Apple’s first iOS 27.3 beta is packed with new features, including a redesigned Health app, smarter Siri controls, more StandBy customization, and improvements to Safari.
It’s shaping up to be the biggest iPhone software update since iOS 27 arrived in September, with several changes designed to make everyday tasks easier.
Here are 10 new features worth checking out when iOS 27.3 becomes available to everyone.
1. Siri Can Handle More Tasks Inside Apps
Siri AI is getting deeper control over 14 built-in Apple apps, including Mail, Safari, Files, Calendar, Messages, Music, Notes, and Reminders.
You can ask Siri to unsubscribe from mailing lists, undo a recently sent email, close duplicate Safari tabs, or delete files you haven’t opened in a while.
Apple is also opening Siri AI to third-party developers through App Intents, allowing them to create custom actions and combine multiple tasks into a single request.
Support is expanding to four more languages: Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish, and Norwegian.
2. Redesigned Health App With Health Age Tracking
Apple’s redesigned Health app returns with two new tabs: Insights and Longevity.
Insights brings together recent health information, including Activity Rings, heart rate, sleep scores, and vital signs, alongside personalized suggestions powered by Apple Intelligence.
Longevity focuses on longer-term health across seven categories, including sleep, heart health, movement, and nutrition.
A new Health Age feature estimates how your health compares with your actual age using measurements such as resting heart rate, VO2 max, heart rate variability, and sleep data.
3. More StandBy Customization for Older iPhones
StandBy is getting several features previously exclusive to the iPhone Duo.
The Analog and Digital Clock faces gain more colors and customizable complications, while the Photos face adds Shared Albums support.
Apple is also introducing dedicated Calendar and Weather faces, plus the ability to create multiple versions of a face and swipe between them.
Regular iPhones will still need to be charging horizontally to use StandBy.
4. Vertical Tabs in Safari
Safari now offers a vertical tab layout, giving users another way to organize open websites.
Instead of relying entirely on the traditional tab view, you can display tabs in a sidebar and expand it to see page titles.
It’s particularly useful when you’re juggling several websites and want to find a specific tab without opening each one.
5. Adaptive Dark Mode for Websites
Safari is also introducing Adaptive Dark Mode, which applies a darker appearance to websites that don’t offer their own dark theme.
The feature adjusts page backgrounds, text, and other elements to make browsing more comfortable in low-light environments.
Safari also adds a Global Privacy Control option in its Advanced settings.
6. Easier One-Handed Use on iPhone Duo
iPhone Duo owners are finally getting Reachability support for the outer display.
Swiping inward from either edge shifts the screen’s content horizontally, bringing controls closer to your thumb.
Apple has also adjusted the outer display keyboard with a wider space bar, repositioned emoji and number keys, and slightly taller, narrower keys.
7. Apple Intelligence Expands to China
Apple Intelligence is becoming available to iPhone users in China with iOS 27.3.
Supported features include Writing Tools, Live Translation, Visual Intelligence, notification and email summaries, Photos Clean Up, and Genmoji.
The newer Siri AI experience isn’t included in the initial rollout.
8. Switch Between VPN Connections in Control Center
The VPN toggle in Control Center is becoming more useful for people who maintain multiple VPN configurations.
Previously, the control primarily turned the last-used VPN connection on or off.
With iOS 27.3, you can switch between available VPN configurations directly from Control Center without navigating through Settings.
9. Apple Music Adds Selfie Sing
Apple Music is adding a new karaoke feature called Selfie Sing.
It lets you record yourself singing along to music using your iPhone’s front-facing camera.
The feature also includes voice modification options and built-in sharing tools, making it easier to create and share karaoke recordings.
10. Apple Fitness+ Gets Personalized Gym Workouts
Apple Fitness+ is introducing Gym Strength, a new workout experience designed for people who train with weights.
Instead of following individual workout videos, subscribers can generate a personalized four-week strength-training plan based on their goals, experience, available equipment, and weekly schedule.
Each workout includes exercises, sets, repetitions, and suggested weights, with plans adjusting based on previous performance.
Apple Watch users can also view workout instructions and log completed sets directly from their wrists.
When Will iOS 27.3 Be Released?
iOS 27.3 is currently available as a developer beta, with a public release expected in December.
Some features require compatible hardware, Apple Intelligence support, or an active subscription to services such as Apple Fitness+.
