With iOS 27, I’m actually using Siri again
For years, I barely used Siri for anything beyond menial tasks like setting timers or alarms. That has changed with iOS 27, as I now repeatedly use Siri for complex requests and to make sense of on-screen context. While Siri is clearly front and center in this software update by Apple, I also enjoy many of the other quality-of-life updates. I have been using iOS 27 on my main device since the public beta version was released, and on another device through the developer beta before that. I have really enjoyed using the new Siri, often trying to find new use cases for it — and that’s possibly the biggest win for Apple, given that I, like many people, had given up on Siri before this update. Over two years ago, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence and teased anadvanced version of Siri. And aftermultipledelays, the company is finally shipping it, and it doesn’t disappoint. Built on the back of Google’s Gemini models, Siri is much smarter than its previous version, which was built on extended knowledge and a shaky ChatGPT integration. It also has a new logo and transition animation. For starters, I asked Siri about several different things in the area of sports, ranging from World Cup matches to team lineups and scores. There were some hiccups in the earlier developer versions, but most of the information was correct. Siri can also take complex, multistep directions. For instance, I asked it to find small or hidden and useful features for iOS 27 and add them to a note, and it did a good job of that. Plus, Siri can draft a message for you and send it to someone. And because Siri can fetch context from your files, messages, and email, you can also ask it to look up a conversation, like one related to a delivery, and have it create a message for returns. Siri’s on-screen context was a big blessing, too. I could ask trivial questions like who was the oldest player on the pitch when I was looking at lineups for two teams in the World Cup, or have it read the text on-screen out loud when I didn’t want to read. When I was on a startup’s website, I could ask Siri to look up its funding information and competitors. One of my favorite use cases was surfing around coffee Reddit for new roasters and beans, and asking Siri to add it to a specific note. I did face a few difficulties in getting Siri to add it to the right note, but eventually I dumbed down the note’s name for better consistency. The Camera app also now has Siri access, which means you can ask questions about things that are visible in your viewfinder. When I was at a restaurant, I asked Siri what drink I was holding. Because of the color of the drink, it said, “This is green juice,” which is a good first visual assumption. When I specified that I was at an Indian restaurant, it correctly said this could be Jaljeera or Aam Panna. (It was the latter.) I also took a photo of the restaurant’s sign and asked Siri to suggest the best items from its menu. You can also take a photo of a coffee bag and ask Siri for the best way to brew the coffee. With iOS 27, Siri AI gets a dedicated app that lets you return to your previous chats. In Settings, users can change Siri’s voice and expressiveness, as well. The new assistant is positioned to work with other, third-party apps, and as developers update their apps after the operating system rolls out, it will be interesting to see if there is a smooth handoff between Siri and apps. Apple Intelligence powers a number of AI features in iOS 27. For instance, Apple has sprinkled vibe-coding features within the new OS. The first is a Shortcuts creation feature that lets you describe shortcuts and automations in natural language to create them. That means you can start with a simple request, like “Show me today’s to-do items every morning at 8 a.m.” or “convert photo to JPEG,” instead of having to figure out how to craft the shortcut yourself. After the shortcut is created, you can make it more complex by adding more steps, like “convert selected photos to JPEG and share them through AirDrop.” I always wanted to create a list of songs that I heard and liked in bars and cafes, so I made a shortcut to Shazam the song and save both the track and location. You can also now create a custom alert in Safari to track changes to a page like a blog, item pricing, or a privacy policy page. The Photos app has some new handy tools like “reframe” and “extend.” I found they don’t always work that well, but in some cases, they can make an image look better. Meanwhile, Apple has definitely improved its eraser functionality, which now leaves fewer strange artifacts when you remove an object. With Apple Intelligence, when you get certain messages such as information for an event or location, smart suggestions will ask if you’d like to add them to your Calendar or Notes. What’s more, the Passwords app can now automatically change passwords on your behalf by logging into a site. Before discussing any other features, I have to say that I love the new clipboard feature. This lets you paste anything — including links, photos, videos, and text — from one app to another easily. Once the item is in your clipboard, you see a shortcut button saying “paste from Safari” (or similar) on the keyboard, which lets you paste the item. I have been using this feature frequently, and I can’t stress enough how life-changing this is despite it being a small change. In addition, iOS 27 addresses people’s gripes about the look of Liquid Glass. Users can now change its transparency based on their preferences. The control is granular, so you don’t have to choose from presets, either. Apple also introduced intelligent network switching in this update, which automatically flips the connection from Wi-Fi to mobile data if there are issues with the wireless connection. The switching is seamless and very handy when you are doing important work, so you don’t lose your internet connection. The update focuses a lot on child safety as well, as it includes a new setup flow that automatically recommends essential apps. Plus, parents can set schedules, time limits, and allowances for different days of the week. Guardians can get notifications when children are accessing new websites and can approve that access remotely. And the system displays a warning when children are exposed to nudity in Messages, FaceTime, and other apps. Besides Siri AI, iOS 27 doesn’t have many marquee features, but it makes everyday life much easier. In previous years, I would have defaulted to going to ChatGPT or Gemini to get answers for a question. But with iOS 27, I find myself using Siri more often, even though I don’t live in Apple’s Messages and Mail apps. iOS 27 is rolling out to all users with iPhone 11 or later and iPhone SE (second gen) or later. Users can go to Settings > General > Software Update to download the latest version.
