Apple’s latest mobile operating system update, iOS 27, rolled out last week, headlined by a more advanced version of its Siri assistant. But it also comes with a slew of other useful but less well known features for iPhone users. The software upgrade, which is available for devices dating back to the iPhone 11 from 2019, includes a number of refinements and improvements to make things run faster, such as apps loading more quickly. There are new features powered by Apple Intelligence, but they’re only available on newer devices, starting from iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models. A new Siri AI app is only available in beta at first, which means users need to join the waitlist through the settings menu. And Siri AI’s rollout in the European Union will be delayed because of a clash over the bloc’s digital rules. Here’s a look at some of the most useful and interesting iOS 27 features: New screen time controls Apple has added new child safety features and revamped its screen time controls. The new system adds more granular controls for parents trying to manage what their kids can access and see on their devices. A new setup process lets parents choose which apps kids can access and then add more over time. A new feature, Ask to Browse, requires kids to ask permission from parents before they can access new websites in Safari. Like the existing Ask to Buy setting for online purchases and downloads, Ask to Browse is on by default for children under 13. Parents can assess and approve requests in their messages or do it directly on the child’s device using their passcode. It’s easier and more flexible than preapproving websites individually or imposing a blanket ban. The revamped screen time controls allow parents to schedule when their kids can use various apps based on their category, such as entertainment, games or social media. To help kids focus, parents can allow some types of apps to be used during a certain “time window” during the day, such as before, during or after school. They also can set weekday and weekend schedules. Previously, parents could only set more general daily time limits for screen “downtime.” Parents can completely suspend all access to devices when they want kids to pay full attention, like at dinnertime. It also works the other way, allowing parents to temporarily drop all restrictions if a child needs more time to finish something outside their window. Apple also has tightened restrictions in its Communications Safety feature, which previously blocked nudity in images and videos shared in Messages or FaceTime. Now it also blocks “gore or violence.” Don’t forget that for these parental controls to work, all devices must be updated with iOS 27 or the corresponding versions for iPads, MacBooks and Apple Watches. Get Safari to notify you when something on a webpage changes Want to keep tabs on a shopping website in case that pair of shoes you want goes on sale? Apple’s Safari browser can now monitor webpages and let you know if anything changes. The company says Notify Me can check a webpage for any updates such as “price changes and item availability.” To turn it on, open Safari and go to the site that you want to monitor. Then, at the bottom of the screen, tap the three-line menu icon. Scroll down the menu to Notify Me, where you can type in what changes you’re looking for, and when and how often it should check — every hour, day, week or month. I tested it out on a news site’s AI section, asking it to check every hour and notify me if there was a new story posted. I did get alerts about new headlines appearing, although it didn’t specify which of the randomly arranged posts was new. While this feature is handy, some users might be disappointed that it can’t check more frequently, such as every few minutes, if they’re waiting for something important. Edit your photos with new AI-powered tools That group photo you took at the wedding party will be treasured for years, but it was taken at a slightly weird angle. No problem, just use one of the new AI-powered photo editing tools to fix it. The new tools allow you to reframe a photo’s perspective, clean up any distracting things by removing them, or extend the background beyond the photo’s borders. To find these tools, tap on the editing icon at the bottom of each photo, represented by three slider bars, then tap Tools. I tried them out by reframing a picture of one of my kids standing outside the front door on the first day of school. The tool took a few seconds to analyze the picture and then let me move the perspective around, from one side to the other or up and down. The result was quite realistic. However, when I used the extend tool on the same photo, the results were less impressive — even creepy. The most glaring problem? It added a garbled house number — complete with a made up character — to the right side of the door to mirror one on the left. Also, a black electrical conduit pipe barely visible in the original photo became drastically bigger, and a gas meter box was extended too much. To be sure, it worked well for most other photos with backgrounds that were generic. ___ Kelvin Chan, The Associated Press
