All posts tagged: iOS 27

Everything New in iOS 27.2 Beta 1

Everything New in iOS 27.2 Beta 1

Apple surprised us with the first beta of iOS 27.2 today instead of releasing an iOS 27.1 beta. Apple likely went straight to iOS 27.2 to keep iPhone Duo code under wraps for now, since we already know the ‌iPhone Duo‌ will ship with iOS 27.1 when it comes out in October. This beta includes Apple’s revamped Health app, new languages for Siri AI, and a handful of other useful tweaks. Revamped Health App The iOS 27.2 beta includes the redesigned Health app Apple showed off at its September iPhone event. The new app is organized into three main tabs: Insights, Longevity, and Browse. Insights includes your most recent and relevant health info, such as vitals, sleep score, heart rate, and Activity Rings. Longevity shows your health data over time, offering up a Health Age calculated from activity level, VO2 max, sleep time, and other metrics. The Health Age feature uses in-app assessments that take advantage of the iPhone’s camera. You can measure flexibility, strength, balance, and VO2 max. The revamped Health app is only …

Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 4

Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 4

Apple is continuing to tweak iOS 27 ahead of its September launch, and the fourth developer beta is available as of today. There are fewer changes than in prior betas, but Apple is still adding new features. TV App In the Settings section of the Apple TV app, there’s a new Automatic Downloads toggle. Turning it on will automatically download the next two episodes of shows you start in Continue Watching. They’ll be deleted when you finish the episodes. Photos There is a “Zoom Photos to Fill” toggle in the ‌Photos‌ section of the Settings app. It slightly zooms photos that nearly match the screen’s aspect ratio, and it is turned on by default. Wallpaper Apple has removed the wallpaper feature that it added in the Notification Center in beta 3. When swiping, you would see a cutout of the subject of your wallpaper on the Home Screen, but that’s no longer available. Siri Voices The Siri Voice selection interface has changed. On devices without the option to set a customizable voice, it has the …

Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 3

Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 3

Apple is continuing to refine iOS 27 ahead of its planned September launch, and the third beta includes several new features. Siri is more customizable, there’s a fun new wallpaper action, and some useful improvements to Photos and Shortcuts. Siri Voice Beta 3 adds support for ‌Siri‌ voice customization on compatible devices. The customization option existed in prior betas, but it was not active. It’s now usable, and you can customize the pace and expressivity of ‌Siri‌, with two base voice options available right now. ‌Siri‌ voice customization requires an iPhone 17 Pro or an iPhone Air because it uses on-device processing. Live Recognition In Accessibility, Apple added a new Live Recognition section. Live Recognition uses on-device intelligence to detect and describe things around you with the camera app. The feature is able to answer questions about what it sees, with an option to set a default question. There’s also support for custom activities. Reminders The Reminders app has an updated icon with Liquid Glass to-do list bullets. Photos In the ‌Photos‌ section of the …

Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 3

Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 2

Apple released the second beta of iOS 27 today, and as is common with a second beta, there are multiple changes. There are new features and updates to existing features as Apple prepares for a July public beta and a September software launch. Write with Siri There is a new Write with Siri button above the keyboard in Notes, Mail, Messages, and more. It makes it easier to locate the option to use ‌Siri‌ for writing. In the first beta, the Write with ‌Siri‌ tool was only available when selecting text. Siri Voice Customization The ‌Siri‌ voice customization feature available on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air now has Pace and Expressivity labeled as “Coming Soon.” The options did not work in the first ‌iOS 27‌ beta. Wallet App Insights The Wallet app has a new “Insights” feature that’s accessible by tapping on the three-dot icon in the upper right corner. Insights is not fully implemented, but a splash screen for the feature says users will be able to connect accounts to Wallet to …

Everything New in Calendar and Reminders in iOS 27

Everything New in Calendar and Reminders in iOS 27

The Calendar and Reminders apps look about the same as they did in iOS 26, but there are a couple of useful new Apple Intelligence features that make both apps more intuitive. Natural Language for Calendar ‌Apple Intelligence‌ in Calendar lets you add events by describing them in natural language. It identifies people, dates, and places while you are typing, and you can tap to add that info. It’s not as fluid as Fantastical, but it’s better than before. You can’t just open the Calendar app and type “meeting at 2pm with Eric on July 14” and have it filed correctly as you do in Fantastical because it doesn’t have the same automatic date swapping. Calendar adds an event on the date that’s selected, and by default, that’s the current date. To use natural language to select another date, you can type in “meeting at 2pm with Eric on July 14,” but you need to tap on the July 14 suggestion at the top of the keyboard. The Calendar app will automatically set the event …

iPadOS 27 Hands-On: Everything New for iPad

iPadOS 27 Hands-On: Everything New for iPad

Like iOS 27, iPadOS 27 gains a smarter, more capable version of Siri, the ‌Siri‌ app, and new Apple Intelligence features in apps, but there are a few iPad-only standouts. ‌Siri‌ AI on iPad has all of the same features as ‌Siri‌ AI on the iPhone, so it can access your personal data, search the web for answers, complete tasks in apps, and answer questions about what’s on your screen. For people who write with Apple Pencil on ‌iPad‌, it can index your handwritten notes so you can search through them. You can use ‌Siri‌ to take action on your notes, whether typed or handwritten. ‌Siri‌ can summarize, rewrite, give you writing advice, check grammar, generate new text for you, and more. There’s a systemwide Write with ‌Siri‌ feature for getting help no matter which app you’re using. There’s a new Image Playground app that can generate images in any style, including photorealistic, and that powers the Image Wand in the Notes app. You can draw a quick sketch of something in Notes and then …

iPhones to Get These New Satellite Features

iPhones to Get These New Satellite Features

Amazon this week announced plans to acquire Globalstar, the satellite company that powers Apple’s satellite features on the iPhone 14 and newer and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. In turn, Amazon announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features. The transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in 2027. At that point, Apple’s features will be powered by Amazon Leo satellites. Apple’s current satellite features: Emergency SOS via satellite Find My via satellite Roadside Assistance via satellite Messages via satellite All of the features are currently free to use in supported areas without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity. Availability varies by country. There were already five more iPhone satellite features or enhancements rumored to be in the works, even before Amazon announced this deal with Apple. At least some of the improvements may be part of iOS 27, which is expected to be available in beta starting in June and widely released in September this year. Those enhancements are as …