Siri’s AI makeover may have been the top announcement at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, but Apple’s broader AI strategy is taking shape through a series of smaller features built throughout the software.
Rather than asking consumers to adopt a new AI-powered version of Siri to reap the full benefits of AI, the company is focusing on solving real-world problems and weaving AI into the apps and services people already use. As a result, your iPhone can help you split restaurant bills between friends, protect your passwords after a data breach, automate tasks, and organize your information with less manual effort, among other things.
These features, in my opinion, may not be as dramatic as Siri, which can finally understand your personal situation and take actions on your behalf. But taken together, they demonstrate a vision for AI that’s less about chatting with bots and more about making Apple’s software itself smarter and more capable.
Beyond Siri AI, here are the smaller AI features in iOS 27 that we’re most looking forward to using. These features are currently in developer beta and will be coming to public beta soon ahead of the general availability of iOS 27 later this fall.
Dutch treat
When iOS 27 rolls out later this fall, customers will be able to use Apple Cash to split restaurant bills. Powered by Apple Intelligence, just take a photo of your receipt (or upload one) and you’ll see a new option that lets you choose to split a bill with someone else. Apple Intelligence works to extract important details from your invoice, such as items and quantities ordered, tips, and total amount. You can select the items you ordered from your receipt and share your request for others to do the same by sending a message to the group chat. Others can select the item and quantity, and you can also choose half (1/2) if you want to split it with someone else. To pay, double-click as you would any other Apple Cash transaction.
The split bill option only appears when you need it, and it doesn’t feel complicated because it works with existing apps and services that people already know, like Messages and Apple Cash. It’s also wise to charge everyone their share of taxes and tips along with the price of the item.
Update password
Thanks to Apple’s Passwords app and third-party password managers like 1Password, Dashlane, and Bitwarden, you’re likely creating complex passwords that aren’t easy to guess. Unfortunately, that alone is no longer enough to keep your passwords secure. As numerous data breaches over the years have shown us, your passwords often still end up in the wrong hands, even through no fault of yours.
Apple’s new password update feature leverages AI to agentically take action on your behalf by identifying both weak and compromised passwords, such as those found in data breaches. This feature allows you to safely navigate websites, sign in, and upgrade your password to a new, more secure version instead of forcing you to manually update your password.
One-tap message suggestion
If you thought the ability to automatically display the SMS passcode you need to sign in to a website right above your keyboard was one of the best things Apple has ever introduced, you’ll love iOS 27’s new one-tap suggestion.
Using Apple Intelligence, the Messages app offers different suggestions in one tap based on the topic of your conversation. For example, if a friend texts you to bring something for a meeting, a one-tap suggestion could ask if you want to add the request to a reminder. When someone asks you to share a photo from an event, Apple Intelligence understands keywords, places, and people in your photo library to suggest the right photos to send. Or, if you’re planning a dinner date or a work meeting, a message might prompt you to add the event to your calendar. and so on.
Again, the feature itself just looks like a useful tool within chat, rather than an obviously AI-powered add-on.
calling context
Another discreet option coming in iOS 27 will make phone calls with a company’s customer service department a little less stressful by revealing the information you need to provide to the answering salesperson. For example, if you’re calling about an airline reservation, the call context feature displays a confirmation code directly on the call screen.
The feature works by leveraging Apple Intelligence to retrieve information from emails within Mail and runs entirely on your device to ensure privacy. Moreover, this is a tool that only works in the background. You don’t need to talk to the AI assistant to extract information. It just shows you the details you need.
Add a calendar event
By replicating functionality that third-party apps like Fantasical have had for years, Apple will be able to add or change calendar events simply by describing them in natural language. Apple Intelligence internally extracts contacts and locations and creates an event title for you. This feature makes it easy to add items to your Apple Calendar without having to think about which fields you need to enter information into.
Vibe coding shortcuts
Shortcuts, one of the iPhone’s most powerful apps, has been out of reach for many users due to technical overhead. This app allows you to script tasks and workflows and create automations that make your life easier. However, using shortcuts can be a frustrating experience for non-power users, as they must search for resources such as online tutorials and shortcut galleries to find the tools they need.
With iOS 27, all you have to do is describe what you want your iPhone to do. Apple suggests setting a nightly alarm based on events in your calendar for the next day, or having your favorite productivity apps open a certain way every time you connect Magic Keyboard to your iPad. However, there is no need to be so nervous. Shortcuts can also perform other everyday tasks, like automatically texting your partner your estimated arrival time when you leave work or turning on your porch light when your DoorDash order arrives.
Reduce spam in the home app
Smart home users know that apps can confuse you by flooding you with unimportant notifications that are actually all one event. For example, if your partner comes home, opens the smart garage door, checks email, and then enters the house, you might receive one notification for each action. This starts to feel like spam. Apple Intelligence in iOS 27 allows the Home app to understand multiple actions and their connections, so it sends one notification related to the entire activity (someone arrives at your home and closes the garage door).
AI can also help you find the clips you want, such as package deliveries or other events, through search. The Home app also displays featured clips for review at the top of the screen.
Organize Safari tabs
Another less obvious AI feature is the Safari web browser’s tab organizer. Using Apple Intelligence, Safari can now understand what you’re browsing across websites and organize your tabs into related topics. For example, if you have multiple tabs open related to a trip you’re planning, Safari can add them all to the trip’s tab group. They appear at the top of your browser, above the web page, so you can easily access them when you’re ready to return to your web research.
Apple says the AI doing this work also respects your privacy and won’t reveal your browsing data to anyone, not even Apple.
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