Apple expands Wallet, Find My, Maps in iOS 27
iOS 27 features go beyond Siri AI, with Wallet bill splitting, Find My controls, and updates to Maps, Music, Podcasts, Photos, and Fitness+.
JAKARTA — iOS 27 features: Apple expands Wallet, Find My, Maps, and several other iPhone apps with changes that go beyond the new Siri and Apple Intelligence push. The updates are aimed at everyday tasks, from splitting dinner bills to sharing a location for a few hours.
That matters for regular users. Apple is trying to make the iPhone more useful in the moments people do not think much about: paying, traveling, messaging, and finding places.
The features were reported by TechCrunch after Apple’s announcements at WWDC earlier this month. Siri AI got the spotlight onstage, but the broader package reaches Wallet, Find My, Maps, Apple Music, Podcasts, Photos, Apple Pay, Tap to Pay on iPhone, and Fitness+.
Wallet gets the biggest lift
Apple Wallet is getting a receipt-scanning tool that can read line items with Apple Intelligence and split the bill automatically with friends through Apple Cash. The iPhone camera can scan the receipt, then the system calculates tax and tip shares and prepares payment inside Messages or Wallet.
It sounds small. It is not. People who dine out with coworkers, roommates, or friends know how annoying the math can get. This cuts out the calculator and the awkward “who had what?” exchange at the table.
Wallet will also let users digitize physical membership and loyalty cards. Apple says users can scan a barcode or a digital card and save it straight into Wallet. Apple Watch support is included too, with passes available through Smart Stack.
Travel users get a refresh as well. Hotel keys still work on iPhone and Apple Watch, but Wallet will now show travel details, activity schedules, service information, and real-time updates. For frequent travelers, that brings several trip details into one place.
Find My and Maps get more flexible
Find My is gaining more flexible location-sharing controls starting this fall. Users will be able to share their location for a custom period — a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, or until a specific date and time. Apple is also adding an option to pause location sharing with a contact until the end of the day.
That helps in daily life. Leaving late. Meeting at a station. Planning a surprise. Not every situation needs all-day tracking, and Apple is finally giving users finer control over how long they stay visible.
Maps is also getting new tools. Apple is improving Flyover, its immersive 3D view of cities and landmarks, with more detail and smoother navigation. The company is also adding Local Lists, a new way to find and save recommendations for restaurants, attractions, and other places based on what is trending in Maps.
That puts Apple in a more direct fight for local discovery. Every saved place, every dinner spot, every weekend idea stays inside Apple’s own app ecosystem instead of bouncing users to other platforms.
Music, Podcasts, Photos and shopping change too
Apple Music is picking up Lyrics Translation for seven more language pairs, including English translations for songs in French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, and Japanese. Apple is also adding Lyrics Pronunciation in five new language pairs, with phonetic guidance for people who want to sing along.
AutoMix is becoming smoother, and Apple is expanding it from iPhone to Apple TV and HomePod. Apple Music subscribers with compatible hardware will also get Hi-Res Lossless Audio on Apple TV 4K. That brings playback closer to studio-quality sound.
Podcasts is getting in-show search, so users can search directly within an episode on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and the web. Video podcasts are also coming to Mac and Apple TV. Apple is clearly responding to a shift in how people consume long-form audio.
Photos is adding full-resolution photo sharing, support for extra file types, emoji reactions, a cleaner activity feed, and activity views by album. Apple is also building a temporary album for short projects or events, which should help groups collaborate without filling permanent iCloud storage.
One detail stands out. People without Apple devices can also contribute photos through the web. That opens the door wider, even if only a little.
Apple Pay is getting a new checkout view in apps and on websites, with clearer access to rewards balances, debit balances, and pay-later options. Later this year, Apple will let users add funds directly to eligible debit cards through Wallet or at Apple Pay checkout. Tap to Pay on iPhone is also expanding with Tap to Share, which lets customers tap a participating merchant’s device to share loyalty details, shipping addresses, and contact information securely.
In Fitness+, Apple is preparing Strong Through Menopause, a three-week series with guided Yoga and Strength workouts. The company is also adding a Time to Walk episode with actress Busy Philipps, who talks about her own experience with perimenopause.
So what does this mean for users? The biggest effect is practical. Wallet could cut the friction from splitting bills and storing cards. Find My will let people share location on their terms. Maps may keep more local discovery inside Apple’s apps. And for users who rely on Apple Music, Podcasts, Photos, or Apple Pay every day, the changes are the kind that show up in small routines, not just keynote demos.
Apple says the features are already available for testing through the Apple Developer Program, with a public beta set to arrive next month. That is when the real test begins: which of these iOS 27 features people keep using, and which ones fade after the first try.
