iOS 27 is here: 10 iPhone features you'll want to try now

Some of these changes could save you from digging through apps or hunting for information yourself. Others give you more control over how your iPhone looks and works. Here are the iOS 27 features I think are worth trying first, along with how to find them.

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Keep in mind that many of the features below, including the new AI photo tools, Safari Notify Me and Call Context, also require an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone. Siri AI is rolling out in beta in English on supported devices. Apple says support for additional languages will follow later. Availability can also vary by region.

Before installing a major update, I recommend backing up your iPhone. Also, connect to Wi-Fi and make sure you have enough battery life or plug your phone into power.

Then follow these steps:

If iOS 27 does not appear immediately, check again later. Apple software releases can take some time to appear on every compatible iPhone.

Because AI may create new portions of the scene, I would zoom in and inspect the result before sharing an edited photo. Generative tools can still produce odd details.

Maybe you took a photo too close to your subject. The new Extend tool lets you expand beyond the original edges while Apple Intelligence generates the missing surroundings.

The feature will not work with every photo. Apple also says its intelligent photo-editing tools can be subject to daily usage limits.

Apple has also upgraded Clean Up in Photos. The tool can now tackle larger unwanted objects and distractions while using AI to fill in the space left behind.

This could be especially handy for removing a person in the background or another distraction that pulls attention away from the subject.

Apple is also giving Image Playground a major upgrade in iOS 27. You can now generate images in many more styles, including photorealistic ones. You can also start with an existing image and describe how you want Apple Intelligence to change it.

For example, you could ask it to change the setting or adjust the overall look without starting from scratch. As with Apple's other generative image tools, usage limits may apply. I would also look closely at the results before sharing them, especially when people or detailed objects appear in the scene.

You can choose hourly, daily, weekly or monthly checks. However, Notify Me does not yet work on every website. Safari can also automatically organize open tabs by topic, which could help anyone whose browser looks like a digital junk drawer by the end of the week.

Apple Intelligence is also getting involved when you call businesses. A new feature called Call Context can surface useful information from other apps while you are on a call.

Say you call an airline about a reservation. Call Context can pull up a confirmation code from Mail rather than forcing you to leave the Phone app and search for it while someone waits on the other end.

There is no complicated workflow to learn. When you place a supported business call and Apple Intelligence identifies relevant information, it can surface that information during the call.

Apple says its system determines what could be useful based on who you are calling. It can do that without analyzing the audio from your call. That is the kind of AI feature I want to see more of, because you do not have to change your behavior to benefit from it.

Last year, Apple introduced the transparent Liquid Glass design across iOS. Some people liked the new look. Others found certain screens harder to read. With iOS 27, Apple says it has improved contrast and readability. More importantly, you now have greater control over how transparent the interface appears. Apple added a slider that lets you move the look from ultraclear toward fully tinted.

The changes appear in real time as you move the slider. The setting applies across iOS, including places such as Control Center, notifications and app overlays. This is a small change, but I like that Apple is giving people a choice rather than assuming one visual treatment works for everyone.

Depending on your iPhone and camera mode, available controls can include Flash, Live Photo, Timer, Exposure, Styles and Aspect. Apple also gives you a Reset to Essentials option if you want to return to the default setup.

You first need Family Sharing set up with your child in the family group.

When your child tries to visit restricted web content, they can send an Ask to Browse request for your approval. Apple has also expanded Communication Safety. It already helps protect children from nudity in supported Apple services. With iOS 27, Apple says the system can intervene when it detects gore or violent content in shared photos and videos.

If you already share your location with someone, you can also pause sharing with that person until the end of the day from their location-sharing options. I like having more control here because location sharing often makes sense for a specific situation. You may want someone to know where you are during a weekend trip without giving them indefinite access afterward.

Shortcuts can be incredibly powerful, but building one manually can get complicated fast. iOS 27 makes the process much easier with Describe a Shortcut. You can tell Apple Intelligence what you want your iPhone to automate in plain English. Shortcuts then connects the actions needed to build it. For example, Apple says you could ask your iPhone to message someone with your ETA when you leave work. You could also build automations that work across supported apps.

This could make Shortcuts much more approachable for people who have always liked the idea of automating their iPhone but never wanted to figure out how all the individual actions fit together. Some Shortcuts that rely on Apple's cloud-based AI models may be subject to daily usage limits.

This is the feature many iPhone owners have been waiting for, but I would treat it differently from the 10 features above. Siri AI is rolling out as a beta in English on supported devices, so expect some rough edges while Apple continues to improve it.

Siri AI can hold more natural conversations and handle follow-up questions. It can also use personal context from information on your device.

For example, you could ask Siri to find an old photo without remembering when you took it. You can also ask it to locate something buried in an email or note. Siri can take more actions inside apps, too. Apple says it can work across messages, emails, photos and other supported apps. Siri can also pull information from the web when you ask broader questions.

The real test will be whether Siri can save you from bouncing between apps. I have always found voice assistants most useful when they remove a few steps from something I already wanted to do. If Siri AI can reliably find a buried email or pull up a photo from years ago based on a vague description, that could change how often people use it. Because this is still a beta, I would double-check important answers or actions before relying on them.

Apple has also given Siri its own app, which makes it feel more like the AI assistants people have grown used to using.

You can also pin conversations you want to keep handy. Apple says you can invoke Siri AI by saying "Hey Siri," pressing the side button or swiping down from the Dynamic Island on supported iPhones.

What I like most about iOS 27 is that some of its best features solve problems you actually run into. Safari can keep an eye on a webpage so you do not have to. The new photo tools could rescue a shot you thought was unusable. Find My also gives you better control over how long someone can see your location. I am especially interested in what Apple Intelligence can do with Shortcuts. Describing an automation instead of building it action by action could finally make Shortcuts approachable for people who have always found it too complicated. Siri AI is still the feature I will be watching most closely. Apple is asking us to trust Siri with more personal context and more complicated requests, so getting the answers right will be critical. The fact that Siri AI launches as a beta tells me we should expect some bumps along the way. What I want from AI on my iPhone is pretty simple. Save me time without making me think about the technology doing the work. If iOS 27 can consistently do that, these features could become the ones you use every day without even thinking about them.

What would Siri AI have to prove before you let it handle more of your day? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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