In iOS 27 Apple looks to be including new AI editing features in the Photos app, and this might help them to be on a level playing field with Samsung and Google. Extend, Enhance and Reframe are the names of the tools, and the idea is to make complicated edits on iPhones, iPads and Macs happen in only a few seconds.
Apple’s plan for AI photo editing in iOS 27
The report says Apple is planning a big change to the way you edit photos, and will have a new section in Photos called Apple Intelligence Tools. This will be where all the AI options are found and will allow you to improve, make bigger and rearrange pictures directly on your device.
Apple is expected to reveal iOS 27 at WWDC 2026 in June. If everything goes to plan, they could then release it with the new iPhones in September.
Here are the key additions described by the report:
– Extend to generate content beyond the image frame
– Enhance to optimise lighting, colour, and clarity
– Reframe to alter perspective and composition
– Clean Up remains for removing background elements
How the new tools would work
Extend will supposedly allow you to make a photo bigger than its original size by having the AI create the missing parts of the image around the edges. You will be able to decide how much bigger to make it by dragging the edges of the picture.
Enhance will quickly improve the colours, light and overall look of a photo without you having to make lots of changes yourself. Reframe is for ‘spatial photos’ and will be really useful for being able to change the angle of a picture after you’ve taken it – for example, being able to go from looking at the front of a car to looking at the side.
Right now, Photos has simple edits like adjustments, filters and cropping, and one AI tool to remove people from backgrounds. This new Apple Intelligence Tools section will bring all the AI options together and give you more of them.
Internal testing and potential delays
Like with other AI features recently, there have been problems with development. Extend and Reframe haven’t been working consistently when tested inside Apple.
Because of these problems, Apple might hold back on including these tools when they are first released, or make them less ambitious, depending on how much they can improve the AI. The AI Clean Up tool which already exists has been criticised for adding details that aren’t quite right when something is removed from a photo.
Competition and why it matters
AI photo editing has advanced very rapidly on Android phones. Google’s Pixel phones have Magic Eraser and a way to expand pictures using AI, and Samsung’s Galaxy phones have similar functions because they work with Google.
OnePlus and Oppo, and other Android brands, have AI edits like AI Unblur and AI Portrait Glow in their gallery apps already. Bringing similar tools to iPhones would reduce the difference for iPhone users who want faster and more clever edits.
For Apple, including these features as part of the phone’s basic system could make simple picture corrections and more creative editing easier. And if, as the reports say, they happen in a few seconds, advanced edits could feel quick and become part of your usual routine.
What comes next for Siri and Apple Intelligence
The report also indicates a more significant push for AI generally. Apple is apparently preparing a separate Siri app with a completely new, chatbot-like design, a better understanding of what you mean, and the ability to manage several instructions at once.
The report says Apple might even let you choose different voice assistants from the App Store. Apple has already made an agreement with Google to use a special version of Gemini to operate Siri and other Apple Intelligence features.
What to watch ahead of WWDC 2026
Everyone is waiting to see if Apple can get Extend, Enhance and Reframe to work reliably when iOS 27 is released. How well they work internally will determine whether they are released to everyone immediately, in stages, or are delayed.
If they succeed, editing photos on an iPhone will be closer to what Android users have been enjoying for some time. If they are delayed, it will show how difficult it is for Apple to deliver smooth, AI which works on the device itself at Apple’s huge scale.
At the moment, the main thing is that Apple is planning to greatly improve Photos with meaningful AI. The next few months will show how much of this is ready for you to use.
