Apple Inc is planning to embed artificial intelligence more deeply into the iPhone’s camera app, adding a new Siri mode alongside the standard photo and video options in its upcoming iOS 27 operating system.
As part of the change, the company will move its Visual Intelligence feature – currently tied to the Camera Control button – into the camera app itself, according to people with knowledge of the plan. That will make it more prominent within the iPhone interface.
The feature – now branded with the Siri name – will appear as a new toggle option alongside Photo, Video, Portrait and other existing choices, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been announced. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The changes are part of a broader effort to weave AI into more of Apple’s technology – and show the company can match competitors in this all-important space. The upgrades to iOS 27 and other Apple operating systems are slated to be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, followed by a release to consumers this fall.
Like the current Visual Intelligence feature, the new mode will let users point the camera at an object and tap into services such as ChatGPT to ask questions about the object or scene. Users can also run a Google reverse image search to pull up more information.
The existing version can already extract information from real-world items – for example, it can turn details from a concert poster into a calendar event, identify plants and animals, and pull up information about a business such as its phone number or menu details.
In its upcoming operating systems, Apple is redesigning the experience with a new shutter button styled after the Apple Intelligence logo. That replaces the traditional white capture button used in today’s Visual Intelligence.
The functionality will still be accessible by pressing and holding the Camera Control button – an element introduced on the right side of the iPhone 16 in 2024 – but that shortcut will now launch the Siri mode within the camera app rather than a standalone interface that is currently hard to locate otherwise.
Beyond integration into the camera, Apple is expanding the feature with additional in-house capabilities. That includes the ability to scan a nutrition label on food packaging to log dietary information. Users also will be able to capture and add contact details directly from what the camera sees.
Improvements to visual AI are particularly important as Apple gears up to launch new hardware. The company is planning a category of wearable devices built around a version of Siri that can analyse the surrounding environment. The lineup is expected to include new AirPods, smart glasses and a pendant.
The software upgrades will also include major enhancements to Siri, including long-promised additions, a move to a chatbot-like interface and a standalone Siri app. And Apple is making a push to improve operating system performance, battery life and software stability.
At the same time, the company is preparing a revamped Photos app with new AI-powered tools for enhancing, expanding and reframing images, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. The changes come ahead of the iPhone 18 Pro this fall, which will include some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades in the lineup’s history. – Bloomberg
