Apple’s WWDC announcements may have been led by the new Siri AI experience and Apple Intelligence, but iOS 27 is also bringing a wide range of practical upgrades to the apps people use every day. From smarter bill splitting in Apple Wallet to more flexible location sharing in Find My, Apple is clearly focused on making the iPhone more useful in real-life situations.
Alongside the headline AI features, iOS 27 introduces improvements across Apple Maps, Apple Pay, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, iCloud Shared Albums, and Fitness+. Many of these updates are designed to reduce the need for third-party apps by making Apple’s built-in services more powerful, convenient, and connected.
Apple Maps gets better discovery and improved 3D views
Apple Maps is receiving a noticeable upgrade with improvements to Flyover, the feature that lets users explore cities and landmarks in immersive 3D. In iOS 27, Flyover has been refreshed with more detailed visuals and smoother movement, making virtual city exploration feel more polished and realistic.
Apple is also introducing Local Lists, a new discovery feature inside Maps. Local Lists will help users find and save recommendations for restaurants, attractions, shops, and other nearby places. The feature highlights trending spots, making it easier to discover where to eat, visit, or spend time without switching to other local discovery platforms.
This update could make Apple Maps more competitive for everyday planning, especially for users who want recommendations built directly into their navigation app.
Find My adds custom location-sharing controls
Find My is becoming more flexible with new privacy-focused location-sharing options. Starting this fall, users will be able to share their location for a custom amount of time. That could be just a few minutes, several hours, multiple days, or until a specific date and time.
Apple is also adding the option to pause location sharing with individual contacts until the end of the day. This could be useful in everyday situations where temporary privacy matters, such as planning a surprise party or taking time for yourself without permanently changing your sharing settings.
The changes give users more control over who can see their location and for how long, making Find My more adaptable to different situations.
Apple Wallet adds smart receipt scanning and bill splitting
Apple Wallet is getting one of the most practical upgrades in iOS 27: intelligent bill splitting. Users will be able to scan receipts with the iPhone camera and automatically divide expenses with friends using Apple Cash.
Powered by Apple Intelligence, the feature can recognize individual items on a receipt, calculate each person’s share, and include taxes and tips. Repayment can then be handled directly through Messages or Wallet, making group dinners, shared trips, and household expenses much easier to manage.
Wallet is also gaining support for digitizing physical membership and loyalty cards. Users can scan a barcode or digital card and save it directly in Apple Wallet. These passes will also work on Apple Watch, where they can be pinned to the Smart Stack for quick access.
For travelers, Apple is upgrading hotel keys in Wallet. At participating hotels and resorts, guests will be able to unlock rooms and amenities using an iPhone or Apple Watch. Wallet will also show trip information, activity schedules, service details, and real-time updates, creating a more complete travel experience in one place.
Apple Pay gets a redesigned checkout experience
Apple Pay is also being improved with a redesigned checkout interface for websites and apps. Users will be able to swipe between payment cards more easily and view helpful details such as rewards balances, debit account balances, and available pay-later options.
Later this year, Apple plans to let users add funds directly to eligible debit cards through Wallet or during Apple Pay checkout. This could make managing payments and balances more convenient without leaving the purchase flow.
For businesses, Apple is expanding Tap to Pay on iPhone with a new feature called Tap to Share. With a simple tap, customers will be able to securely share information with participating merchants, including loyalty account details, shipping addresses, and contact information.
Apple Music expands translations, pronunciation, and audio quality
Apple Music is adding more features for listeners who enjoy music in different languages. Lyrics Translation is expanding with seven additional language pairings, including English translations for songs in French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, and Japanese.
Lyrics Pronunciation is also getting broader support. This feature helps users sing along to songs in languages they may not speak by displaying phonetic lyrics. With five new language pairings, Apple Music is making global music more accessible and interactive.
AutoMix, Apple’s feature for smoother transitions between songs, is also being enhanced with more immersive mixes. It is expanding beyond iPhone to Apple TV and HomePod, making playlists feel more seamless across more devices.
Apple Music subscribers using Apple TV 4K will also gain access to Hi-Res Lossless Audio. With a compatible sound system, listeners can enjoy studio-quality audio through tvOS.
Apple Podcasts improves search and adds more video support
Apple Podcasts is receiving a useful search upgrade. A new search within show feature will let users search directly through episodes of a specific podcast. This will be available across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and the web.
Apple is also bringing video podcasts to Mac and Apple TV. As video podcasting becomes more popular, this update gives users more ways to watch and listen across Apple devices.
iCloud Shared Albums become more powerful and flexible
iCloud Shared Albums are getting several improvements aimed at collaboration and event sharing. Apple is adding full-resolution photo sharing, support for more file types, emoji reactions, better activity feeds, and the ability to view activity by individual album.
A new temporary albums feature is also being introduced for short-term events and projects. These albums are designed for things like vacations, parties, weddings, work projects, or group activities, allowing people to contribute without permanently using up iCloud storage.
Apple is also making Shared Albums more inclusive by allowing people without Apple devices to contribute photos through the web.
Fitness+ introduces a menopause-focused workout program
Apple Fitness+ is adding a new program called Strong Through Menopause. The three-week series includes guided Yoga and Strength workouts designed to support people going through perimenopause and menopause.
The program focuses on building strength, improving mobility and balance, and managing stress. Apple is also adding a new Time to Walk episode featuring actor Busy Philipps, who shares personal stories about her experience with perimenopause.
iOS 27 public beta arrives soon
All of these iOS 27 features are currently available for developers to test through the Apple Developer Program. A public beta is expected to arrive next month, giving more users an early look at the new Apple Maps, Wallet, Apple Pay, Find My, Apple Music, Podcasts, iCloud, and Fitness+ updates before the full release.
