Apple has officially unveiled iOS 27, promising a slate of new features for iPhone users. According to Mark Wilson writing for TechRadar, the update includes a next-generation Siri AI, a more customizable Liquid Glass interface, automatic password strengthening, and enhanced photo editing capabilities. A developer beta is available now, with a public beta expected in July and a final release in September.
Siri AI arrives, but not in the EU
Two years after Apple first announced a more personalized Siri, the company is finally delivering Siri AI — a conversational assistant powered by Apple's new Foundation Models, built in collaboration with Google. Wilson reports that Siri AI can understand "personal context," pulling information from across a user's messages, emails, photos, and more to answer questions. It will also have a dedicated app that remembers past conversations and syncs privately via iCloud. A Siri mode in the Camera app will boost visual search — for example, providing nutritional information for a meal.
However, Apple has stated that Siri AI will not be available in the European Union due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The UK, which is no longer in the EU, will receive the feature.
Liquid Glass gets an opacity slider
Apple has responded to criticism of Liquid Glass, the translucent effect introduced in iOS 26, by adding an opacity slider. According to Wilson, users can now adjust how "glassy" the effect appears in tabs and menus, ranging from "ultra clear" to "fully tinted." Additionally, Liquid Glass will better diffuse content behind the effect, improving readability.
Passwords app auto-changes weak passwords
The Passwords app in iOS 27 gains the ability to automatically change weak or compromised passwords for the user. The app already alerts users to leaked or compromised passwords, but now it can fix them without manual intervention. Apple says the feature works on "eligible accounts," though the full extent of supported services remains to be seen. Wilson calls this a potential "sleeper hit" of the update.
Apple Photos editing upgrades
The Apple Photos app is receiving three new editing tools in its 'Tools' section, as reported by Wilson. The Clean Up feature, which already exists, is getting a "big upgrade" to remove distractions more realistically. Unfortunately, the detailed description of the other two features was not available in the source excerpt, but the update continues Apple's efforts to match Google's photo editing capabilities on Android.
| Feature | Key Detail | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Siri AI | Built on Apple's Foundation Models with Google; understands personal context | Outside EU; in UK |
| Liquid Glass slider | Opacity adjustment from "ultra clear" to "fully tinted" | All iOS 27 devices |
| Passwords auto-change | Automatically updates weak/compromised passwords on eligible accounts | All iOS 27 devices |
| Photos Clean Up | Improved realistic removal of distractions | All iOS 27 devices |
These features represent the biggest consumer-facing updates in iOS 27, though the full list includes seven highlights according to Wilson. For enterprise IT teams, the password enhancement could straightforwardly reduce manual password management burdens, but no enterprise-specific implications were detailed in the source.
Sources:
