Apple was expected to go heavy on AI and Siri at Worldwide Developers Conference 2026, and it did. The new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features are promising. I had low hopes of finding actual use of AI in my daily life, though. Event after event, I’ve sat through keynotes that throw AI features I’ll never use at me.
Sure, I can use AI tools to generate a video from a prompt or my phone can book me an Uber with a voice command, but I don’t have much use for AI slop videos and booking a cab takes forever. I was bracing myself for another bombardment, but Apple got the AI pitch right at WWDC 26, showing ways to use its AI features that I could relate to.
For example, I’ve always wanted easier ways to add Shortcuts on my iPhone and wished I could change the framing of my photo while editing it. Apple isn’t telling me to use my phone in new ways, but it is aiming to simplify the things I already do.
I’ve installed the iOS 27 Developer Beta on my iPhone Air and am already excited about what’s to come. While I’m still on the Siri AI waitlist, there are four features that I can’t wait to try on the stable build later this year.
Spatial Reframing gets generative AI right
The original photo (left) gets a change of perspective (middle) and Spatial Reframing fills in the background details using generative AI. Note that the building in the distance that was not visible in the original.
Apple demoed a new feature in the Photos app called Reframe, which uses the Spatial Photos technology to determine depth in a flat photo. It lets you adjust a photo’s composition in post edits. Once you’re satisfied with the new angle in the shot, the Photos app uses generative AI to fill in any areas around the edges.
As a novice photographer, I realize only later when reviewing a shot that I could’ve framed it better. There are times when I don’t notice a disturbance in the background and need to remove it with the Clean Up tool or Object Eraser. However, it doesn’t necessarily look natural every time, so the ability to readjust the angle in a composition is a great idea.
Instead of creating a cutout of a person and placing them in a different position, you can adjust the angle of how you framed the shot. This way, the separation between the subject and the background doesn’t look jarring. As CNET Senior Writer Jeff Carlson pointed out in his story, you can also apply such changes by using Photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom, which lets you adjust the plane of the entire photo, but at the cost of distorting the image. In contrast, Apple’s take keeps the photo resolution after implementing the changes.
Creating Shortcuts with natural language
The Apple Shortcuts app is a brilliant automation tool, allowing you to create custom commands and actions across hundreds of apps. However, it could get tedious, especially if you’re not used to it. The first time I tried creating an automation with Shortcuts, I struggled for a few minutes and then entirely gave up on the idea. When I came back to give it another try, it took me about 15 minutes to figure things out.
With Apple Intelligence on iOS 27, the Cupertino company is making it easier to create new automations in the Shortcut app. All you need to do is describe your shortcut idea and the system will execute it for you.
For example, in the Apple demo, a user described their main goal (wanting to let their partner know what time they’ll get home each day after work). And the system created the Shortcut by using GPS to see when they leave work, calculate their ETA to home using Maps and send a text through Messages to their partner.
How would I use it, you ask? I want to create a Shortcut for my mum to automatically turn on the smart speaker and play her morning playlist when she switches on the kitchen smart plug between 8 and 10 a.m. And another one for when she’s unable to find her phone (happens a few times daily; she’s adorable) to play loud music on her phone whenever she receives a “#lost” text from me. Or create a Shortcut for my home office, so if I leave home it turns off the lights, charging points and wireless chargers.
A smarter browser
Safari is getting a big upgrade across Apple devices. While some of these might be more useful on MacOS 27, I’m looking forward to two features in particular: Notify Me and one-tap update to compromised passwords.
The latter will allow the Passwords app to update your compromised passwords. I expect this to be helpful because I have multiple compromised password alerts currently sitting in my Passwords app that I don’t have the time or energy to update. I don’t want to go to those websites one by one and update my information. I’d do it in an instant if it involved my finances but I always procrastinate (and forget) to change my password for other less consequential sites. One tap access to updating all compromised passwords without leaving the Passwords app would be a nice addition.
Secondly, Notify Me monitors pages for changes. I am a sucker for good deals, whether it be on flights or my favorite watches. In fact, I have turned on Google Alerts for the routes I want to travel. Apple’s new Notify Me feature is simpler and could help me find better deals without cluttering my emails. I can also see myself turning it on to monitor my stock portfolio.
Siri Mode in the Camera app
Siri Mode introduces AI within the camera app for helpful Gemini Live-like features.
Apple has added a dedicated Siri mode with Visual Intelligence inside the Camera app, and I think this is going to end up being my most used iOS 27 feature. It will let you search, ask questions, and take action based on what’s around you without needing to go to a separate app. I see myself using it when traveling.
When traveling, I rely on Google Lens to translate foreign-language menus, Gemini to tell me the price of a potential purchase in my country and Splitwise to split the bill when in a group. The new Siri Mode could help me stop jumping from one app to another and let me do all of this from within the camera app.
I’m also excited to try the new Siri AI, especially because it sits in the Dynamic Island and can understand on-screen content for contextual awareness. I just hope my waitlist ends soon! Until then, I’ll continue reframing more photos and finding minor changes that upgrade the overall user experience.
Read the full article here
