Apple has released iOS 27, its latest iPhone software update, as a free download for supported devices. While the company framed this year's release around polishing its operating system and squashing bugs, the update still packs a long list of new features, headlined by a reworked, context-aware Siri built for the generative AI era.

The update can be installed from the Settings app under General → Software Update. Below is a rundown of the changes most iPhone owners will notice first.

Apple Intelligence takes center stage

Several of the biggest additions lean on Apple Intelligence. A new wallpaper extension tool can expand a photo beyond its original edges so it fills the Lock Screen naturally, generating matching background detail instead of forcing a tight crop. The same option appears in the Photos app.

Safari now uses on-device intelligence to group open tabs into topic-based collections, and a new Create an Extension feature lets users describe a browser extension in plain language and have Apple build it. The Reminders and Calendar apps accept natural language input, automatically extracting dates, times, people, and locations from typed entries.

The Shortcuts app gains a Describe a Shortcut interface, where users explain what they want in everyday language and Apple Intelligence assembles the automation. Image Playground, previously limited to stylized renderings, now runs a new model on Private Cloud Compute that can produce photo-realistic images for the first time, each carrying a hidden SynthID watermark to mark it as AI-generated.

Siri, cameras and photos

The Camera app adds a Siri mode powered by Visual Intelligence that identifies plants, animals, food, and text in the frame, and can perform tasks such as adding an event flyer's date to Calendar or splitting a bill. The redesigned Siri app defaults to Apple's new assistant but can switch to ChatGPT, though conversation context does not carry over between the two.

Photos picks up several tools: star ratings and keywords for organizing a library, the ability to save a still frame from a video, a Reframe option that adjusts a shot's angle using spatial data and AI, and slideshows that can now be created from any album rather than only Memories. Maps improves its Flyover imagery with sharper, more realistic aerial detail across more than 350 cities.

On the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, a more powerful on-device model enables voice customization for Siri, letting users adjust its expressiveness and speaking pace. FaceTime on those models also supports Dual Capture, showing the front and back cameras simultaneously.

Practical everyday changes

iOS 27 introduces adjustable EQ controls for AirPods with Apple's H2 chip, including AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. Users can tune lows, mids, and highs from the AirPods settings.

Other refinements include:

  • A Liquid Glass opacity slider to make the interface more or less translucent.
  • A compact Lock Screen clock layout for a cleaner look.
  • Inline replies to messages from Android users, not just iMessage bubbles.
  • Drawing tools inside the Messages app.
  • A dedicated alarm volume separate from the ringtone.
  • Custom location-sharing durations in Find My.
  • A Safari “Notify Me” option that monitors a webpage for changes.
  • Automatic updating of weak or compromised passwords via the Passwords app.

The Wallet app expands its redesigned pass layout to membership, gift, loyalty, and rewards cards, and adds a spending Insights feature that depends on bank support. Home app users on an iCloud+ plan with at least 2TB of storage can get written summaries of HomeKit Secure Video motion alerts, while Accessibility gains a Live Recognition mode that describes surroundings in real time.

Taken together, iOS 27 blends flashy AI additions with a stack of quality-of-life fixes, giving most iPhone owners a reason to update even if the headline features require newer hardware.