place since Notification Center debuted in iOS 5 back in 2011. Notifications now animate in from the top-left corner, a visual cue aimed at steering users toward the smaller gesture area. The default setup is unchanged: if Siri AI is off, the center swipe-down still opens Notification Center. There is no setting to disable the Siri AI invocation from the top-middle gesture.
iPadOS 27 has gone through its own gesture adjustments during the beta cycle. Beta 1 reserved much of the area above Home screen app icons for Siri AI, shrinking Notification Center’s region if the clock or AM/PM indicator was hidden. Beta 2 introduced a more uniform zone about two app columns wide, with notifications handled on one side and Control Center on the other.
9to5Mac’s author, who has used the new behavior for months, said early feedback on Siri AI has been overwhelmingly positive but would disable it if a setting existed. Whether Apple adds a toggle before iOS 27 ships is unclear.