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| iOS 27 became available to iPhone users on September 14, bringing the new Siri AI assistant and dozens of other features. |
Siri AI Leads the Update
Siri AI is described as "truly helpful" and "truly yours," and is rolling out as a beta feature limited to English-language devices at launch. Support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish is expected to follow in October.
iOS 27 also introduces a Liquid Glass opacity slider, letting users choose between a clearer or more frosted look for the interface. A number of built-in apps are receiving updated icon designs with subtle color changes, and the update adds extra-large widgets, an option to shrink the time display on the Lock Screen, and separate volume controls for ringtones, alarms, timers, and alerts and system sounds.
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| iOS 27 introduces a Liquid Glass opacity slider and refreshed icon designs for several built-in apps. |
New Tools Across Apple's Apps
Apple Maps gains an AI-enhanced Flyover experience that uses aerial imagery combined with Visual Intelligence models to render details such as architectural fixtures and individual tree shapes in sharper detail for select cities. In the U.S., Maps also adds a Local Lists feature that surfaces trending restaurants and kid-friendly places to visit.
In Find My, users can now share their location for a custom duration, such as four days and six hours, or set an exact expiration date and time, in addition to the three preset options — indefinitely, until end of day, or one hour — available on earlier versions of iOS. Location sharing with specific people can also be paused until the end of the day.
Apple Wallet now lets users create custom passes from physical loyalty or membership cards by pointing an iPhone at a card's barcode using Siri mode in the Camera app. Wallet also adds an enhanced digital key experience for participating hotels and resorts, including trip details, activity updates, and information on available services.
A new bill-splitting feature, powered by Apple Cash and Apple Intelligence, is available in the U.S. through Messages, Apple Wallet, or Siri mode in the Camera app.
"When users point their iPhone at a receipt using Siri mode, it can surface the relevant action to split a bill with Apple Cash and identify the items on the receipt," said Apple. "As users select their items, their total payment is calculated, including their share of tax and tip, so they can pay back exactly what they owe with Apple Cash."
Apple Pay's checkout flow is also getting a redesign that allows users to swipe between payment cards, with eligible cards showing added details such as rewards balances, debit account balances, and pay-later options. A new Tap to Share function, built on Tap to Pay on iPhone, lets users securely share shipping information, email addresses, and loyalty rewards with participating small business owners.
Other additions include a "search within show" feature in Apple Podcasts, and iCloud Shared Albums in Photos now support cross-platform, full-resolution sharing, additional file types, and new ways to filter and react to photos. People without an Apple device can join these albums and contribute photos through iCloud.com. In Apple Music, the AutoMix feature has been updated with smoother, more immersive transitions between songs, and Lyrics Translation is expanding to seven additional language pairings, including English to French, German, Italian, Korean, and Spanish, as well as French to English and Japanese to English.
Health, Accessibility, and Home Upgrades
Cycle Tracking in the Health app can now notify users when logged cycle patterns suggest perimenopause, and offers symptom tracking and educational resources related to perimenopause and menopause.
Accessibility features are also expanding. VoiceOver gains richer image descriptions and integration with the Action button, while a new captioning tool automatically generates synced subtitles for videos and can translate existing captions into other languages. Magnifier adds new tools designed for users with low vision.
In the Home app, Apple Intelligence can combine related activity notifications, describe what happened in selected HomeKit Secure Video footage before it's watched, and help users search for clips based on what occurred. Supported HomeKit Secure Video cameras can also stream and record in 4K. Separately, AirPods are gaining a Custom EQ option for adjusting lows, mids, and highs, and GymKit is coming to iPhone, allowing it to connect to compatible treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and stair-steppers for real-time workout metrics, with AirPods Pro 3 able to track heart rate during workouts.
Availability
iOS 27 is rolling out to eligible iPhones starting September 14.
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