Apple revealed a set of artificial intelligence upgrades to its iPhone camera and Photos apps at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, on June 8, 2026. The changes are slated to arrive this fall as part of iOS 27.
The most visible change is a new Siri AI tab in the camera app, sitting alongside the existing Photo and Video options. Previously, users had to press the Camera Control button to activate Siri’s Visual Intelligence feature, which allows the iPhone camera to identify objects and deliver contextual assistance — such as adding a concert date to a calendar or identifying a plant. By placing the feature directly in the camera app, Apple says it aims to make the tool easier to discover and use.
Three AI-powered editing tools are also coming to the Photos app. Clean Up, which already lets users remove unwanted objects from photos, has been updated with improved AI models to better fill in the image after an object is removed. A new tool called Extend uses generative AI to add space around the edges of a photo, generating imagery based on what the AI estimates should appear there. Google has added similar functionality to its Pixel phones in recent years, according to the source. A third feature, Spatial Reframing, lets users shift a photo’s perspective by dragging a finger across the image, with generative AI filling in gaps created by the new viewpoint. Whether Spatial Reframing is limited to certain iPhone models has not been confirmed.
The camera upgrades could have implications beyond the iPhone. Apple is reportedly developing smart glasses and camera-equipped AirPods, and the visual AI technology debuting in iOS 27 may eventually extend to those products as well.
Source: WIRED