I recently explored and tested over 200 new features in the iOS 27 beta, but in this post, I’ve distilled that list down to 10 of my favorite new features for iPhone. From Journal app writing prompts and section links in Notes, to much-improved 3D buildings in Apple Maps, iOS 27 is packed with awesome new enhancements. The beta, released in June 2026, represents Apple’s most ambitious software update in years, focusing on personalization, accessibility, and intelligent automation. Let’s dive into the 10 features that stood out the most during my extensive testing.

Journal Writing Prompts

If you find yourself lost for words while journaling, the new writing prompts feature can help. It uses text or photos to generate questions to help spur your writing. For example, I showed it a photo of me holding a rubber duck, and writing prompts generated a question specifically about the duck related to my journal entry. This feature leverages on-device machine learning to analyze your recent entries, photos, and even location data to craft personalized prompts. It’s a game-changer for users who want to maintain a daily journal but struggle with writer’s block. The prompts are contextually aware, adapting to your mood and activities. For instance, if you’ve visited a new restaurant, the app might ask, “What did you enjoy most about the meal?” This level of personalization makes journaling more engaging and less of a chore. Be sure to check out our full list of iOS 27 Journal enhancements for a deeper look at what’s new. The Journal app itself has received a visual overhaul, with a cleaner interface and support for multimedia entries, including voice recordings and sketches.

AirPods EQ

I use my AirPods Pro more than any other piece of tech I own, and I love that they are consistently updated each year with new software features. Coinciding with the launch of the OS 27 beta is a new EQ feature that lets you adjust the low, mid, and high frequencies of your AirPods in real time. It’s basic from an audio customization standpoint, but a welcome addition nonetheless. This feature, like past updates, continues to make AirPods one of the most value-laden products that Apple makes. The EQ settings are accessible directly from the Settings app under the AirPods menu, and you can adjust sliders for bass, midrange, and treble. While it lacks advanced options like parametric EQ or presets for different genres, the ability to tailor sound to personal preference is a significant step forward. In my tests, reducing the bass slightly on a podcast improved voice clarity, while boosting treble on acoustic tracks added sparkle. This feature works across all AirPods models that support iOS 27, including AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation. Apple has also hinted at future updates that could bring spatial audio customization, but for now, the EQ satisfies a long-standing user request.

Section links in Notes

The Notes app gets several noteworthy changes in iOS 27 beta, but the one that stands out most for me is the ability to add links to specific sections of a note. Particularly useful for lengthy notes, you can use this feature to hop around the various sections of your note with just a tap. Creating a section link is simple: highlight a section heading, tap the context menu, and choose “Copy Link to Section.” You can then paste that link anywhere in the note or even in other notes. This is invaluable for project planning, research notes, or any document that requires cross-referencing. For example, I have a note for a travel itinerary with sections for flights, hotels, and activities. By adding section links at the top, I can instantly jump to the hotel details without scrolling. The feature also supports deep linking to individual paragraphs, making it even more versatile. Additionally, the Notes app in iOS 27 includes a new tagging system, richer text formatting options, and improved collaboration tools. These updates position Notes as a serious competitor to dedicated note-taking apps like Notion or Evernote.

Automatically resend failed Messages

No longer will you look back at a message thread and realize that the message you meant to share was never sent, because iOS 27’s Messages app will automatically retry a failed message. This feature works silently in the background: if a message fails to send due to network issues, the system will automatically attempt to resend it at regular intervals for up to 24 hours. You’ll still see a delivery status indicator, and you can manually cancel or retry at any time. This eliminates a common frustration where users assume a message went through, only to discover hours later that it never left their device. The feature also applies to attachments like photos and videos, which often fail on weak connections. In my testing, I simulated airplane mode and sent a message; when I turned off airplane mode, the message was sent automatically within minutes. This is a small but meaningful quality-of-life improvement that shows Apple’s attention to everyday user pain points. Combined with iOS 27’s enhanced message effects and scheduling capabilities, Messages becomes even more reliable and feature-rich.

Improved FlyOver in Maps

In our latest episode of the 9to5Mac Overtime podcast, I said that some of the buildings in Apple Maps’ flyover sort of looked like melted butter and lacked definition. Apple has worked to improve Maps’ 3D buildings in flyover, and the results are stunning. The sheer detail and resolution of some of the buildings in supported cities like Vegas and Austin look downright incredible. The improvement is due to a combination of higher-resolution satellite imagery and enhanced photogrammetry algorithms. Textures on buildings now show individual windows, signage, and even architectural details like columns and roof structures. The flyover experience now feels almost as immersive as real-world drone footage. Beyond visual upgrades, iOS 27 also introduces more granular control over map layers, including the ability to toggle transit, traffic, and 3D buildings independently. The Maps app has also gained new navigation features like lane guidance for complex intersections and real-time hazard alerts. These enhancements make Apple Maps a more compelling alternative to Google Maps, especially for users who value privacy and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem.

