5 underrated iOS 27 features that make my iPhone way better - and none are Siri AI

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

The public beta of iOS 27 is now available, following Apple's announcement of the upcoming iPhone software at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. I installed the developer beta soon after the initial rollout and have been using it over the last month.

Also: What's new with iPhone 18 Pro Max? Guess correctly for a chance to win an Apple Watch

The next big iPhone software update isn't a massive overhaul like iOS 26 , but it irons out several bugs that have bothered me for months. Sure, Siri AI and new photo editing tools are the flashy highlights, but these five more understated iOS 27 features are making a massive difference in my daily life.

I've noticed two subtle changes to the Control Center on iOS 27. First, the Wi-Fi and Mobile Data toggles are both available with one-tap access without needing to expand the Connectivity widget.

Earlier, you had two options for this widget: either add a square 1x1 tile or expand it to cover a full Control Center page. Now, you get a third option, which covers half the page and gives one-tap access to Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, AirDrop, Mobile Data, Bluetooth, Personal Hotspot, and VPN. However, you can't rearrange them within the widget. If you want to customize the placement, you can always add these toggles separately.

Also: After a week with iOS 27, I've found 5 hidden features that make even older iPhones better

Second, Apple has optimized the Control Center for landscape orientation. It's immensely helpful for my muscle memory when I'm holding the phone horizontally (for movies and YouTube videos) and need to change the screen brightness.

This makes the brightness and volume toggles better positioned in iOS 27, as the Control Center icons stay where they're supposed to in both orientations.

It is helpful to have all photos and videos taken by me in a single place.

On iOS 26, the Photos app is segregated into two sections: Library and Collections. The Library contains everything from photos taken by you to saved media from iMessages, Instagram, WhatsApp and more, whereas Collections is divided into sections with sub-folders. However, there's no way to add a folder that contains only the photos and videos taken by you. Apple is fixing this with its upcoming iPhone software.

With iOS 27, Apple has added a Captured by Me folder under Utilities to store all the photos and videos you take on your iPhone in one place. I find this folder to be quite helpful on Android phones when I have to look for a recent shot and I don't have to jump through other saved media. I'm glad Apple is finally bringing it to iOS.