Apple announced the start of testing for iOS 27.3, the most substantial update to the iOS 27 platform since its September debut. The beta brings a mix of previously previewed features and entirely new capabilities across Safari, Siri, the Health app, the iPhone Duo line and several system‑wide utilities.
Safari gets vertical tabs and adaptive dark mode
Safari users can now enable a Vertical Tabs layout from the browser’s settings, providing a sidebar‑style view of open pages. In addition, an Adaptive Dark Mode option will automatically apply a dark theme to websites that lack native dark‑mode support, improving readability in low‑light environments.
Siri AI expands across apps and languages
Siri AI receives a broad set of new actions that work inside and between apps. In Mail, the voice assistant can unsubscribe from mailing lists and undo recent sends. Weather users can add locations or adjust notifications, while Safari gains commands to clear browsing history, manage tabs, save articles to the Reading List and close duplicate tabs. Files can be organized, and old files can be deleted based on a user‑defined inactivity period.
Apple lists additional Siri actions for Calendar, Journal, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Preview, Reminders, Shortcuts and more. Users can discover each app’s capabilities by asking Siri what it can do. Language support is extended to Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish and Norwegian. A new Developer Preview lets any developer integrate Siri AI via App Intents, enabling custom actions and multi‑step experiences.
Health app redesign adds Insights and Longevity tabs
The Health app returns with a redesign that introduces two new tabs. The Insights tab surfaces recent metrics such as Activity Rings, heart rate, sleep score and vitals, and leverages Apple Intelligence to provide Personal Guidance based on user goals. The Longevity tab evaluates health data over time across seven categories—heart health, sleep, mental wellbeing, movement, metabolic health, hearing and nutrition.
A Health Age feature calculates a comparative age using resting heart rate, VO2 max, heart‑rate variability, sleep data and blood‑work biomarkers collected from the Apple Watch, supplemented by home fitness assessments captured via the iPhone camera.
iPhone Duo usability upgrades
Reachability, previously limited to single‑screen iPhones, is now available on the iPhone Duo. Swiping inward from either edge shifts content toward the thumb for easier one‑handed use, and the feature can be toggled in Settings → Accessibility → Touch.
The front‑display keyboard has been re‑arranged: the emoji and number keys swap places, as do the microphone and return keys. Keys are slightly taller and thinner, the space bar is wider, and the lettering is smaller and less bold, aiming for a cleaner typing experience.
StandBy, watchOS features and regional updates
StandBy, first introduced with the iPhone Duo, is now extended to all iPhone models capable of running iOS 27. Updated analog and digital clock faces offer more color and complication options, alongside new Photos, Calendar and Weather faces. Users can create multiple versions of each face and swipe between them.
watchOS 27.3 brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap, which require iOS 27.3 to be enabled via the Watch app on the iPhone.
Apple Intelligence launches in China with features such as Live Translation, Writing Tools, Visual Intelligence, email and notification summaries, Photos Clean Up and Genmoji. Siri AI itself is not yet available in that market, nor are the broader Apple Intelligence capabilities slated for iOS 27.
Safety alerts gain support for early‑warning earthquake notifications in China, developed in partnership with the China Earthquake Networks Center.
Additional tweaks and new services
Apple Music adds a “Selfie Sing” option that records karaoke‑style videos, offering voice‑modification tools and easy sharing. In Freeform, subscribers to Apple Creator Studio can generate custom shapes from text prompts, apply new text styles and set board background colors.
The Control Center VPN toggle now lets users switch between multiple VPN profiles instead of merely turning the last used VPN on or off. The App Library search interface replaces the “Cancel” button with an X icon. Apple Fitness+ introduces a Gym Strength workout that creates a four‑week plan based on personal goals, experience, schedule and equipment.
Safari’s Advanced settings now include a “Use Global Privacy Control” option, and the Weather app’s condition‑view slider receives a Liquid Glass visual treatment, along with updated next‑hour precipitation graphics. Australian carrier Telstra gains RCS support in this release.
Overall, iOS 27.3 beta signals Apple’s continued push to deepen AI integration, refine health tracking and improve usability across its device lineup.
Mitchell Landsberg is a Senior Technology Correspondent at News Raise. He covers consumer electronics, artificial intelligence, software developments, and digital privacy trends.