Apple Music landscape support

iOS 27 adds landscape support to a bunch of apps, including Weather, Health, Fitness, Music, and more. Landscape support in the Music app is limited to the now-playing interface, but it’s great for those who like to dock their phone on a desktop while playing music. When you rotate your iPhone, the now-playing screen adapts with larger album artwork, easier-to-read track information, and larger playback controls. This is ideal for car mounts or desk docks where the phone is often horizontal. The Weather app now shows a week-long forecast in landscape mode without scrolling, and the Health app displays more data points on a single screen. The Fitness app’s landscape mode is particularly useful during workouts, showing metrics like heart rate, steps, and activity rings at a glance. While these might seem like minor updates, they reflect Apple’s commitment to making iOS more versatile across different usage scenarios. For power users who frequently use their iPhone in landscape, these additions reduce friction and improve productivity.

Improved Clean Up in Photos

The Clean Up tool in the previous version of iOS worked okay in certain circumstances, but it was hit-or-miss and generally required ideal photo conditions. While it’s still not perfect, iOS 27’s agentic image generation has improved significantly, delivering impressive results. In the example below, I was able to remove a mug from my photo, and the shelf surface regenerated in a way I’m confident iOS 26 wouldn’t have. The improvement stems from Apple’s use of a new diffusion-based image inpainting model that runs on the Neural Engine. This model better understands context, edges, and textures, allowing it to fill in missing areas with plausible details. For instance, when removing a person from a beach photo, the tool now generates realistic sand and water patterns rather than blurry smudges. However, it still struggles with complex backgrounds like foliage or patterned fabrics. The Clean Up tool is part of a broader suite of AI-powered editing features in Photos, including automatic subject enhancement and smart color correction. These tools make professional-level edits accessible to average users without needing external apps like Adobe Photoshop.

Photos Extend

In addition to the Clean Up updates, iOS 27 adds two additional photo tools – Extend and Reframe. With Reframe I’ve had mixed results, but Extend has been very impressive. It can extend a photo in any direction and intelligently fill in missing details so it looks natural. Just compare the before-and-after pictures below. It even extends the curtain, which is slightly in the foreground of the frame. The Extend tool uses a similar AI model to Clean Up but with a different purpose: rather than removing objects, it adds content to expand the canvas. This is useful for fixing awkward compositions, adding breathing room to a subject, or creating custom wallpaper-sized images from smaller photos. For example, I extended a portrait photo to include more sky and ground, and the AI generated clouds and grass that matched the original lighting and color palette. The results are not always perfect—occasionally the generated edges have slight artifacts—but for most casual uses, it’s remarkably convincing. Reframe, on the other hand, attempts to automatically recompose an image by cropping and rotating, but I found its suggestions less reliable. Still, the combination of these tools gives iPhone photographers unprecedented creative control directly within the Photos app.

Custom passes in Wallet

The Wallet app in iOS 27 adds several noteworthy improvements, but the biggest new feature is the ability to create custom passes based on existing physical or digital passes. By scanning a barcode or QR code from an existing pass and replicating it in a new digital pass, users can use the Wallet app instead of carrying a physical pass to a gym, store, restaurant, theme park, etc. The process is straightforward: open the Wallet app, tap the plus button, select “Create Pass,” and scan the barcode. The app then guides you through adding a name, expiration date, and optional image. Behind the scenes, Wallet encrypts the pass data and syncs it via iCloud, making it available on all your devices. This feature is a boon for users who want to declutter their wallets or who frequently lose physical cards. For example, I created a digital pass for my local library card and can now access it with a simple double-click of the side button. Apple has also added support for driver’s licenses and state IDs in more regions, along with improved integration with transit apps. The custom pass feature is just one part of Apple’s broader push to make the iPhone a complete replacement for physical wallets.

Safari Tab Topics

Safari in iOS 27 will now intelligently generate tab topics to group related websites, helping you organize your tabs in tab view. It’s sort of like tab groups, but it’s automatic and requires no manual organization on the user end. When you have multiple tabs open, Safari analyzes the content of each page and creates topic labels such as “News,” “Shopping,” or “Travel.” Tapping a topic collapses all unrelated tabs, making it easy to focus on a specific subject. This is particularly useful for research projects or when planning a trip, where you might have dozens of tabs open across different categories. The feature uses on-device machine learning to ensure privacy, and it learns from your browsing habits over time to improve categorization accuracy. In my testing, Safari correctly grouped pages about iOS 27 features under a “Tech” topic, even when the website domains were different. This feature complements existing Safari enhancements like the new tab bar design, improved password manager, and support for animated tab backgrounds. Overall, Safari in iOS 27 is faster, smarter, and more intuitive than ever.

Source:9to5Mac News