Apple today began testing iOS 27.3, the biggest update to iOS 27 since its release in September. iOS 27.3 includes some features that Apple showed off earlier this year and adds completely new capabilities. Safari Safari has a vertical tab layout option that can be activated in Safari settings, along with an adaptive dark mode for websites that do not have a dark mode layout option. Siri AI Siri AI can do more within and across apps, and Apple is adding a long list of new actions. In Mail, Siri can unsubscribe from mailing lists and undo recently sent messages. In Weather, Siri can add locations to your weather list or control weather notifications. In Safari, Siri can clear your browsing history, manage tabs and windows, save articles to a reading list, and close duplicate tabs. In Files, Siri can organize content, delete files you haven’t accessed for a set period of time, and more. There are new Siri actions in Calendar, Files, Diary, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Preview, Reminders, Safari, Shortcuts, and Weather. You can find out what’s new by asking Siri what it can do in each app. Apple is also expanding Siri AI to Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish, and Norwegian, and adding a Developer Preview that allows any developer to integrate their app with Siri AI. Any app can now bring its content and actions directly to Siri AI using App Intents. Siri AI can complete any custom actions that developers implement, and there are skills available to teach Siri AI to combine multiple actions into a single experience. New Health App The redesigned Health app is back in iOS 27.3. It has new Insights and Longevity tabs that show more information about your health and fitness metrics. The Insights tab includes your most recent health data, such as activity rings, heart rate, sleep score, and vital signs. Apple Intelligence will use that information to provide personal guidance. The Health app will be able to make suggestions based on your goals and the type of activities you do. The Longevity tab in the Health app analyzes health data over time. It evaluates you in seven categories: heart health, sleep, mental well-being, movement health, metabolic health, hearing and nutrition. It also has a Health Age feature that uses information like resting heart rate, VO2 max, HRV, sleep, and blood test biomarkers to calculate how your health metrics compare to your actual age. Health Age is based on health data collected by the Apple Watch and also incorporates fitness assessments that you can take at home with tracking through the iPhone camera. iPhone Duo Accessibility Accessibility is now available on iPhone Duo. You can swipe left from the left edge or right from the right edge of the device’s outer screen to bring content closer to where your thumb is for one-handed use. Accessibility can be turned on in the Settings app by going to Accessibility, selecting Touch, and turning the option on. iPhone Duo Keyboard The keyboard on the front screen of the iPhone Duo has been modified. The emoji and number keys have been swapped, as have the microphone and return keys. The keys are a little taller and thinner, the space bar is wider, and the letters on each key are smaller and not as bold. StandBy Apple is making the StandBy features introduced with the iPhone Duo available on all iPhone models that can run iOS 27. There are updated versions of the analog and digital watch faces with more color and complication customization options, an updated Photos face, new Calendar and Weather faces, and the option to create multiple versions of each type of face and slide between them. Live Rewind and Siri Recap Live Rewind and Siri Recap are available on watchOS 27.3, but iOS 27.3 is also required. The features can be enabled in the Watch app on the iPhone. Apple Intelligence for China Apple Intelligence is now available in China. Includes initial Apple Intelligence features like live translation, writing tools, visual intelligence, email and notification summaries, photo cleanup, and Genmoji. Siri AI is not available, nor were Apple Intelligence features added in iOS 27. China Earthquake Alerts iOS 27.3 appears to add support for security alerts. Apple has been working with the China Earthquake Network Center to add earthquake early warnings for users in China. Selfie Sing Apple Music has a new “Selfie Sing” option that allows users to capture a video of themselves singing karaoke. The feature can be found by searching for the Apple Music Sing playlist in Apple Music, selecting a song, and then tapping the camera icon to start a recording. Karaoke videos can be adjusted with voice modification options and shared with friends or on social networks. Freeform In the Freeform app, there are new tools for generating custom shapes and adding images. Apple says users can create custom, editable shapes with text descriptions. It is a feature limited to Apple Creator Studio subscribers. There are also new styles for formatting text and an option to choose a color for a dashboard background. Control Center The VPN toggle in Control Center now lets you quickly switch between VPNs. Until now, the switch simply turned the last used VPN on or off. App Library The “Cancel” button in the App Library search interface is now an X button. Apple Fitness+ iOS 27.3 includes a new Gym Strength workout in Apple Fitness+. Gym Strength is a personalized fitness option that generates a four-week plan based on the user’s goals, experience, schedule and equipment. Safari Settings In the Advanced section of Safari settings, there is an option to “Use Global Privacy Control.” Weather The little slider that lets you switch between condition views in the Weather app now uses Liquid Glass. Apple has also updated what precipitation will look like in the next hour. Australian RCS support is available for Australian carrier Telstra in iOS 27.3.
