Apple’s iOS 27 rolled out last week, led by a more advanced Siri assistant, and also brings several lesser-known but practical features for iPhone users, including revamped parental controls, Safari page monitoring and new AI photo-editing tools. The update is available for devices back to the iPhone 11 (2019). Apple Intelligence features are limited to newer hardware beginning with the iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. A new Siri AI app is initially offered in beta via a waitlist in Settings, and its rollout in the European Union will be delayed because of a clash over the bloc’s digital rules.
New Screen Time controls in iOS 27
Apple has overhauled its Screen Time and child-safety controls to give parents more granular options. A new setup process lets parents choose which apps a child can access and add more over time. Ask to Browse requires children to request permission before visiting new websites in Safari; like Ask to Buy, Ask to Browse is on by default for children under 13. Parents can approve requests in Messages or directly on the child’s device using their passcode.
The updated controls allow scheduling by app category, such as entertainment, games or social media, and support time windows during the day (for example, before, during or after school) as well as separate weekday and weekend schedules. Parents can also suspend all device access when full attention is needed, or temporarily drop all restrictions if a child needs extra time outside their window. Communications Safety, which previously blocked nudity in images and videos shared in Messages or FaceTime, has been tightened to also block “gore or violence.” For these parental controls to function, all devices must be updated to iOS 27 or the corresponding software versions for iPads, MacBooks and Apple Watches.
Safari can notify you when a webpage changes
Safari gains a Notify Me feature that can monitor webpages for updates such as price changes or item availability. To use it, open the site in Safari, tap the three-line menu icon at the bottom of the screen, scroll to Notify Me, then specify the changes to watch for and how often to check: every hour, day, week or month. In testing on a news site’s AI section, Notify Me delivered alerts about new headlines but did not identify which of the page’s posts was new. The feature cannot check more frequently than hourly.
AI-powered photo editing tools
iOS 27 adds AI-driven photo tools to reframe a photo’s perspective, remove distracting elements and extend backgrounds beyond the original borders. The tools are accessed by tapping the editing icon (three slider bars) at the bottom of a photo and then selecting Tools. In testing, the perspective-reframing tool produced realistic results after a few seconds of analysis. The background extend tool was less consistent: it sometimes generated errors such as a garbled house number with a made-up character, an exaggerated electrical conduit, or an overextended gas meter box. The extend tool performed better on images with generic backgrounds.
Other refinements in iOS 27 include performance improvements such as faster app loading, and the inclusion of Apple Intelligence features limited to compatible newer iPhone models. The Siri AI app remains in beta and requires joining a waitlist via Settings.
