iOS 27 has been officially revealed — and if you’re an iPhone owner, that means there’s a very long list of software treats heading your way.
The final version of iOS 27 won’t actually be released until September, but an early developer beta is available to download now and a public beta will likely follow in July.
But what exactly do you have to look forward to? I’ve been using iPhones since the 3GS (yes, I’m that old) and below are the seven biggest iOS 27 features that I’m looking forward to taking for a spin.
1. A new Siri AI
Yes, it’s finally happening. Two years after Apple originally announced a more personalized version of Siri, a next-gen assistant called Siri AI is finally coming — well, as long as you live outside the EU.
Siri AI appears to be the conversational assistant we hoped to see back in 2024. Based on Apple’s new Foundation Models (which were built with Google), it understands your “personal context” — so can answer questions by pulling information from across your messages, emails, photos, and more.
It’ll also be available in a dedicated Siri AI app, which lets you go back to old conversations that it remembers, and you can also use iCloud to sync your conversations privately across devices. A Siri mode in the Camera app will also boost the iPhone’s visual search — for example, letting you get nutritional info about your hastily-concocted dinner.
Unfortunately for those in the EU (which doesn’t include the UK), Apple has said that Siri AI won’t be available there due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). But for the rest of us, it looks like iOS 27’s biggest upgrade — and it’s coming to the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, too.
2. Liquid Glass finally gets a slider
If you’re not a huge fan of Liquid Glass on iOS 26, we have good news — Apple has admitted that its critics had a point and has given us an opacity slider to adjust the effect to our liking.
The new slider will let you tweak how, well, glassy the effect is in areas like tabs and menus. Apple says it can go from “ultra clear” to “fully tinted” (which basically removes the effect).
Liquid Glass will also now apparently do a much better job of diffusing any content that’s behind the effect, which should be a boon for readability.
3. The Passwords app can change your passwords for you
Here’s a smaller iOS 27 update that could be one of its sleeper hits — the Passwords app will now be able to change weak or compromised passwords for you.
The app currently tells you if any of your passwords have been leaked or appeared in known security incidents. But rather than fixing those passwords manually, in iOS 27 you can tell the Passwords app to automatically change and update them to something that’s strong and secure.
Apple says the feature will let you update the passwords on “eligible accounts”, so it remains to be seen how wide that support is, but it certainly sounds like a potential time-saver.
4. Apple Photos gets new editing tricks
Apple Photos has slowly been catching up with Google’s photo editing trickery on Android — and iOS 27 will see it take another solid step forward with three features that you’ll find in its ‘Tools’ section (above).
The first, Clean Up, already exists but is apparently getting a “big upgrade” that will help you remove distractions in a more realistic way. As its name suggests, the ‘Extend’ tool also lets you expand your photo in the same way as Photoshop, using generative AI to fill in the details.
Lastly, there’s an even more fancy tool called ‘Spatial Reframing’, which uses on-device spatial models to help you tweak the perspective. It’s a bit like ‘Spatial Scenes’ from iOS 26, which let you convert 2D photos into 3D, only you get to save the perspective change into your photo.
In a slight dig at Google, Alok Deshpande (Apple’s Director of Camera and Photos Software Engineering) said: “At Apple, we have a deep respect for the craft of photography, and so our goal for bringing AI into the Photos app is to help photographers enhance their photos in ways that respect the original moment”. Touché, Apple.
5. Speed improvements
If you’ve been frustrated with how sluggish iOS 26 feels on your iPhone, particularly if you’re on an older model, then iOS 27 could improve things.
According to Apple, iOS 27 will feel much snappier than its predecessor thanks to range of bug fixes and performance boosts. It claims that app launches will be up to 30% faster, AirDrop transfers will be 80% quicker, and loading new snaps in Photos will be 70% faster.
These boosts, and others across Wi-Fi and cellular connections, will likely vary depending on which model you’re running (iOS 27 compatibility goes back to the iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone 11 series), but it’s promising news for those on older devices.
6. A Screen Time overhaul
Apple’s built-in parental controls on the iPhone, called Screen Time, are still a work in progress, but fortunately they’re getting a big facelift in iOS 27.
In Safari, a new ‘Ask to Browse’ feature means kids need to ask their parents when they want to browser a new website. Stronger ‘Communication Safety’ features in the Screen Time settings also blur content that might contain nudity, gore or violent content.
Lastly, ‘Time Allowances’ gives parents a suggested starting point for the maximum time their child is allowed on certain apps or categories of apps like ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Games’, based on their age. There’s no doubt Apple had one eye on EU and UK regulators with its new Screen Time boosts, but they certainly look useful for parents.
7. Shortcuts gets an AI upgrade
Shortcuts is one of those apps is loved by a few, but it too confusing for truly mass adoption. Well, iOS 27 might finally change that thanks to a new Apple Intelligence upgrade that lets you describe the shortcut you want using natural language. We’ve settled on called this ‘vibe-cutting’.
Rather than adjusting all your inputs and variables manually, you can type something like “when I’m leaving work message Pedro I’m on my way with my ETA” and the Shortcuts app will automatically pull together all the apps and system actions you need.
Even Apple admitted that the current Shortcuts system in iOS 26 “can feel, well, complicated”. So this promises to be a pretty big step forward — and is one we’ve wanted to see for quite a while.
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mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
