ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The iOS 27 general release is almost here.
- It features many upgrades like recomposing photos.
- It also optimizes app launches and improves performance.
Apple has announced iOS 27 will release for all users with a compatible iPhone model next week.
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From Siri AI to advanced photo editing, iOS 27 is a much bigger upgrade than iOS 26. While iOS 26 was largely focused on the Liquid Glass look, the new iOS 27 delivers the features we’ve been waiting for, along with key improvements to existing hardware performance.
iOS 27 release date
iOS 27 will officially roll out to the general public on Monday, Sept. 14. Whether you have an iPhone 12 or a 17 Pro Max, iOS 27 includes new features in Siri, photo editing, FaceTime calls, and more, as well as an optimized processing experience that’ll make your existing device run more smoothly.
Here are some new iPhone features you can try once you upgrade to the latest software release.
1. Draw directly in Messages
With iOS 27, users can draw in the Messages app using the Apple Markup tool, replacing the rudimentary drawing tool it previously featured. This is accessible in the Messages window by tapping the plus sign in a conversation and choosing Drawing.
2. Large widget real estate
Instead of being limited to a couple of widget sizes, Apple has added the largest widget size in iOS 27, giving you more customization power for your home page. The large widgets occupy almost the entire home screen tab, making it easy to see all the information you need at a glance.
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While other apps catch up to Apple’s new widget size, you can test it with native Apple apps as soon as you upgrade to iOS 27.
3. Show both sides during a FaceTime call
Dual Capture, a feature that initially stumped many iPhone users after launch, is coming to FaceTime. In the Camera app, the Dual Capture feature lets you record videos from the rear and front cameras simultaneously, making it easy to capture your facial expressions and reactions, as well as your surroundings.
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As an ultimate ‘wish you were here’ feature, Dual Capture on FaceTime lets you talk to someone on a video call while simultaneously showing them the environment around you.
4. Create more realistic images
Image Playground got a significant upgrade that makes its images more realistic than before. Let’s be honest, Apple is the slowest big tech company in the AI field, and its AI-generated images are easy to spot in ‘real or AI’ games, so this upgrade to Image Playground is sorely needed.
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Thanks to improvements to a new generative model, Image Playground can now generate more photorealistic images than before, as well as support photo-based AI editing. Like most other major AI image generators, Image Playground images carry a SynthID to flag them as AI-generated by AI detection systems.
5. Split the bill with a photo of a receipt
Apple Cash has made it easier to split bills since its release in 2017, and the Apple Wallet feature is only getting better, thanks to AI. With Apple Intelligence, iPhone users only need to point their iPhone camera at a receipt using Siri Mode, Wallet, or Messages.
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The phone will then scan the receipt and let you select the items you consumed, calculating how much you owe for your portion of the food, including tax. You can also include a tip (or a portion of one) and then reimburse your generous friend for your meal.
6. Recompose a photo in post
You can reframe and change the composition of a photo even after you’ve already taken it, thanks to a Spatial Reframing feature in the Photos app. This lets you recompose an image by expanding it or changing its viewpoint using generative AI, which can create content outside the original image’s boundaries.
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7. Control more of what your kids do
iOS 27 introduces a new Ask to Browse feature that requires kids to request permission to access new websites, taking the burden of creating a list of approved websites off parents. This feature lets children request access to new websites and gives you a chance to look them over before approving them. The requests come to parents via Messages, just as they do when kids ask for a new app.
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You can also access parental controls more easily with an improved menu and set up allowed apps with less hassle. Apple has also added a filter for violent or gory content that warns viewers when an image is inappropriate and gives them the option to opt out.
8. Improved processing efficiency
Apple introduced small tweaks with iOS 27 that improve the performance of existing devices in processing and networking. According to the company, iOS 27 helps apps load 30% faster, new photos load 70% faster in your library, and AirDrop transfers between devices are up to 80% faster.
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iOS 27 also helps create smoother network transitions, so your iPhone can choose the best detected network and switch to it seamlessly without you missing a beat.
9. Ask Siri for more
The long-awaited Siri improvements are finally coming with iOS 27, though Apple says that’ll happen later this year. After years of discussion, Apple is giving Siri generative AI capabilities, making the assistant more capable, eloquent, and helpful.
Siri AI will be able to understand personal context through data across apps like Messages, Mail, Photos, and Notes, processing what is on your screen to maintain a natural conversation with you and perform actions in various apps.
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Right now, Siri has a demand-response format that processes isolated requests and regurgitates canned responses. With generative AI, Siri will be able to understand natural conversations, multiple commands, and open-ended questions. This means you’ll be able to search through your photo library by asking Siri to find pictures from the lake trip or the first day of school.
Siri AI is launching later this year and will initially only be available in English.
