Apple focused on performance improvements across iOS 27, and everything feels faster, even on older iPhones. Apps launch quicker, AirDrop transfers are faster, the keyboard loads quicker, swapping Home Screen pages is speedier, and App Library is faster. New captures in Photos load up to 70% faster, and the iPhone is better at transitioning between Wi-Fi and Cellular connectivity as needed, resulting in fewer dropped calls and unsent messages.
If your iPhone can run iOS 26, you can upgrade it for free to iOS 27.0.1.
Apple has released their much-anticipated 27.0.1 bug-fix update, so it's okay to upgrade to the new operating system!
This is Apple's annual new operating system release, and it includes literally hundreds of new features, performance improvements, and security and bug fixes for all Apple devices.
It's huge in size — from 14GB to 20GB on most iPhones and iPads, and up to 25GB on Macs, depending on your model and configuration.
(If you're already on 27.0, then it'll be about 750MB on an iPhone or iPad, and 3.3GB on a Mac.)
Because it's the annual feature update, it won't automatically install; to get it on an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update and scroll to the bottom of the screen.
On a Mac, click on the Apple logo in the upper-left of your screen, and then click on System Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update.
If your iPhone or iPad doesn't have enough available storage space to handle this huge update, you can use your computer — Mac or Windows — to help install it.
On a Mac, here's how to update your iPhone or iPad using iTunes:
- Open iTunes on your Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier or on your Windows PC.
- Connect your device to your computer.
- Click the device button in iTunes toolbar.
- Click the Summary tab.
- Click Check for Update.
- Click Download and Update.
- Continue following the onscreen instructions.
On a Windows PC, here's how to update your iPhone or iPad using the new Apple Devices app:
If you can't do this, you can have a certified Apple Service Centre factory-erase your device, and then do a clean install of 27.0.1 and then restore all your apps and content via iCloud. You must know your Apple ID and password in order for this to be done.
- London Drugs will do this for a $30 fee if you'll restore from iCloud backup yourself, or $60 if you want them to do it all.
- Jump+ will do this for $20 if you do your iCloud backup yourself, or $40 if you want them to do the backup and the restore. If you're going to do your own iCloud Backup (which we recommend), make sure you have iCloud set to backup all your apps, not just some of them! (Settings, your name, iCloud, Saved to iCloud, and turn on ALL switches)
Here are the best new features for iPhones in iOS 27
Many new Apple Intelligence features require an iPhone 15 Pro or later, and a couple require an iPhone 17 or iPhone 18.
Below is a list of the most useful new features; at the bottom of this item is a link to a list of all the new features and changes…
1) Tone down Liquid Glass even more than before
If you've never been a fan of Liquid Glass – Apple's glass-like interface effect introduced in iOS 26 – then there's some good news in iOS 27: Apple has added a setting that lets you finely adjust the level of translucency, giving you more control over the look and feel of your iPhone.
When you first install iOS 27, you'll be presented with a slider to change the Liquid Glass effect, but it's good to know how to get to it later if you want to switch up the look…
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Tap Appearance.
- Tap Liquid Glass.
- Drag the slider left for a clearer, more transparent effect, or right to add tint and opacity.
Even at the tinted end, Apple's interface retains a degree of glassiness. If you're not satisfied with the result, two Accessibility options push it further:
- Reduce Transparency strips out nearly all translucency, leaving only flat, solid backgrounds.
- Increase Contrast sharpens the boundaries between buttons, text, and whatever sits behind them.
You can find both in Settings ➝ Accessibility ➝ Display & Text Size.
2) Messages app now offers contextual suggestions, plus one-tap drawing, and you can remove the record audio icon if you want
Helpful action suggestions
If someone texts you a message that includes a possible action, you'll now see potential actions shown under the message…
Accidental Recordings
If you find yourself often accidentally tapping the Record audio microphone icon when you go to text someone, you can now going into Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Messages, and either remove that icon, or replace it with the Dication icon, as I've done…
Quick hand-drawing
If you want to hand-draw words or an image as part of a text, you can now quickly access that option by tapping on the + at the bottom-left of the screen, and then tap on Drawing in the pop-up menu that appears. You can adjust the colour, thickness and style of what you finger-draw…
Auto-retry to send
When a message fails to send in iOS 27, your iPhone will automatically retry sending it. Previously, you got an alert if a message failed to go, but you had to manually tap to try to send it again.
