iOS 27 has officially arrived and, at least on paper, it could be one of the most important updates of recent years for the iPhone, not because it revolutionizes the appearance of the operating system again — that had already happened with the Liquid Glass of iOS 26 — but because Apple has begun to transform some of the functions we use every day into small agents capable of doing something for us: Safari can control a page waiting for a price to change, Shortcuts can build an automation starting from a sentence, Photos can artificially enlarge a shot and the Password app even promises to replace a compromised credential on its own. Meanwhile, Apple claims to have also significantly accelerated much more traditional operations, from opening apps to AirDrop.
However, there is a fundamental distinction, especially for those who install iOS 27 in Italy: having iOS 27 does not automatically mean having all the new features shown in the American presentations or in the carousels that are circulating on social media. Siri AI is not available at launch in the European Union on iPhone, Apple Cash continues to be a US service, iPhone Handoff requires the collaboration of telephone operators and some functions announced by Apple will only arrive in a subsequent update.
And it is precisely here that it is worth understanding what really changes.
Siri becomes Siri AI, but not yet on Italian iPhones
The symbolically biggest new feature of iOS 27 is the new Siri AI, so important that it even has its own application. It’s not simply a Siri with better responses: Apple has transformed it into a conversational assistant capable of maintaining context, searching for information in messages, emails and photos, understanding what appears on the screen and using information from the web. The new Siri app also stores conversation history and syncs it privately through iCloud, allowing you to resume a conversation started on another device.
But here comes the big footnote: Siri AI is not available at launch in the European Union on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Apple attributes the postponement to issues related to the Digital Markets Act and the need to find a system that allows it to comply with European rules on virtual assistants without compromising, according to the company, privacy and security. Traditional Siri of course continues to work; it’s the new Siri AI that’s left out.
Outside the EU, the beta initially starts in English and requires a device compatible with Apple Intelligence: on iPhone the threshold starts from iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, as well as of course subsequent generations. Apple also warns that some AI processing that uses models on servers is subject to daily limits, without indicating a universal number of requests, and has already provided for broader forms of access for a fee or through iCloud+.
Photo can reconstruct what you have not photographed
Much more concrete for Italian users is the evolution of Photos, where Apple introduces tools that go a step further than simply removing objects. With Spatial reframing you can change the composition of a photograph after taking it, while Extend uses artificial intelligence to generate what might be beyond the edges of the image, allowing for example to transform a too narrow photo into a wider shot. Cleanup is also upgraded and can deal with larger items.
Image Playground, meanwhile, abandons one of the most obvious limitations of previous versions and also introduces photorealistic generation, as well as the ability to edit an image through a simple description. However, Apple reports that these tools may be subject to usage limits, because some processing is carried out through server models.
Safari can wait for you
One of the least spectacular innovations to show off during a keynote could become one of the most useful in everyday life. Is called Notify Me“Notify me” in the Italian version, and allows Safari to monitor a web page and send a notification when it detects a significant change.
The most immediate case is shopping: you can ask Safari to monitor a product page and be notified if the price drops or becomes available again, but the same principle can be applied to many other pages that change over time. Apple has confirmed the availability of the feature also for Italian in Italy. Safari can also automatically organize open panels by topic.
It is perhaps the clearest demonstration of the direction taken by iOS 27: artificial intelligence becomes interesting when it stops being just something to ask questions and starts carrying out small tasks in the background.
Just describe a Quick Command
The same principle arrives in Quick Commands, a very powerful app but which for many users has always remained too complicated. In iOS 27 you just need to describe in natural language what you want to achieve and the system builds the automation by connecting the necessary actions.
You can ask, for example, that when you leave the office a message is automatically sent with the expected time of arrival, avoiding having to manually build all the automation steps. Apple also lists this feature for Italian, although it warns that there may be usage limitations.
Passwords will be able to correct themselves, but not yet today
Here the carousel that is circulating on social media needs an important correction. It is true that Apple’s Password app acquires a function capable of identifying a weak or compromised credential and, on compatible sites, practically changing it for the user, generating and saving the new password.
But Apple specifies that this feature will arrive in a future software updateso you shouldn’t necessarily expect to find it immediately after installing iOS 27. Currently, the iPhone can already detect weak, reused or leaked passwords, but automated replacement is the next step.
