20 Smart iOS 27 Features That Can Make Your iPhone More Useful

Apple’s iOS 27 update brings much more than a redesigned interface. The biggest change is the expansion of Apple Intelligence and Siri, giving compatible iPhones more powerful ways to understand what users are doing and perform everyday tasks.

The update also introduces improvements to Safari, Photos, Camera, Messages, Find My, FaceTime, Maps, parental controls and several other parts of the iPhone experience. Some features are available on a wide range of iOS 27 devices, while advanced Apple Intelligence functions require compatible hardware.

Here are 20 useful iOS 27 features worth trying.

1. Try the New Siri AI

One of the biggest highlights of iOS 27 is the upgraded Siri experience.

Users with compatible iPhones can enable Siri AI through the Settings app. After activation, Siri gets a redesigned interface and can handle more complex requests.

Apple Intelligence support is required for the advanced Siri features, with compatibility starting at supported iPhone 15 Pro models and newer devices.

2. Customize the Liquid Glass Appearance

Apple introduced its Liquid Glass design in the previous iOS generation, and iOS 27 gives users more control over its appearance.

Go to Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass to adjust the transparency and contrast of interface elements. This can make certain controls easier to see depending on your preference.

3. Ask Siri About Objects Through the Camera

The Camera app gets smarter in iOS 27.

You can point your iPhone at an object and use Siri to identify it or provide additional information. This can be useful when identifying products, hardware, animals and other objects around you.

The feature builds on Apple's Visual Intelligence capabilities.

4. Automatically Organize Safari Tabs

If you regularly keep dozens of Safari tabs open, iOS 27 can help organize them.

On compatible devices, Safari can analyze open tabs and automatically group related pages into topics. This makes it easier to find websites without manually sorting every tab.

5. Find Emails More Easily

Mail search has also received improvements.

iOS 27 can prioritize more relevant messages when you search your inbox. Instead of simply displaying matching messages, the updated system attempts to rank useful results higher.

This can be especially helpful if you have years of emails stored on your iPhone.

6. Control Alarm and Notification Volumes Separately

iOS 27 introduces more control over sound levels.

Users can adjust alarm and timer volume separately from notification and system sounds. This means you can keep your morning alarm loud while reducing the volume of less important alerts.

You can find these options under Settings > Sounds & Haptics.

7. Keep Favorite Camera Controls Easily Accessible

The Camera app now lets users customize which controls remain readily available.

You can select frequently used settings and place them near the top of the camera interface. This is particularly useful for people who frequently change options such as aspect ratio.

8. Reframe Photos With AI

iOS 27 also brings smarter photo editing tools.

The Reframe feature allows users to adjust the perspective or composition of an image after taking it. Apple's AI can help reconstruct parts of the scene while creating a different framing of the original photograph.

This can be useful when a photo isn't perfectly composed.

9. Improved Shared Albums

Shared Albums receive several useful upgrades.

People without Apple devices can participate in certain shared albums, making collaboration easier between iPhone, Android and Windows users.

Temporary shared albums can also be created for short-term events, while full-resolution media and additional reactions provide more flexibility.

10. Let Siri Help While Cooking

Siri can now understand information displayed on your iPhone screen more effectively.

For example, if you're viewing a recipe in Safari, you can ask Siri about an ingredient or a measurement without manually searching through the page.

This makes the iPhone particularly convenient when following recipes in the kitchen.

11. Add Apple TV Remote to Your Home Screen

The Apple TV remote doesn't have to remain buried inside Control Center.

You can search for the Remote feature and add it directly to your iPhone's Home Screen. This gives you quicker access whenever you need to control an Apple TV.

12. Ask Siri to Build Shortcuts

Apple's Shortcuts app can be extremely powerful, but creating complicated automations isn't always easy.

iOS 27 makes the process simpler by allowing users to describe what they want a shortcut to accomplish. Siri can then help construct the automation instead of requiring users to manually configure every step.

13. Take Advantage of Siri's Personal Context

One of the more ambitious Siri improvements is its ability to understand information already stored on your device.

For example, instead of manually searching through numerous Notes entries, you can ask Siri to find a particular note based on its contents.

This can make information stored across your iPhone easier to access.

14. Create Calendar Events With Natural Language

Adding appointments to Calendar becomes easier with the improved Siri.

You can describe an event naturally, including its date, time and duration, and Siri can create the initial calendar entry for you.

You can then make any necessary adjustments before the event.

15. Explore New Child Safety Controls

Apple has expanded parental controls in iOS 27.

Parents get additional tools for controlling app and website access, managing daily usage and setting restrictions for categories such as games, entertainment and social media.

A new permission system can also allow children to request access to specific websites.

16. Smoother Wi-Fi-to-Cellular Switching

iOS 27 includes improvements to how the iPhone transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

The goal is to make the transition less noticeable when you move outside Wi-Fi coverage.

This can help reduce interruptions when browsing the web, using navigation or performing other online activities while leaving a Wi-Fi network.

17. Customize Find My Location Sharing

Find My gives users more control over location sharing.

Instead of selecting only predefined sharing durations, iOS 27 allows more customized periods. You can choose how long your location remains visible to another person.

This provides greater flexibility for temporary location sharing.

18. Use Multiple Cameras During FaceTime

FaceTime gains a useful dual-camera capability on supported iPhones.

With Dual Capture, you can keep your face visible through the front camera while simultaneously showing the other person what your rear camera sees.

This could be useful for demonstrations, showing products, traveling or sharing something happening around you.

The feature requires compatible newer iPhone hardware.

19. Use Siri With Magnifier

The Magnifier app becomes more useful with Siri's visual capabilities.

You can magnify something that is difficult to read and ask Siri about the information being displayed. This can be particularly useful for small text, labels, menus and documents.

20. Discover Trending Places in Apple Maps

Apple Maps is also getting a more discovery-focused experience.

Local Lists can highlight popular places and attractions in your area, including restaurants and other points of interest.

The feature can help users discover places nearby instead of using Maps only for navigation.

Final Thoughts

iOS 27 is a significant update for the iPhone, particularly for users with Apple Intelligence-compatible devices. Siri is the biggest focus, but Apple's latest software also adds practical improvements to the Camera, Photos, Safari, Mail, Maps, FaceTime, Find My and parental controls.

Some of the most useful additions are the ability to organize Safari tabs automatically, create shortcuts with Siri, search personal information more naturally, adjust sound levels independently and use AI-powered camera features.

If you have a compatible iPhone, these features are worth exploring after upgrading to iOS 27.