The Messages app also supports continuous sending of photos, videos, and texts, so if you're sending someone a photo and your connection is poor or you go offline, your iPhone will now automatically resume sending when your cellular or internet connection is restored.
Genmoji
Apple revamped Genmoji creation in iOS 27. There's now an updated interface for describing an emoji that you want, with options to start from an existing emoji, choose an image from Photos, or select a person. And after uploading an image or using a text phrase to create a Genmoji, there's a new "Describe a change" interface for making updates to what you've already created.
There's also now an option to change style, so if you don't want the cartoonish look, you can ask for something else like a drawing or a sketch.
3) Mail app is now much faster and has much-better Search, and more
Search
Instead of surfacing results based on keywords and recency, Mail app search now ranks results by relevance and intent. Search results that come up in Mail are more relevant than before, so you find exactly what you're looking for. For example, if you search for "pasta" because you want to find a recent order, it'll show your order before it shows marketing emails you might have from the same retailer.
Siri AI
The Mail app has a built-in "Ask Siri" feature: long-press on any email and you can ask Siri to summarize, find an item in the email, track a package, get a flight number, save a photo, and more.
Siri can complete tasks in the Mail app too, like deleting all emails from a specified sender or adding info from an email to your Reminders list. Your iPhone also now flags both typos and grammar errors while you write.
Contextual Suggestions
An email that includes a flight time or a restaurant reservation has a one-tap button for adding it to the Calendar app. An email with directions may let you see the route in Maps, and emails with tracking info can be tracked with the Wallet app.
4) Phone calls made on an iPhone now include Call Context
When you call a company, the Phone app will bring up relevant info from the Mail app.
If you call an airline, it might show your confirmation code for an upcoming flight, or your reservation code if you're calling a hotel. Call a retailer, and it'll show info abour orders you've placed, including an order number. It doesn't listen to what you're saying, but instead looks at the number you're calling and links it to details in the Mail app.
5) FaceTime now includes optional Dual Capture
On the iPhone 17 and 18 models and the iPhone Air, you can now use the front and back cameras at the same time while on a FaceTime call.
The person you're calling is able to see your face plus what's shown through the back camera.
You can turn on Dual Capture on a supported iPhone by tapping on the camera flip button. If you only want to show the back camera feed, you can tap to turn off the front camera view.
While streaming video with Dual Capture is limited to the iPhone 17, iPhone 18 and iPhone Air (and forthcoming iPhone Duo) models, anyone running iOS 27 can see a dual video stream on a FaceTime call because there are no hardware requirements for the receiving device.
6) Photos app gets image Extend, Reframe, and improved Cleanup
The Photos app is one of a handful of apps that Apple paid extra attention to in iOS 27. It's gained multiple improvements to performance, and several quality-of-life upgrades, plus some powerful and impressive new AI photo editing tools that use Apple Intelligence.
Image Extend
Extend lets you change the crop of an image, expanding the borders around content to zoom out a bit or change the photo's composition. It uses generative AI to fill in missing areas, and you can adjust the borders with pinch gestures. Here's what I did to provide more surroundings in a selfie pic of me on one of Victoria's new Lime eBikes on the Selkirk Water trestle…
Improved Cleanup
Cleanup uses new AI models, and it's better at removing objects. The original version was best for small items with little complexity in the surrounding area, but now it'ss able to do more work reconstructing backgrounds with generative AI. You can now choose between Fast Cleanup and High-Quality Cleanup which takes longer but does a better job. Here's a pic of me at the I❤️MTL sign at Port Montréal, and the same pic after I used High-Quality Cleanup to remove me…
Reframe
Reframe can change the perspective of the photo, making adjustments to the angle of a person or object. It draws on the spatial information the iPhone gathers when a photo is taken, and combines it with AI to change the angle of the camera in post-processing. For example, here's a pic of me inside the Mount Royal chalet in Montréal, and then the reframed version which moves me off to the side so you can better see the chandelier behind me…
Save a video frame as a picture
You can now (finally!) save a frame of a video as an individual photo, without having to pause the video and take a screenshot! To do that, pause the video where you want the picture, tap the three dots in the upper-right, and then tap on Save Video Frame as Photo. The picture will be saved in your Photos right next to the video. Here's me doing that with a video of Sofía, our former homestay student from Madrid, kayaing on the Gorge, with the saved picture below…
Apple improved album organization in iOS 27 and added new features for Shared Albums, including a button to show just photos or just videos, and a sure-to-be-popular new option for Android and Windows users to contribute to iCloud albums.
