While most of the iOS 27 rumors are focused on Apple Intelligence, Siri, and functionality – there are a number of improvements reportedly coming to the camera app, building on the redesign we saw last year with iOS 26. There will also be a number of AI-enhanced editing tools coming to the Photos app.
Customizable camera UI
Right now, the Camera app’s interface is pretty streamlined, with controls only exposed as needed – and the rest tucked away in a menu. With iOS 27, Apple will allow users to customize which controls are displayed, and you’ll be able to customize the app to your needs better. From Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. plans to upgrade its Camera app, making the software fully customizable as part of a broader set of user interface changes coming in its next iPhone software update.
In a new way, users will be able to choose which features appear in the Camera app — and where they are placed. That includes controls for lighting, exposure, timer and adjustments, according to people familiar with the matter.
These changes are apparently part of an effort to make the Camera app better suited for professionals – with new and improved options being added to the Camera app. Toggle controls, currently located at the top right, will also be moved to the right of the shutter button, via Mark Gurman.
Development of Visual Intelligence
This set of changes is twofold. First, Apple will integrate Visual Intelligence into the camera app, in the form of a new Siri mode. This will expose Visual Intelligence to more users, which is primarily accessible in a separate app behind the camera controls. Users can also choose to add it to the Control Center or map it to their action button.
Second, Apple will be adding a few new capabilities to Visual Intelligence. This will include the ability to scan food nutrition labels to log what you’re eating, and scan contact information, such as a business card, to quickly create new contacts.
Building on the cleaning tool introduced in iOS 18, Apple will be adding three AI-enhanced editing tools in iOS 27: Extend, Improve, and Reorganize.
Extend is similar to the creative fill tool in Photoshop. Users will be able to “generate more content beyond the original framework,” according to Bloomberg. Highlighting, on the other hand, will make your photos pop, with improved color, brightness, and image quality. The final feature, Reframe, is intended to help users change the way they view a landscape image after the image is taken.
There is one caveat, however. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Extend and Reframe “doesn’t work reliably,” and it’s possible that features will be delayed or dropped before public release. That means these features may not be revealed at WWDC 2026. If they are, the company may delay them to the latest developer beta, or perhaps iOS 27.1 or later.
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