Apple spent a lot of time talking about artificial intelligence at WWDC this year, including how Apple Intelligence is getting a boost from Google’s Gemini models. Apple unveiled Siri AI, a major overhaul of its voice assistant that can hold longer conversations, answer questions about what is on your screen and pull relevant information from your messages, emails and photos.
Siri AI is only one part of iOS 27. Apple also announced more advanced photo-editing tools, expanded parental controls, updates to its Liquid Glass design and several performance improvements intended to make the iPhone feel faster and more responsive.
Some of the most immediately useful changes, however, are much smaller. After installing the iOS 27 developer beta, I noticed new features tucked inside apps you already use every day: a faster way to pull up your Safari tabs, a separate alarm-volume setting, new tools for saving and organizing photos, and a Custom EQ option for AirPods.
The iOS 27 developer beta is available now, with a public beta expected in July and the full update arriving this fall. Developer betas can be buggy and may affect battery life, app compatibility and everyday performance, so you should avoid installing them on your primary iPhone unless you are comfortable dealing with unfinished software.
Here are some of the less obvious iOS 27 features worth checking out.
Expand the edges of a photo with Extend
The Photos app is getting a new Extend tool that can expand an image beyond its original borders. You can use it to straighten a crooked horizon, change the aspect ratio of a photo or give your subject more breathing room in the frame.
Photos’ new Extend tool can expand an image beyond its edges.
Extend uses generative AI to create the additional parts of the image, similar to generative-expand tools already available in some photo-editing apps. Apple has also added a Spatial Reframing feature, that allows you to touch and drag to adjust the perspective of an image.
Create a Shortcut by describing what you want
The Shortcuts app can be powerful, but building an automation from scratch requires some patience. In iOS 27, you can simply describe what you want a shortcut to do, and the app will assemble the required steps for you.
You could ask it to create a shortcut that texts someone when your phone is about to die or go into Focus mode when you arrive at work. You may still need to make a few adjustments, but you no longer have to start from scratch.
Shortcuts can now build an automation from a simple description.
AirDrop files up to 80% faster
AirDrop is also getting a speed boost. Apple says some AirDrop transfers can be up to 80% faster in iOS 27, making it quicker to send photos and files to someone nearby.
There is some fine print, though. Apple tested the improvement by transferring multiple photos totaling 30MB between nearby contacts while the phones were not connected to a Wi-Fi network. Your own results will depend on what you’re sending and the conditions around you, but any improvement should be noticeable if you regularly use AirDrop to share large batches of photos.
Open the Camera app faster in Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode can help stretch your battery when your iPhone is running low, but it can also make parts of the phone feel slower. In iOS 27, Apple says the Camera app launches faster when Low Power Mode is turned on.
That is a small improvement, but it matters when you are trying to quickly capture something before the moment passes and your phone dies
Move between Wi-Fi and cellular more smoothly
I always have issues in that moment of limbo when I’m leaving my apartment and too far away to have good Wi-Fi service, but not far enough for my phone to automatically disconnect. It always ends up disrupting whatever I’ve got going on my phone, like a download, stream or FaceTime call, and then I end up having to disable Wi-Fi.
In iOS 27, Apple says the phone can more seamlessly transition between Wi-Fi and cellular data as you move around, without you having to open the Control Center and manually turn off Wi-Fi.
Keep texting while a video is still sending
Sending a large video through Messages can be annoying when you have a weak connection. Until the file finishes uploading, the conversation is pretty much on hold, because text messages are sent in order.
A new continuous-send feature lets you keep sending texts while a large photo or video is still being delivered. Messages also adds a send indicator to each outgoing message, making it easier to see what has already gone through and what’s still in progress.
Show both sides of a FaceTime call
Dual Capture in FaceTime lets you stream video from your front and rear cameras at the same time during a one-on-one call. That means the other person can see your face while you show them what is happening in front of you.
It could be useful when you are giving someone a tour, showing them a view or asking for help with something in front of you without constantly flipping the camera back and forth. There is one limitation: Apple says Dual Capture is available only on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 lineup.
Save any frame from a video as a photo
The Photos app now lets you save a single frame from a video as a photo with a tap. That means you no longer need to pause a clip at exactly the right moment, take a screenshot and crop out the video controls afterward.
There’s already a feature to take stills while you’re shooting a video, which I use when I’m recording a live concert, but it’s nice to have the feature for after, especially when there’s a great still image buried somewhere inside them.
Review several selected photos at once
Selection View gives you a faster way to review and modify a group of photos after selecting them in your library. You can also manage included metadata, such as location information.
This should make it easier to clean up a batch of pictures before sharing them, rather than opening each one individually and making the same changes over and over again.
Rate your photos and videos with stars
If your photo library is overflowing with thousands of images, iOS 27 gives you another way to organize the ones you really care about. You can now assign photos and videos a rating from one to five stars.
Once you have rated your photos, you can filter your library and collections by rating. That could make it easier to narrow down a set of pictures for Instagram or keep track of the images you still need to edit.
Sync new photos to iCloud immediately
Photos also includes an option to prioritize syncing new images and videos to iCloud for one day, even if it comes at the expense of battery life or system performance.
Normally, your iPhone may delay some syncing to conserve power or handle other tasks. The new setting is useful when backing up your photos matters more than preserving battery life, like after a photo shoot or an event where you captured something you don’t want to lose.
Customize the EQ on your AirPods
AirPods are getting a Custom EQ setting that lets you adjust the lows, mids and highs. That gives you more control over how your music sounds without relying on a broader EQ setting.
You could boost the bass, pull back the high end or make smaller adjustments based on your own preferences. It is not a replacement for a full professional equalizer, obviously, but it should be more than enough for people who want their AirPods to sound a little more personalized.
Set your alarm volume separately from everything else
This feature should’ve been available on the iPhone a long time ago: You can set your alarm volume independently from the rest of your system volume.
That means you can keep videos, music and other audio relatively quiet without worrying that your alarm will also be too soft to wake you up. I’ve had times when I’ve missed an alarm because the volume was at zero, but hopefully, no more.
Give a widget an entire Home Screen page
Widgets can now take up an entire Home Screen page if you want them to. Apple calls them extra-large widgets, with support for apps including Calendar, Photos and Music.
A full-page Calendar widget could make it easier to see your schedule at a glance, while a Photos widget could turn one page of your Home Screen into something like a digital photo frame. I don’t think I want a widget to take up my entire screen (isn’t that what apps are for?), but it could make sense for the apps you check often but only quickly want to glance at.
See all your Safari tabs with one tap
Safari has a small change that makes it much easier to see all the tabs you have open. Instead of double tapping on the tab button, you now only have to tap once to view all your tabs. It’s a minor interface tweak, but it removes some of the friction from jumping between webpages, especially if you regularly keep hundreds of tabs open at once, like me.
For more from WWDC, check out some of the biggest announcements and how to download the iOS 27 developer beta.
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