While Apple’s WWDC 26 keynote focussed on certain important evolutions, including the new Apple Intelligence suite and the Child Safety features, there must be a conversation about the many new features that will be rolling out with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27 and tvOS 27 will introduce to users’ Apple devices. These features weren’t ignored, just that the keynote didn’t have the time amidst a showcase of everything else that was new.
With the new operating systems available as the first developer beta already, and public beta test versions arriving next month, there is a chance for users to still test these features out before the final release in fall—expected to be September, before the next generation of the iPhone portfolio goes on sale.
Camera becomes even cooler
This may just prove to be an iPhone feature that you end up using more than you realise. The iOS 27 update will add something called Spatial Reframing. What this essentially does is, sitting in the image editing suite in the Photos app, is use deep understanding of spatial models to alter the composition of photos that you wish were framed better at the time. Apple says users can touch and drag a photo and preview in real time how the perspective shifts, and this is as if they had repositioned the camera at the original moment.
The Spatial Reframing feature is using the third generation Apple Foundation image models, and will only generate new content where the perspective has been shifted, to retain consistency with the original frame. Three other, new camera and photography features have been added. First, there will be a hidden SynthID watermark on all images that have been edited with AI, to identify those from original and unaltered photos. Secondly, Extend Tool can now straighten a crooked horizon without cropping out anything important, or adjust the aspect ratio. Apple says the Clean Up tool has received a major upgrade, which means it can remove distractions with more realistic infill even in complex scenes.
Everything is primed to be faster
Speed is of the essence, as far as Apple’s next generation operating systems are concerned. Under the hood system improvements have been promised, for the iterations leading up to the final release. Apple says that the rework will mean apps open up to 30% faster than in iOS 26, and this performance improvement covers third party apps too.
At the same time, AirDrop wireless file transfers will be comparatively up to 80% faster. The sense of urgency extends to the iPhone and iPad reworking management of wireless connectivity and therefore a smoother transition between Wi-Fi and mobile data depending on either network’s conditions. This will result in lesser video call drops, or buffering video streams. Emails, particularly threads, Apple promises will load faster in the Mail app. And that’s not all. The camera app will load faster when the iPhone is in low power mode, which broadly tends to slow down the performance for the sake of lower battery consumption.
iPad users, particularly the creatives and those who use it as a primary work device, will appreciate the fact that data transfers from local storage to a connected external drive will now be as much as 80% faster than before.
Safari gets more web browser smarts
Apple is lining up a significant Safari refresh, and a lot of that is underlined by the evolving Apple Intelligence suite. If a user so wishes, they can now simplify multi-tab browsing by automatically organising a user’s tabs into relevant topics. A new Notify Me will allow users to ask Safari to monitor a web page for changes, like product restocks or price drops— very important if you are scouting for a deal.
Safari is adding a security agent which will, if it detects vulnerable or leaked passwords for a user in any online account, will upgrade the security of those credentials with new automatically generated passwords or passkeys. Users also get an option to create custom Safari extensions simply by describing what they want. Safari will then generate the custom extension right in the toolbar.
Apple Watch is about much, much more
With watchOS 27, there are a whole host of new functionality that’ll arrive on the Apple Watch. The new Siri AI assistant will figure prominently with the significantly upgraded intelligent companion on siting on users’ wrists ready to answer questions and take a certain amount of actions if asked. Apple Watch users can conveniently start a conversation with Siri and then continue that on an iPhone or Mac later. The Siri AI app will simplify the intent of locating an older conversation for reference or continuation.
The Health app, which closely ties an Apple Watch and an iPhone together, will now add support for perimenopause and menopause in Cycle Tracking, including notifications about cycle deviations inclusive of perimenopause. This widens the wearable’s capabilities as a health and fitness tracker.
And one more thing…
It is a fair expectation that the foldable Apple iPhone may be launched this year, perhaps at the iPhone keynote in September. If you are hawk-eyed enough, you’d have realised that the iPhone Mirroring app in macOS 27 Golden Gate has added a visibility flexibility. The app window which shows your iPhone’s screen on your Mac, can now be resized, something that previously wasn’t possible. Does this hint at a foldable iPhone, formally for the first time? The believers can, well, believe!
