iOS 27 Photos App: New Features and Updates
▼ Summary
– iOS 27 Photos app introduces AI editing tools like Clean Up, Extend, and Reframe, accessible via the Apple Intelligence icon.
– Clean Up now offers three object removal modes (Fast, High Quality, Auto) using generative AI for better background reconstruction.
– Extend uses generative AI to expand image borders and adjust composition, and can automatically fit iPhone Lock Screen wallpapers.
– Shared Albums gain new features, including support for Android/Windows users, expiration after 30 days, emoji reactions, and activity logs.
– Users can now add keywords and star ratings to photos, create customizable slideshows from any album, and use a “Sync Immediately” option for iCloud uploads.
With iOS 27, Apple has given the Photos app a major overhaul, introducing a series of performance boosts, quality-of-life upgrades, and powerful new AI-driven editing tools powered by Apple Intelligence. The update transforms how users manage, edit, and share their images.
A new suite of AI photo editing tools is accessible by tapping the three-slider icon, then selecting the “Tools” label under Apple Intelligence. The Clean Up feature has been significantly improved. While the original version struggled with complex backgrounds, the new AI models can now reconstruct entire scenes using generative AI, making object removal much more effective. Users can choose from three modes: Fast for simple edits, High Quality for detailed scenes, and Auto to let the app decide the best approach.
The Extend tool allows you to change a photo’s composition by expanding its borders. Using generative AI to fill in missing areas, you can zoom out or adjust the framing with simple pinch gestures. This feature is also used to expand iPhone Lock Screen wallpapers that don’t perfectly fit the display.
A standout new addition is Reframe, which can change the perspective of a photo after it’s taken. It leverages spatial information captured by the iPhone at the moment of shooting, combining it with AI to adjust the camera angle in post-processing. You use touch-and-drag gestures to shift perspective, and two-finger gestures to pan, zoom, or rotate the image.
While not part of the Photos app itself, Image Playground can now be used to make photorealistic edits. You can add realistic accessories like hats to a friend’s photo by selecting specific areas and using natural language prompts. The app is free to use but includes daily caps, with extra usage available through iCloud+ subscriptions.
Other practical updates include the ability to save a single frame from a video as a photo. Apple has also added metadata support, allowing you to assign keywords and star ratings (one to five stars) to images, which can then be filtered.
Album organization has been improved with several new features for Shared Albums. Android and Windows users can now contribute to iCloud albums for the first time. Shared Albums can be filtered by photos or videos, and images are easier to save. You can now set albums to expire after 30 days for temporary sharing. Inviting people is simpler with a dedicated “Create Shared Album” option, and you can create upload links with explicit permission requirements. A recent activity log and the ability to react with any emoji round out the social features.
Slideshows can now be created from any album or image collection, not just Memories. Tap into an album, select the icon in the upper right, and choose “Start Slideshow.” You can customize transitions, slide duration, and background music, then share the result as a video on social media.
Two new Utilities folders have been added: “Captured by Me” aggregates all images taken from the Camera app on your current or past iPhones, while “Identity Documents” collects scans of passports, licenses, and similar documents.
In the Settings app, a new “Sync Immediately” option under the Photos section prioritizes iCloud uploads for the day, syncing new images as soon as they enter the library rather than waiting to save battery. Full-resolution photos and videos can now be added to iCloud Shared Albums, supporting all common formats.
Additional changes include the ability to select a specific pet for the Photo Shuffle wallpaper, improved search results for people and pets, faster rendering of the Collections tab, quicker loading of new captures, and the option to include your own images in Photo Shuffle. A “Show Selected” option in the Library displays all checked photos so you can edit their metadata.
The AI photo editing tools are available on devices supporting Apple Intelligence, including the iPhone 15 Pro and later. Performance and organizational features are available on any device running iOS 27, which supports the iPhone 11 and later.
(Source: MacRumors)
