After dealing with numerous bugs on iOS 26, I walked into iOS 27 with low expectations. But ever since I installed the latest iOS 27 developer beta 3 on my iPhone, the experience has been nothing short of exciting. From the improved Siri, Describe a Shortcut, new AI tools in Photos and several performance improvements, here are the 12 best iOS 27 features that have quietly changed how I use my iPhone.
Siri AI with Screen Context Awareness
The iOS 27 update puts Siri at the centre of the entire operating system. I recently gained access to the new Siri AI on my iPhone Air, and it works miles better than what we had before.
It's more responsive and conversational in its answers, and those answers are also relevant to what I am looking for. It has also been integrated into the Spotlight search, now called "Siri Search or Ask".
The best part? I can bring up Spotlight search with Siri in any app by swiping down from the Dynamic Island. It lets me ask Siri to summarise articles, highlight emails, or tell me the name of an actor while watching movies. And Apple further improved Siri's response time in iOS 27 developer beta 2.
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Change Siri's Tone and Pace
Getting Siri to think better was one thing. But with iOS 27 Beta 3, Apple opened up the tools to make Siri sound less like a robot. There are new Pace and Expressivity sliders in iOS 27 that let me adjust how fast Siri talks and how much personality comes through in its tone.
It only works on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models for now. But after testing it out, Siri finally sounds like a modern AI agent rather than the monotonous assistant it used to be.
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Describe a Shortcut
'Describe a Shortcut' is one of my best iOS 27 features. I have been using it non-stop to make creative and complicated shortcuts with just a text prompt, and Apple Intelligence churns out a complete working automation for me.
I can just type out what I want the shortcut to do without having to learn about automations and actions. The complexity is what kept me away from using the Shortcuts app on my iPhone, but since iOS 27, I have no excuse to use Shortcuts anymore.
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Image Playground Wallpapers
Image Playground has been around since iOS 18, but it always felt limited with cartoonish output. Apple has fixed this too, as Image Playground can do a lot more on iOS 27. It can generate true-to-life photos, create images of people from your photo library and, finally, generate wallpapers with AI.
Yes, you can generate wallpapers in Image Playground similar to Samsung and Nothing phones. I can clearly tell that the image quality has also been improved, and I have been using it a lot to create some creative wallpapers on my iPhone, which is why it falls under my list of best iOS 27 features.
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System-Wide Dictation
Another quality-of-life iOS 27 feature is system-wide dictation built natively into the keyboard. It automatically adds punctuation, removes filler words, and formats the output based on context.
I tried it briefly to correct my grammatical errors, and its suggestions have proved to be accurate so far. I already rely on Grammarly to fix my mistakes, but this could be the replacement I have been looking for.
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Siri Mode in the Camera App
I never cared for visual intelligence. It always felt like a poor imitation of Google Lens with extra steps and low-quality results. Apple also adopted the same by adding Siri Mode in the Camera app. Having it visible every time I open the camera means I will actually reach for it rather than forgetting it exists.
It also brings a new Look Up Nutrition feature that has slowly changed my eating habits. It shows me a nutrient rating of every food item I scan, making it easier to keep tabs on what's healthy and what's not.
New Changes for AirPods Users
This is going to be the best iOS 27 feature for audiophiles, as Apple finally listened and dropped proper custom equaliser support for AirPods for the first time in a decade. So, I can finally tune the audio experience the way I enjoy it.
However, custom EQ only works on AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2 since it needs the new H2 chip. Besides that, the latest iOS 27 developer beta 3 added a new Adaptive audio slider. It lets me nudge between more transparency and more noise cancellation, which is another handy addition.
Clipboard Suggestions in Keyboard
This is minor but one of the best iOS 27 features that makes a noticeable difference in day-to-day usage. Now, items copied to my clipboard appear as suggestions in the iOS keyboard app.
The keyboard now shows the most recently copied item that I can add to my messages. This is one luxury I have enjoyed for years on Gboard, and I am glad it is finally here on iOS.
Performance Improvements
While Apple Intelligence features are the highlight of iOS 27, the bigger difference everyone will appreciate is the new performance improvements. This is not a single feature, but coming from iOS 26, which made all old iPhones a struggle to use, this feels like a necessary change.
I skipped the iOS 26 update on my iPhone 13 because of the sluggish performance, but that could change with iOS 27.
Liquid Glass Transparency Slider
On iOS 27, you can now slide to adjust the Liquid Glass transparency effects. So, fully turn off Liquid Glass and go back to the frosted glass look. It should also improve performance on older devices that struggled with the new animations.
While it did not bother me, I know many iPhone users will appreciate the smoother experience, which is why it will stand out as the best iOS 27 feature.
Automated Passwords
The Passwords app can now actually flag compromised passwords and fix them for individual websites for you. I just had to approve the action, and iOS will take care of the rest, replacing old passwords and changing them with more secure ones.
I have a long list of flagged passwords I have been ignoring for months. This is the feature that might finally get me to deal with them.
Tab Organisation in Safari
A big reason why I use Chrome over Safari is that it has had the ability to group tabs automatically for years now. That won't be the case anymore, as Safari can now organise tabs into topics with a single tap.
Plus, it can also monitor webpages and notify me when something changes, such as a price drop or a product restock. These two features alone make Safari sound like a lot better browser and something I might want to use.
Have You Tried iOS 27 Yet?
In case you want to try out any of the above features, you can install the latest iOS 27 developer beta on your device if you have an iOS 27-eligible device. However, I should warn you that there are a lot of bugs and issues in this version.
iOS 27 is shaping up to be one of the more heartwarming updates for long-time iOS users. If the impressions are so good, just after 3 developer betas, then I can't wait to get my hands on the final release come this September. Apple is finally delivering on the long-promised Apple Intelligence upgrades, and if it continues, then I will have no problem suggesting it to all my iPhone buddies.
