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Apple developed more for iOS 27 than it revealed at WWDC last week, with three features already present in internal builds being deliberately withheld from the public announcement, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Writing in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman says all three missing features are active in internal versions of Apple's operating systems on employee devices today, and each is expected to surface publicly at a later date.
A new Modular watch face for Apple Watch was among the items Gurman had flagged as expected at WWDC but did not appear. Gurman's earlier claim that watchOS 27 would introduce new faces centered on a simplified take on the Modular Ultra design currently exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra.
Gurman now expects the new face to debut alongside new Apple Watch models this fall.
A customizable Camera app for the iPhone, first reported by Gurman in May, also failed to appear at WWDC. The feature would let users rearrange camera controls as widgets along the top of the interface, choosing from options like flash, exposure, timer, depth of field, photo styles, and resolution.
Gurman believes Apple is holding it back specifically for the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected to bring the most significant camera hardware upgrade in several years.
The most notable omission is Extensions, a framework that would allow third-party AI chatbots beyond ChatGPT to integrate with Siri, Apple Intelligence, and features like Writing Tools and Image Playground. Gurman says underlying support for Extensions is already present and visible in the first iOS 27 developer beta, with both a dedicated settings panel and an App Store section built and waiting to be switched on.
Apple has reportedly already held discussions with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google about the framework, including details about an entitlement those companies would need to apply for. Gurman says he has "no doubt" the feature will arrive eventually.
As for why the Extensions feature was kept out of the WWDC, Gurman offers four theories. Firstly, demonstrating strong AI interoperability could weaken Apple's ongoing argument against EU regulators. Secondly, announcing robust third-party chatbot support could have overshadowed Apple's own Siri overhaul. Thirdly, the threat of litigation from OpenAI may have persuaded Apple to avoid publicly stripping ChatGPT of its exclusive status at its developer conference. Finally, adding a range of external AI options would have further complicated Apple's messaging at a time when it already needed to explain its use of Google's AI models in Siri AI.
Anyone running the first iOS 27 or macOS Golden Gate betas can already see a chatbot picker allowing users to switch between Siri and ChatGPT; Gurman says that list is expected to grow via the new developer framework and App Store section. The feature has reportedly been in active use inside Apple for months.
This article, "These Three Unannounced iOS 27 Features Are Still Coming" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Writing in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman says all three missing features are active in internal versions of Apple's operating systems on employee devices today, and each is expected to surface publicly at a later date.
Modular Watch Face
A new Modular watch face for Apple Watch was among the items Gurman had flagged as expected at WWDC but did not appear. Gurman's earlier claim that watchOS 27 would introduce new faces centered on a simplified take on the Modular Ultra design currently exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra.
Gurman now expects the new face to debut alongside new Apple Watch models this fall.
Customizable Camera App
A customizable Camera app for the iPhone, first reported by Gurman in May, also failed to appear at WWDC. The feature would let users rearrange camera controls as widgets along the top of the interface, choosing from options like flash, exposure, timer, depth of field, photo styles, and resolution.
Gurman believes Apple is holding it back specifically for the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected to bring the most significant camera hardware upgrade in several years.
Siri Extensions
The most notable omission is Extensions, a framework that would allow third-party AI chatbots beyond ChatGPT to integrate with Siri, Apple Intelligence, and features like Writing Tools and Image Playground. Gurman says underlying support for Extensions is already present and visible in the first iOS 27 developer beta, with both a dedicated settings panel and an App Store section built and waiting to be switched on.
Apple has reportedly already held discussions with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google about the framework, including details about an entitlement those companies would need to apply for. Gurman says he has "no doubt" the feature will arrive eventually.
As for why the Extensions feature was kept out of the WWDC, Gurman offers four theories. Firstly, demonstrating strong AI interoperability could weaken Apple's ongoing argument against EU regulators. Secondly, announcing robust third-party chatbot support could have overshadowed Apple's own Siri overhaul. Thirdly, the threat of litigation from OpenAI may have persuaded Apple to avoid publicly stripping ChatGPT of its exclusive status at its developer conference. Finally, adding a range of external AI options would have further complicated Apple's messaging at a time when it already needed to explain its use of Google's AI models in Siri AI.
Anyone running the first iOS 27 or macOS Golden Gate betas can already see a chatbot picker allowing users to switch between Siri and ChatGPT; Gurman says that list is expected to grow via the new developer framework and App Store section. The feature has reportedly been in active use inside Apple for months.
This article, "These Three Unannounced iOS 27 Features Are Still Coming" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
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