There are two new Utilities folders in the Photos app. Captured by Me includes all of the images that you've taken from the Camera app on your current or past iPhone, while Identity Documents aggregates pictures of passports, licenses, and similar documents…
There are two really useful new Utilities folders in the Photos app.
Captured by Me includes all of the images that you've taken from the Camera app on your current or past iPhone, while Identity Documents aggregates pictures of passports, licenses, and similar documents.
In the Photos section of the Settings app, there's a Sync Immediately option that lets you prioritize immediate iCloud uploads for the day.
With the setting enabled, iCloud Photos will sync as soon as new images enter the Photos Library instead of holding uploads to save battery.
This is really handy if you want to look at iPhone photos on the larger screen of an iPad or Apple TV shortly after you've taken them.
7) Camera app gets new interface, with your best features pinned to top
Apple’s iOS 27 introduces a significant update to the Camera app, merging an intuitive design with advanced features tailored for both casual users and professional photographers.
The redesigned settings interface in iOS 27 revolutionizes how users interact with the Camera app. A newly introduced settings button, conveniently located next to the shutter, provides immediate access to mode-specific options. This dynamic interface adapts to the selected mode, offering tailored controls that enhance usability. For instance:
- In Night Mode, users can adjust exposure settings specifically optimized for low-light environments.
- In Portrait Mode, the interface provides depth and lighting controls to refine subject focus and background blur.
This approach eliminates the need to navigate through the general Settings app, allowing users to make adjustments directly within the Camera app. You can also pin the camera tools you use most often right above the camera frame for easy access when capturing photos and videos.
A standout addition in iOS 27 is the Siri AI Mode, which uses advanced visual intelligence to enhance the Camera app’s functionality. This transforms your iPhone into a versatile tool capable of performing a variety of tasks. By simply pointing your camera at an object, Siri can:
- Identify landmarks, plants, animals and other objects with precision.
- Translate text in real time, such as signs or documents, making it invaluable for travel or work.
- Generate grocery lists by scanning nutrition labels, streamlining shopping tasks.
- Add events to your calendar by extracting information from scanned materials.
Accessible through a simple swipe in the Camera app, Siri AI Mode integrates seamlessly with other apps, enhancing both photography and daily productivity.
In response to the growing prevalence of AI-generated images, iOS 27 also includes Reference Mode, a tool that uses your iPhone’s unique hardware data to verify the authenticity of photos you take by embedding metadata that confirms their origin. Instead of wondering if a photo was made or altered with AI, Reference Mode certifies that it was not!
8) Safari web-browser adds grouped tabs, and Notify Me for page changes
Automatic Tab Organization
Safari uses Apple Intelligence to organize your open tabs into relevant topics, grouping like concepts together to make it easier to browse your open tabs.
If you're searching for a new couch while also planning a weekend trip, websites that you open for each topic are grouped together. Automatic sorting can be enabled by tapping on the icon with three lines in the upper right of the display while in tab view and turning on the Automatically Create Topics setting.
This same Safari menu also lets you see all of the groups and filter by topic so you can open just the tabs related to a specific topic while avoiding the other tabs.
There's alsoa new "Resume Browsing" section of the Start Page that lets you continue browsing topics you recently closed or topics you have open on other devices.
Notify Me
Safari can monitor a website for changes and alert you when new info is detected. Apple says it's useful for monitoring when concert tickets go on sale or watching for a product to be restocked.
To use it, navigate to a website, then tap on the settings icon to the left of the URL bar, and choose the Notify Me option. You can type in what you want Safari to watch for and set a frequency and a time. For example, Ive asked Safari to notify me anytime a new movie starts being shown at IMAX Victoria…
At most, Safari will check websites once per hour, with daily, weekly, and monthly checks also available. I've set my IMAX check for daily at 9 a.m.
