Apple’s latest mobile operating system update, iOS 27, rolled out last week, headlined by a more advanced version of its Siri assistant.
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update → operate → assistant
But it also comes with a slew of other useful but less well known features for iPhone users.
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it → come → users
The software upgrade, which is available for devices dating back to the iPhone 11 from 2019, includes a number of refinements and improvements to make things run faster, such as apps loading more quickly.
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apps → date → refinements
There are new features powered by Apple Intelligence, but they’re only available on newer devices, starting from iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.
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they → be → models
A new Siri AI app will only be available in beta at first, so users need to join the waitlist through the settings menu.
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users → need → menu
And Siri AI’s rollout in the European Union will be delayed because of a clash over the bloc’s digital rules.
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rollout → delay → rules
Here’s a look at some of the most useful and interesting iOS 27 features:
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look → ’ → features
Apple has added new child safety features and revamped its screen time controls.
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Apple → add → controls
The new system adds more granular controls for parents trying to manage what their kids can access and see on their devices.
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kids → add → devices
A new setup process lets parents choose which apps kids can access and then add more over time.
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kids → let → time
A new feature, Ask to Browse, requires kids to ask permission from parents before they can access new websites in Safari.
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they → ask → Safari
Like the existing Ask to Buy setting for online purchases and downloads, Ask to Browse is on by default for children under 13.
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Ask → exist → 13
Parents can assess and approve requests in their messages or do it directly on the child’s device using their passcode.
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Parents → assess → passcode
It’s easier and more flexible than pre-approving websites individually or imposing a blanket ban.
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It → ’ → ban
The revamped screen time controls also allow parents to schedule when their kids can use various apps based on their category, such as entertainment, games or social media.
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kids → revamp → entertainment
To help kids focus, parents can allow some types of apps to be used during a certain “time window” during the day, such as before, during and after school.
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types → help → school
They also can set weekday and weekend schedules.
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They → set → schedules
There’s a way to completely suspend all access to devices when you want your kids to pay full attention, like at dinnertime.
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kids → ’ → dinnertime
It also works the other way, allowing parents to temporarily drop all restrictions if a child needs more time to finish something outside their window.
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child → work → window
Apple also has tightened restrictions in its Communications Safety feature, which previously blocked nudity in images and videos shared in Messages or FaceTime.
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which → tighten → Messages
Now it also blocks “gore or violence.”
Get Safari to notify you when something on a webpage changes
Want to keep tabs on a shopping website in case that pair of shoes you want goes on sale?
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you → block → sale
Apple’s Safari browser can now monitor webpages and let you know if anything changes.
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anything → monitor → webpages
The company says Notify Me can check a webpage for any updates such as “price changes and item availability.”
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Me → say → changes
To turn it on, open Safari and go to the site that you want to monitor.
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you → turn → that
Scroll down the menu to Notify Me, where you can type in what changes you’re looking for, and when and how often it should check — every hour, day, week or month.
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it → scroll → changes
I tested it out on a news site’s AI section, asking it to check every hour and notify me if there was a new story posted.
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I → test → me
I did get alerts about new headlines appearing, although it didn’t specify which of the randomly arranged posts was new.
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which → get → posts
While this feature is handy, some users might be disappointed that it can’t check more frequently, such as every few minutes, if they’re waiting for something important.
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they → check → something
Edit your photos with new AI-powered tools
That group photo you took at the wedding party will be treasured for years, but it was taken at a slightly weird angle.
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it → edit → angle
The new tools allow you to reframe a photo’s perspective, clean up any distracting things by removing them, or extend the background beyond the photo’s borders.
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you → allow → borders
I tried them out by reframing a picture of one of my kids standing outside the front door on the first day of school.
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I → try → school
The tool took a few seconds to analyze the picture and then let me move the perspective around, from one side to the other or up and down.
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me → take → other
However, when I used the extend tool on the same photo, the results were less impressive — even creepy.
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results → use → photo
It added a garbled house number — complete with a made up character— to the right side of the door to mirror one on the left.
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It → add → left
Also, a black electrical conduit pipe barely visible in the original photo became drastically bigger, and a gas meter box was extended too much.
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box → become → photo
To be sure, it worked well for most other photos with backgrounds that were generic.
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that → work → backgrounds
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