Apple Readies Photo-Editing Overhaul With New AI Tools in iOS 27 (4 minute read)
Apple is adding AI-powered photo editing tools to iOS 27 including image extension and enhancement features to compete with Google and Samsung's existing capabilities.
What: Apple is developing new AI photo editing features for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 (releasing fall 2026) including Extend for generating content beyond image borders, Enhance for automatic quality improvements, and Reframe for adjusting spatial photo perspectives, all powered by on-device Apple Intelligence models that process in seconds.
Why it matters: This represents Apple playing catch-up in AI photo editing where Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices have offered advanced generative tools for years, highlighting the competitive pressure Apple faces in consumer-facing AI features despite its hardware advantages.
Takeaway: Developers building photo apps should monitor these capabilities when iOS 27 releases this fall, as the on-device processing and new APIs may influence third-party photo editing approaches on Apple platforms.
Deep dive
- Apple is adding a new "Apple Intelligence Tools" section to the Photos app editing interface, housing four AI-powered features compared to the single Clean Up tool currently available
- The Extend feature generates additional image content beyond the original frame boundaries, letting users expand edges with their fingers to add surrounding scenery or context to cropped photos
- Enhance automatically improves color, lighting, and overall image quality using AI models, competing with similar auto-enhance features from competitors
- Reframe is designed primarily for spatial photos (Apple's 3D format for Vision Pro) and allows users to shift perspective after capture, like changing a car photo from front-facing to side view
- All processing happens on-device using Apple Intelligence models and typically takes only a few seconds to complete
- Internal testing reveals reliability issues with Extend and Reframe features, meaning Apple could potentially delay or scale back these capabilities depending on model improvements
- The existing Clean Up tool already faces user criticism for inconsistent results including artifacts, image distortion, and inaccurate fill details when removing objects
- Google has offered Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and generative image expansion on Pixel devices for years, while Samsung aggressively pushed AI editing on Galaxy phones, leaving Apple behind
- iOS 27's broader strategy focuses on two priorities: improving Siri and expanding Apple Intelligence, plus refining the OS for better performance and battery life after last year's visual overhaul
- Additional AI changes in development include a dedicated Siri app, chatbot-style interface redesign, App Store support for third-party voice assistants, and multi-command request handling
Decoder
- Apple Intelligence: Apple's AI platform that powers on-device machine learning features across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS
- Spatial photos: Apple's 3D image format designed for viewing on the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, capturing depth information
- Generative image expansion: AI technique that creates new image content beyond original boundaries based on context, similar to Photoshop's generative fill
- Vision Pro: Apple's mixed reality headset released in 2024 that displays 3D spatial content
Original article
Apple plans to overhaul its built-in photo editing features for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It is developing a new suite of tools powered by AI to better compete with Android devices. They will allow users to extend, enhance, and reframe images using on-device AI models. Google has offered advanced AI photo-editing capabilities on its Pixel devices for years. Samsung has also aggressively pushed into AI editing with its Galaxy smartphone lineup.