Every new feature in iOS 27 is worth knowing about

While Apple’s new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence announcements dominated the WWDC spotlight earlier this month, the tech giant also packed iOS 27 with a number of upgrades across its everyday apps and services, including smarter bill splitting in Apple Wallet, new ways to share locations in Find My, and improved Apple Maps features.

Apple Maps

Apple has made an improvement to “Flyover,” a feature that provides immersive 3D views of cities and landmarks. The feature has been updated with more detailed visuals and smoother navigation.

The company also launched “Local Listings,” a new way for users to discover and save recommendations for restaurants, attractions and other locations within maps by seeing trending trends. This could be Apple’s way of luring users away from using third-party apps for local exploration, like Google Maps or even Instagram and TikTok.

Look for me

Find My is more flexible with new location sharing controls. Starting this fall, users will be able to share their location for a custom period of time, whether that’s a few minutes, several hours, several days, or even a specific date and time.

Apple is also adding the ability to pause location sharing with individual contacts until the end of the day. The changes are designed for different situations, such as keeping a surprise birthday party under wraps.

Apple wallet

Apple Wallet is getting a big boost. One of the premium additions allows users to scan receipts using their iPhone camera and automatically split bills with friends using Apple Cash. Powered by Apple Intelligence, this feature can identify individual items on a receipt, calculate each person’s share of taxes and tips, and facilitate payment directly through Messages or Wallet.

Wallet is also gaining support for digitizing physical memberships and loyalty cards. Users can simply point their iPhone camera at the barcode or scan the digital card to save it directly to Wallet. Support extends to Apple Watch, so passes can be installed on the Apple Watch Smart Stack for faster retrieval.

Travelers will benefit from a revamped hotel key experience. In addition to unlocking rooms and amenities using iPhone or Apple Watch, guests staying at participating hotels and resorts will be able to access trip details, activity schedules, service information and real-time updates directly within Wallet.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is getting a redesigned payment experience online and in apps. Users will be able to swipe between payment cards more easily while viewing information such as rewards balances, account receivable balances, and available Pay Later options. Later this year, Apple says users will also be able to add money directly to eligible debit cards through Wallet or while checking out via Apple Pay.

For merchants, Apple is expanding Tap to Pay on iPhones with a new feature called Tap to Share. Customers can connect directly to participating merchants using a simple click to securely share information such as loyalty accounts, shipping addresses and contact details.

Apple music

Apple Music is expanding Song Translation to support seven additional language pairs, including English translations of songs in French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, and Japanese. Speak Lyrics will now help users sing along to songs in languages ​​they may not speak by displaying phonetically translated lyrics across five new language pairs.

AutoMix, which automatically creates smoother transitions between songs, is enhanced with more immersive mixes, and is expanding beyond iPhone to include Apple TV and HomePod. Apple Music subscribers can also access Hi-Res Lossless Audio on Apple TV 4K, allowing users with compatible audio systems to experience studio-quality sound through tvOS.

Apple Podcast

Podcast listeners get some welcome upgrades. The new In-Show Search feature allows users to search directly through specific podcast episodes across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and the web. Apple also offers video podcasts on both Mac and Apple TV, reflecting the growing popularity of video-first streaming.

Shared iCloud albums

Apple is introducing full-resolution photo sharing, support for additional file types, emoji reactions, improved activity feeds, and the ability to view activity on a per-album basis. Additionally, new temporary albums are designed for short-term projects and events, allowing groups to collaborate without permanently consuming iCloud storage.

Notably, people who don’t have Apple devices will also be able to contribute photos via the web.

Fitness+

Fitness+ is launching “Strong Through Menopause,” a three-week program that includes yoga and guided strength training to help people going through perimenopause and menopause build strength, improve mobility and balance, and manage stress. Apple is also adding a new episode called “Time to Walk” featuring actress Busy Philipps, who shares personal stories about her experiences with perimenopause.

All of these features are available for developers to test now through the Apple Developer Program, with the public beta arriving next month.