9) Apple Wallet app finally lets you add loyalty cards and passes
Apple has made more of an effort to turn the iPhone into a physical wallet replacement in iOS 27, and there are several upgrades to the Wallet app.
Create a Pass
There's a "Create a Pass" feature in the Wallet app for adding tickets, memberships, and more using Visual Intelligence. If you have a ticket for an event and there's not a digital version available for the Wallet app already, you can create one using the physical pass. This replaces the need for third-party apps like SuperCards. Here's I'm adding my Save-On More Rewards card…
You can scan a pass and add it with Visual Intelligence if there's a barcode or QR code, or a pass can be added manually.
Pass templates include Standard, Membership, and Event. Each type includes relevant info like name, location, or admission type, along with a scannable code drawn from an included barcode or QR code that you take a photo of. Fields can be added or removed as needed when creating a custom pass, with options like label, date, membership, contact, coupon code, VIN, insurance, and more, so most physical cards are able to be stored digitally.
AI Bill Splitting
Using the new Siri Mode in the Camera app, or a feature in the Messages and Wallet apps, you can take a photo of a bill and use Apple Intelligence to figure out what each person owes. Visual Intelligence scans the receipt and makes a digital copy of everything on the list, and each person can select what they consumed. Tax and tip portions are also calculated automatically.
Order Tracking
The new order tracking feature in iOS 27 Wallet is designed to simplify the process of managing online purchases and tracking deliveries. Here's how it works:
- You can track orders automatically for select Apple Pay purchases or manually by tapping the "Track with Apple Wallet" button on the order confirmation screen.
- The feature uses Apple Intelligence to organize purchases, shipping emails, delivery updates, and merchant details in one place. It can recognize the merchant, order number, tracking number, and current status, connecting confirmation emails with delivery notices from carriers.
10j) Home Screen lets you add a volume slider
Your iPhone's Lock Screen has built-in media playback controls that appear whenever music, a podcast, or other audio is playing. What you might not realize is that those controls can also include a volume slider that lets you adjust the volume without you having to unlock your iPhone or fumble for the physical buttons. Here's how to turn it on:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Under "Hearing," tap Audio & Visual.
- Toggle on the switch next to Always Show Volume Control.
10) Find My lets you easily temporarily halt location-sharing with someone
Perfect for surprise birthdays and other similar events, iOS 27 introduces a Hide Location option in the Find My app, allowing you to pause location-sharing with selected people, while keeping Location Services active. When enabled, the person from whom you hide your location sees No Location Found instead of your live location, and they are not notified that you have paused sharing. The feature automatically reverts after 12 hours or can be manually turned off earlier by tapping Unhide Location.
How to Enable Hide Location
- Open the Find My app and go to the People tab.
- Tap the name of the person from whom you want to temporarily hide your location.
- Tap the three-dot menu (…) on their card.
- Select Hide Location under the My Location section and confirm.
- To resume sharing before the 12-hour timer ends, tap Unhide Location in the same menu.
11) Saving the best for last: the all new Siri AI
The biggest change in iOS 27 is Apple's total overhaul of Siri, with Siri turning into Siri AI on iPhone 15 Pro and later models. This has made Siri a viable competitor to chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
Once you activate Siri IA (beta), it'll begin indexing (memorizing) everything in your iPhone, which can take several days to complete, and will make your phone warm, and drain the battery faster than normal — but just until the indexing is done.
Once Siri AI is activated, there's an important visual change to be aware of: pulling down from the top-centre of your screen, which used to display your notifications, now brings up the Siri AI box. To see your notifications, pull down from the top-left corner the screen.
There's also a new stand-alone Siri app, with which you can interact, just like Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, and others. (It'll switch to a colour icon once it's released from beta.)
Siri AI is more knowledgeable, more capable, and unlike other chatbots, able to tap into your personal data in apps like Mail, Messages, and Photos. Apple says Siri has understanding and reasoning that wasn't available before, with four main improvements that change how Siri works.
All of the different Siri functions come together to allow Siri to do far more than it could before. You can have full back-and-forth conversations with Siri, and include multiple tasks in a single request.
