Apple’s WWDC keynote focused heavily on the Siri overhaul, yet the company is embedding smaller AI tools across its software to solve specific problems instead of asking users to adopt a new version of the assistant.
These features arrive in iOS 27, which is currently in the developer beta and will reach the public beta before the general release later this autumn. The updates let your iPhone split restaurant bills, secure passwords after data breaches, automate tasks, and organise information with less manual effort.
Bill splitting
When iOS 27 launches, customers can split restaurant bills using Apple Cash. Powered by Apple Intelligence, you take a photo of the receipt and a new option appears to split the cost with others. The system extracts key details like items ordered, quantities, tips, and totals. You select your items and share the request via group chat. Others select their items and quantities, including fractions like half. To pay, you double-click as with any other Apple Cash transaction.
The option only appears when needed and works with existing apps like Messages and Apple Cash. It also requests everyone’s share of tax and tip alongside item prices.
Password update
Complex passwords are no longer enough to keep accounts secure. Data breaches have shown that passwords often end up in the hands of bad actors regardless of user effort.
Apple’s new feature uses AI to identify weak or compromised passwords found in data breaches. Instead of forcing manual updates, the tool securely navigates websites to sign in and upgrade passwords to new, more secure versions.
Messages’ one-tap suggestions
The SMS passcode feature above the keyboard is set to be replaced by one-tap suggestions in iOS 27. Using Apple Intelligence, the Messages app offers suggestions based on conversation topics. If a friend asks you to bring something, the suggestion might ask if you want to add the request to reminders. If someone asks for photos from an event, the system suggests the right images using keywords, locations, and people in your Photos Library. For planned dinners or work meetings, Messages prompts you to add the event to your Calendar.
The feature appears as a useful chat tool rather than an obvious AI addition.
Call context
Phone calls to customer service departments will be less stressful as the Call Context feature surfaces necessary information. If you call about an airline reservation, the confirmation code displays directly on the call screen.
The tool pulls information from your email in Mail using Apple Intelligence. It runs entirely on the device for privacy. The details appear in the background without requiring you to speak to an AI assistant.
Adding Calendar events
Apple now allows you to add or change Calendar events by describing them in natural language. Apple Intelligence extracts contacts and locations and creates a title for the event on your behalf. This makes it easier to add items to Apple Calendar without worrying about which field needs information.
Vibe coding Shortcuts
The Shortcuts app has been difficult for many users due to the technical overhead involved in scripting tasks and creating automations. Non-power users often had to seek online tutorials or Shortcut galleries to find necessary tools.
In iOS 27, you describe what you want your iPhone to do. Suggestions include configuring alarms based on next day’s calendar events or setting favourite productivity apps to open in a specific way when connecting a Magic Keyboard with an iPad. The tool also handles everyday tasks like automatically texting a partner with your ETA when leaving work or turning on porch lights when a DoorDash order arrives.
Less Home app spam
Smart home apps often drown users in notifications for actions that are part of a single event. If a partner arrives home, raises the garage door, checks the mail, and enters the house, you might receive one notification per action. This feels like spam.
With Apple Intelligence in iOS 27, the Home app understands multiple actions and their connections. It sends a single notification for the overall activity, such as someone arriving and closing the garage door. The AI also helps find clips like package deliveries via search and features noteworthy clips for review at the top of the screen.
Organized tabs in Safari
Safari now includes a tab organizer using Apple Intelligence. The browser understands what you are browsing across websites and organises tabs into relevant topics. If you have multiple tabs open related to a trip, Safari adds them to a travel group. These appear at the top of the browser above the webpage for easy access when returning to web research.
Apple notes that the AI respects user privacy by not exposing browsing data to anyone, including Apple.
What it means
These updates shift the focus from a conversational assistant to background intelligence that reduces friction in daily tasks. Users gain practical tools for managing money, security, and time without needing to interact with an AI interface directly.