Where it is it becomes much less rigid
One of the smartest changes concerns Where Is. Until now, when you shared your location with someone, the options were relatively strict: one hour, until the end of the day, or no deadline.
With iOS 27 you can finally choose a customized duration, setting it in minutes, hours or days, or indicate an exact date and time when sharing should end. You can also temporarily pause the location for a specific person until the end of the day, without that person receiving a notification of the pause. Apple itself imagines innocuous cases such as buying a gift or organizing a surprise party, but the function above all gives the user much more precise control over their digital location.
Liquid Glass can finally be dosed
After the discussions caused by the Liquid Glass introduced with iOS 26, Apple has chosen a rather pragmatic solution: let the user decide how much “glass” he wants to see.
In iOS 27 comes a slider that allows you to progressively change the transparency and opacity of the interface, instead of limiting yourself to the previous default settings. You can therefore choose an almost completely transparent effect or increase the tint and contrast to obtain a much more readable interface. Apple also tweaked the refraction, contrast and icons.
It’s a seemingly cosmetic addition, but it addresses one of the main criticisms of the interface introduced last year: not everyone was comfortable with the same level of transparency.
Apple promises much faster iPhones, even the ones you already have
One of the most interesting surprises of iOS 27 does not require a new iPhone. Apple claims that, thanks to a series of deep system optimizations, Opening apps can be up to 30 percent faster, loading new photos into your library up to 70 percent faster, and AirDrop transfers up to 80 percent faster.
That “until” is of course important, because the results depend on the hardware and the conditions of the test, but it is significant that Apple has dedicated a part of iOS 27 not only to new features, but also to CPU scheduler, app management, rendering and connectivity. The system also tries to more intelligently manage the transition between Wi-Fi and cellular networks, reducing interruptions when moving from one network to another.
One number on two iPhones: beautiful, but not in Italy for now
iPhone Handoff is perhaps the most curious function of the entire update: it allows you to associate the same number with two iPhones and switch from one to the other simply by using the desired device. Calls, messages, and your cell line move to your active phone, while data synced via iCloud naturally remains available on both.
The problem is that Handoff depends on operators. At launch it only works with T-Mobile in the US and Deutsche Telekom in Germany; T-Mobile has set the cost at $5 per month, while Verizon in the US and EE in the UK have announced support later this year. At the moment, however, there is no Italian operator indicated among the compatible ones.
It is therefore a real novelty of iOS 27, but not a novelty that an Italian user can use today.
The iPhone reads the receipt and splits the bill, but Apple Cash is needed
In the United States, iOS 27 can also frame a receipt, recognize individual products, attribute them to the people who participated in the shopping, calculate taxes and tips and automatically divide the sum via Apple Cash.
The function also takes advantage of the new Siri mode within the Camera, but for Italy the problem is upstream: Apple Cash remains available exclusively in the United Statestherefore the automatic system for dividing and settling the bill cannot be used in our country.
Videos are also available on CarPlay, but only when stationary
Another apparently minor innovation opens up an interesting possibility for apps: with iOS 27, developers can create video applications compatible with CarPlay, allowing you to search and watch content directly on the car display.
However, Apple has provided a non-negotiable condition: the video only works when the car is parked and also requires a vehicle compatible with the “video in car” function. When the system detects that video playback is not permitted, the content may possibly continue in audio-only mode.
Which iPhones can install iOS 27
And this is perhaps the simplest good news: Apple hasn’t drastically restricted compatibility. iOS 27 can be installed on iPhone 11 and laterincluding all Pro and mini variants of compatible generations, plus Second and third generation iPhone SE. However, the functions based on Apple Intelligence have more stringent hardware requirements and start from iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max or from subsequent generations.
The result is an almost two-speed update. On the one hand there is iOS 27 which improves existing iPhones with performance, Find My, Safari, customization and numerous system changes; on the other there is the new Apple Intelligence ecosystem, in which hardware, country, language, services and even telephone operator determine which functions can actually be used.
And this is precisely the detail to remember when you see the spectacular online lists of “everything your iPhone can do from today”: iOS 27 has also arrived in Italy, but not all of iOS 27 has arrived in Italy.