Personal Context Understanding
Apple overhauled its search index, and Siri has access to emails, text messages, files, photos, notes, and more. Siri can find content from across your apps, but it also understands that content. You can ask Siri to surface photos, bring up information from emails or texts, or find files, and the Apple Intelligence semantic index behind the scenes finds what you need. Here are some examples:
- Find the best picture of me in Montréal.
- What was that movie Lynn told me to watch last week?
- Can you get me the directions to that place I was supposed to meet Rick tomorrow?
- What YouTube videos did John recommend to me last week?
- What was the name of that restaurant I ate at in February?
- What's the confirmation number for my upcoming flight?
- What do I need to do tomorrow?
- Show me my photos from the music festival last weekend
- What's the lockbox code for our AirBnB in Montréal?
- Find the lease my landlord emailed me last month
- Who did I have lunch with five Tuesdays ago?
Broad World Knowledge
Apple can search the web for up-to-date infor to answer questions about anything, similar to other chatbots. Siri can analyze documents and get information from the web for additional context, help come up with recipes, do party prep, help with homework, give gardening tips, assist with DIY projects, and much more.
- When is the 54-40 Concert in Vancouver? How much are tickets?
- I'm planning a birthday party, can you find me some good cake recipes?
- What's the difference between pine warblers and goldfinches?
- What's the BC Lions score?
- What are the hours for the closest Tim Hortons?
- What's a good substitute for buttermilk?
- What's a 15% tip on $84?
- Help me plan a 5-day trip to Lisbon
Onscreen Awareness
Siri knows what's on your screen and can answer questions about it. Siri can also tell what you're looking at, read text, and analyze images. For example, I pointed my camera at the back of a loaf of Portofino Sourdough bread…
Siri can now also tell you where a photo was taken if there's something recognizable in it, and you can ask questions about any app you're in without having to provide specifics.
- Where was this photo taken?
- Summarize this
- Can you give me directions here?
- What are the best native plant options for a shady spot near my house?
- Does this document look correct?
- What is this?
- Translate this menu
- Explain what this chart is showing
App Actions
App Actions allow Siri to use tools in apps to complete requests. Siri can use some apps on your behalf, including apps from Apple and third-party apps that have implemented App Actions support.
- Write a quick response to this email
- Send all the photos from today to Eric
- Add a 3pm Tuesday meeting with the neighbor to my calendar
- Add these photos to the cat album
- Get me directions to the post office, but add a stop at the coffee shop first
- Move my 2pm meeting to Thursday
Privacy
Apple's Siri features run on-device and on cloud servers using Private Cloud Compute. Your data is not accessible to Apple or third parties.
12) iOS 27 also includes an optional new Impersonation Risk Detection feature and we recommend you turn it on.
Impersonation Risk Detection helps protect you from scams by detecting suspicious activity in real-time. It analyzes info about your device and Apple Account to assess the risk of an active scam, returning a risk level (Unknown, Medium, or High) to the app. Supported apps can request a risk assessment when performing actions that may be risky, such as making a payment or changing critical security settings. The feature is available in apps that support it and can be enabled in the Settings ➝ Privacy & Security ➝ Impersonation Risk Detection section.
Here is the MacRumors.com mega-guide to all the more than 250 new features in iOS 27…
MacRumors
iOS 27 Features: The Ultimate Mega Guide
When iOS 27 first came out back in June, we started working on a series of in-depth feature guides and how tos that go through all of the updates in Apple's new software. Our ultimate guide aggregates all of our iOS 27 coverage, and it is useful for iPhone and iPad users new to iOS 27 or those who might want a recap on what's included. We've organized it by feature to make it easy to find what you're looking for.
13) Here are the best new features for iPad users in iPadOS 27
Apple's new iPadOS 27.0.1 can be installed as a free upgrade on these iPads:
- iPad Pro (4th generation and later, M1 and later)
- iPad Air (4th generation and later, M2 and later)
- iPad (9th generation and later, A16)
- iPad mini (6th generation, A17 Pro)
Here are the best new features in iPadOS 27.0.1…
14) If you have a Mac, here are the best new features in macOS 27 Golden Gate
Apple's powerful new macOS 27 operating system is a free upgrade for these devices:
- MacBook Neo (2026)
- MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
- Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
- Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023)
Here are the best new features in macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1…
New Features for iPhones in iOS 27