Apple introduces generative AI photo editing and updated Siri in iOS 27 and macOS 27 betas

Apple released the developer betas for iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate on Monday, introducing the company's first major suite of generative AI photo editing tools alongside an updated Siri assistant. The release marks a shift for the native Photos app, bringing on-device and cloud-assisted image manipulation features directly to the iPhone and Mac ecosystem.

The update adds three primary image manipulation capabilities: an upgraded Clean Up tool, an edge-expanding Extend feature, and Spatial Reframing. While these tools offer less aggressive alterations than competing features on Google's Pixel devices, early testing indicates they represent a fundamental change in how Apple handles native image editing.

Generative photo manipulation tools

The updated image suite in the iOS 27 developer beta focuses on three core features:

• Clean Up: This tool removes background elements and photobombers and it successfully isolates subjects and fills background gaps with plausible textures.
• Extend: This feature uses generative AI to paint in details beyond the original frame of a photograph, expanding the edges with plausible-looking filler.
• Spatial Reframing: This tool automatically adjusts the composition of an image, mimicking a wider camera angle. The analysis of the iOS 27 developer beta notes that Apple may adjust these underlying models before the public release.

Siri integration on macOS 27

Alongside the photo editing updates, Apple deployed its updated Siri AI to the macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta. The assistant features deeper system integration, though early testing highlights functional limitations when operating on desktop hardware compared to mobile environments.

A hands-on report detailing Siri on macOS notes that the assistant struggled with file indexing tasks on M5 MacBook Air and M5 Max MacBook Pro test machines. In one instance, the assistant directed the tester to a settings menu button that did not exist in the current beta build.

System indexing and hardware performance

The desktop implementation of Apple Intelligence lacks clear status indicators for background processes. Unlike the iOS 27 beta, the macOS 27 beta does not display an "indexing in progress" status box in the settings page, leaving users uncertain if the local file system has been parsed.

The testing was conducted on Apple's latest M5-series hardware, which handles the local processing requirements for the updated models. Apple has not disclosed the exact parameter sizes of the on-device models powering these photo editing and assistant features, nor has it detailed the ratio of local to cloud-based processing used during complex image generation tasks.

Comparison with industry alternatives

The generative capabilities introduced in iOS 27 remain conservative compared to competing mobile platforms. Google's Pixel lineup and Samsung's Galaxy devices offer more expansive image reconstruction tools, which allow users to completely alter the context of a photo.

Apple's implementation focuses on subtle corrections, such as expanding margins or removing minor distractions, rather than full-scale image synthesis. This conservative approach aligns with Apple's historical positioning on image integrity, though the inclusion of these tools marks a clear departure from the company's previous stance on unedited photography.