Apple details new iOS 27 features properly after odd WWDC keynote
WWDC's focus on Siri AI and Liquid Glass meant the usual iOS and macOS feature enhancements were buried.
Yesterday’s WWDC keynote threw viewers – including myself – for a bit of an (Infinite) Loop. It was very much a departure from previous year’s addresses where we got deep dives into specific features. This address was all about Siri AI and backtracking on the Liquid Glass UI design.
So, perhaps that’s why we got a fresh press release from Apple today isolating some of the key new features dropping across its apps, services and devices.
Let’s run through them here:
- Apple Maps is getting enhanced Flyovers with AI-boosted imagery for a sharper and more lifelike look at some of the planet’s major cities.
- Local Lists are new to Apple Maps in the US. It surfaces relevant collections of places like restaurants and kid-friendly spots that makes it easier to make your way around a new city.
- Find My is receiving new controls that enable users to share their location for a custom period of time. The idea is to offer more flexibility, whether it’s for a weekend away or just to help a pal get to the meeting place. Find My is also getting a new Apple Watch app.
- Apple Wallet has a new Visual Intelligence AI-powered bill-splitting tool that captures a paper bill with the camera app and enables users to select the items they ordered. Then Apple Cash can be used to settle up.
- Furthermore, the Apple is giving users the option to create and store passes from physical cards (think loyalty cards and membership cards). Once scanned in they’ll act just like the physical card where you can present a QR code for the teller to scan.
- Sticking with payments, Apple is boosting the Apple Pay checkout experience to make it easier to select between payment methods.
- The Apple Podcasts app is also expanding to video on macOS and tvOS with picture-in-picture support.
- When it comes to Photos, iCloud Shared Albums will support full-resolution sharing, temporary shared albums that don’t take up personal iCloud space. Even those without Apple devices can chip in.
- Apple Music users can benefit from lyric translation and pronunciation assistance, while Lossless Audio will benefit from tvOS.
- Apple Fitness+ is getting a progressive three-week program that includes workouts designed to help users moving through perimenopause and menopause. That compliments the support in Cycle Tracking in iOS 27.
Chris Smith
