Apple has released iOS 27 Beta 3 to developers, bringing another round of refinements ahead of the public beta later this month. While this isn’t a major feature release, it introduces several meaningful additions across Siri AI, Accessibility, Photos, Shortcuts, AirPods, Control Center, and other parts of the operating system, alongside the expected bug fixes and performance improvements.
The latest beta continues Apple’s push to polish iOS 27 before its public release this fall. Many of the changes are small on their own, but together they make the overall experience feel more complete.
Here’s everything new in iOS 27 Beta 3.
Siri AI Gets New Voice Controls
The biggest addition in iOS 27 Beta 3 is support for Siri AI voice customization on compatible devices. Users with an iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max can now customize Siri’s voice using new Pace and Expressivity sliders in Settings. These controls make Siri’s natural voice sound faster or slower and more or less expressive depending on personal preference.
The feature relies on on-device processing and is currently limited to devices powered by the A19 Pro chip.
For some users updating from Beta 2, Apple Intelligence assets are downloaded again after installation, temporarily removing access to Siri AI until setup finishes. Apple has also renamed the previous “Indexing” message in Settings to “Optimizing Search and Siri,” making it clearer what the system is doing in the background.
Another small addition appears in the Camera app, where Apple now notes that Siri Mode requires Siri AI.
Live Recognition Expands Accessibility
Apple has introduced a new Live Recognition section in Accessibility. Powered entirely by on-device intelligence, Live Recognition uses the iPhone’s camera to identify and describe people, objects, text, and scenes in real time.
Users can ask follow-up questions about what the camera sees, choose a default prompt, and create custom activities for different situations, making the feature even more useful for people who are blind or have low vision.
Photos Adds Star Ratings
The Photos app gains a new Show Rating Controls option in Settings. When enabled, star ratings appear on photos and videos, while thumbnails display rating badges for quicker browsing and organization.
Reminders Gets a Refreshed Icon
Apple has updated the Reminders app icon with redesigned Liquid Glass styling. The checklist bullets now feature a cleaner appearance that better matches the rest of the iOS 27 interface.
Control Center Shows Cellular Status on Wi-Fi
Control Center now displays your cellular signal strength and network type, including LTE and 5G, even while your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi. The change makes it much easier to check mobile connectivity without disabling Wi-Fi first.
Apple has also updated the Lock Screen by replacing the white Control Center icons with black icons on compatible wallpapers, improving visibility.
Shortcuts Offers Two Ways to Create Automations
Creating a new shortcut is now more flexible. Users can choose whether the Shortcuts app opens directly into the Describe a Shortcut interface powered by Apple Intelligence or the traditional manual editor, making it easier to use whichever workflow they prefer.
Wallpaper Animations Feel More Dynamic
Apple has added a subtle visual enhancement to wallpapers. When opening Notification Center, the wallpaper subject now appears in front of the Home Screen or active app, creating a layered effect that further builds on iOS 27’s Liquid Glass design.
AirPods Gain More Adaptive Audio Control
Supported AirPods models now include a slider for Adaptive Audio, allowing users to manually adjust the balance between Transparency mode and Active Noise Cancellation instead of relying entirely on automatic adjustments.
Home App Clarifies Apple Intelligence Requirements
Apple has confirmed that Apple Intelligence features for the Home app require a 2TB iCloud+ plan or an Apple One Premier subscription. This applies to AI-powered HomeKit Secure Video features such as motion summaries, natural language search, and intelligent event grouping.
Maps Makes Route Preferences Easier to Find
Apple Maps now displays a tooltip that points users to route preferences when getting directions, making it easier to find options such as avoiding highways or toll roads.
Safari Highlights New Features
After updating, Safari now introduces four of its biggest iOS 27 features with an onboarding screen. Users are shown automatic tab organization, topic-based bookmark browsing, Notify Me for tracking webpage updates, and support for creating custom Safari extensions.
More Changes in iOS 27 Beta 3
Apple has softened the specular highlights used throughout the Liquid Glass interface, giving clear and tinted app icons a slightly more natural appearance.
Users in India will also see support for 5G+ on compatible carriers, adding the enhanced network indicator where available.
Should You Install iOS 27 Beta 3?
If you’re already testing iOS 27, Beta 3 is a worthwhile update. Siri AI gains meaningful customization, Live Recognition expands Apple’s accessibility tools, and dozens of smaller refinements improve the overall experience.
While most of the additions are incremental, they show Apple continuing to refine iOS 27 ahead of its public beta and official release later this year.
