iOS 27 Must-Haves: The Features Worth Turning On, Plus One App We'd Add

The short answer: In iOS 27, the most useful additions are Visual Intelligence in the Camera's Siri mode, reminders and calendar events typed in plain language, shortcuts you describe instead of build, and new Photos folders that finally split your camera photos from everything else. The one app we'd add is Captr, which sorts your screenshots and TikTok and Instagram saves and turns them into reminders, plans and purchases. (We make Captr, so take that part with a grain of salt.)

Several features below need Apple Intelligence, which means an iPhone 15 Pro or later.

Capture and understand

1. Visual Intelligence in the Camera. Swipe to Siri mode in the Camera app, point at something and ask. It can read laundry labels, identify an odd cable, look up an item and its reviews on the web, and scale a recipe.

2. Business cards to Contacts. Take a photo of a business card and add the person to Contacts without typing.

3. Barcodes to Wallet. A photo of a barcode, like a gym card or a loyalty card, can become a Wallet pass.

4. Whole schedules to Calendar or Reminders. Photograph a school, sports or class schedule, and add all the events at once.

5. Splitting the bill (US only). Point the camera at a restaurant bill to split it and send or request money with Apple Cash.

Plan and remember

6. Reminders in plain language. Type "pick up the dry cleaning Thursday after work" and Reminders fills in the date, time and place.

7. Calendar events in plain language. Describe the event the same way, and Calendar sets it up.

8. Shortcuts you describe. In the Shortcuts app, tap New Shortcut and describe what you want it to do. No need to drag actions around.

9. The new Siri app. Siri now keeps your conversation history in its own app, understands what's on your screen and can act across apps.

Photos and storage

10. Captured by Me. A new folder under Utilities in Photos that shows only what you shot with the camera. Screenshots and saved images stay out of it.

11. Identity Documents. Another new Utilities folder that collects photos of passports, licenses and similar paperwork in one place.

12. Keywords and star ratings. Tag and rate photos and screenshots, then filter by them.

13. Save a video frame as a photo. Pull a single frame out of a video instead of taking a screenshot of it.

Security and money

14. Automatic password fixes. Safari can change weak and compromised passwords for you.

15. Spending insights in Wallet. See spending highlights and trends across your connected accounts.

Two settings to check

• Screenshot previews. If you'd rather have the small thumbnail than the full-screen preview, go to Settings → General → Screen Capture and turn off Full-Screen Previews. Leave it on if you want Visual Intelligence on every screenshot.
• Text size. Settings → Display & Brightness → Text Size. Drag the slider until reading feels comfortable.

The one app we'd add: Captr

iOS 27 made it easier to act on a single screenshot the moment you take it. It still doesn't do much with the hundreds you already have, or with what you save on TikTok and Instagram. That's where Captr fits:

• Instant screenshots on iOS 27. Set it up once in Settings, and every new screenshot lands in Captr.
• Social saves included. Connect TikTok and Instagram and your saves sync, old ones included, public posts only.
• Sorted and grouped on its own. Products, places, recipes, events, shows and books, plus smart lists like "Trip to Lisbon" or "Sneaker shortlist."
• Search in your own words, with suggestions that narrow the results as you type.
• One-tap next steps. Buy links and the best price, directions, reminders and calendar events.
• Home Screen widgets. Up next shows what's coming with the day and time. Last save shows your newest save.

For the details, see The Best Screenshot Organizer for iPhone in 2026.

FAQ

What are the best new features in iOS 27?

Visual Intelligence in the Camera's Siri mode, plain-language Reminders and Calendar, Shortcuts you describe, the new Siri app, and the Captured by Me and Identity Documents folders in Photos.

Which iPhones get Visual Intelligence in iOS 27?

iPhone 15 Pro and later.

What's a must-have app for iOS 27?

For anyone who screenshots a lot or saves posts on TikTok and Instagram, Captr. It works with iOS 27's instant screenshot setup and turns saves into reminders, plans and purchases.

Last updated September 2026.