How to Set Up and Use Every New iOS 27 Feature on iPhone 18 Pro

You updated to iOS 27. Now what? The update screen disappeared, your phone restarted, and everything looks almost the same as before. iOS 27 doesn't show off. The best new features are buried in settings menus and app controls you'd never open without a guide. Here's exactly how to find and use the best new stuff, step by step.

How to Enable and Use the New Siri AI Features

iOS 27 completely rebuilds Siri with Personal Context and Onscreen Awareness. Before it works the way Apple describes it, you need to turn it on. Setting it up: 1. Open Settings and tap Siri & Search 2. Scroll down to Apple Intelligence & Siri 3. Toggle on Personal Context — this lets Siri read your emails, messages, and calendar to give context-aware answers 4. Toggle on Onscreen Awareness — this lets Siri see what's on your display and act on it Using it: Hold the side button and ask something that requires context: "What time is my dentist appointment?" or "What did Jess say about dinner last week?" With Onscreen Awareness on, hold the side button while looking at a web page and say "Add this to my calendar" or "Summarize this for me." The dedicated Siri app now lives on your home screen for a full-screen chat-style interface. Good to know: Personal Context only works with Apple apps (Mail, Messages, Calendar, Notes). Third-party apps are not in scope yet.

How to Use the New Variable Aperture Camera Controls

iPhone 18 Pro is the first iPhone with variable aperture — you can manually choose how much light the lens lets in, directly affecting background blur and low-light sharpness. 1. Open the Camera app 2. Tap the arrow at the top to reveal the toolbar 3. Tap the f/ icon — this is the aperture control 4. Drag the slider: lower f-number (f/1.48) = blurrier background, more light; higher f-number (f/4.0) = sharper background, less light Using the new histogram: Tap the histogram icon in the toolbar. The live histogram shows whether your image is under- or over-exposed in real time. Adjust exposure until the histogram is centered. For portraits: Use f/1.48 or f/1.8 to create soft background blur. For group shots or landscapes, use f/2.8 or f/4.0 for more depth.

How to Use the New AI Photos Editing Tools

iOS 27 adds three powerful editing tools to the Photos app, powered by Apple Intelligence and running entirely on-device. 1. Open Photos and select any photo 2. Tap Edit in the top right 3. Scroll the tool row at the bottom — you'll see Extend, Spatial Reframing, and an upgraded Clean Up Extend adds content to the edges of your photo — drag the crop handles outward and Apple Intelligence fills in the new areas. Best for giving a tight portrait more breathing room. Spatial Reframing adjusts composition after the fact — drag the subject to a better position and the background fills in around it. Best for fixing off-center shots. Clean Up (now much more powerful) — circle or tap anything distracting and iOS 27 blends removal into the surrounding texture more naturally. Best for product shots and travel photos.

How to Set Up the New Battery and Charging Notifications

iOS 27 brings smarter charging notifications that learn your habits and alert you before your battery matters. 1. Go to Settings > Battery 2. Tap Charging Notifications 3. Toggle on Optimized Charging Reminders — iOS will alert you when to plug in based on your calendar and usage patterns 4. Toggle on Low Battery Reminders — get a nudge before you hit 20%, not at 10% 5. Scroll to Charging Speed Alerts — toggle on to be notified when your charger is under-delivering For full fast charging: iOS 27 adds a charger speed indicator in the battery detail view. Open Settings > Battery and tap your current charge level to see actual output in watts. If you're not seeing 20W+ on a Qi2.2 pad, the cable or adapter is the bottleneck.

Keep Your iPhone Ready for All of It

Since iOS 27 keeps more running in the background — Siri AI tasks, on-device intelligence, Live Activities refreshing simultaneously — keeping your battery topped up matters more than ever. The AK NextG TriCharge Pro charges your iPhone 18 Pro at the full 25W Qi2.2 speed — from 0 to 56% in 27 minutes. Charges your Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time from a single pad that folds to pocket size. Requires a 45W or higher USB-C power adapter. Use code LAUNCH15 at checkout for 15% off. For the full breakdown of what's new in iOS 27, read: iOS 27 on iPhone 18 Pro: Every New Feature You Need to Know