iOS 27 changes where several settings live, and a few of the most useful ones are off or hidden by default. This guide covers the 10 settings worth changing after you install it, with the exact path for each and the iPhone models that can use it.
If you would rather try features than change settings, our guide to 10 iOS 27 things to do walks through Siri AI, Photos, Wallet and Safari step by step.
1. Move the Liquid Glass slider toward tinted if text is hard to read
Go to Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass and drag the slider. Left makes menus, folders, notifications and Control Center more clear, and right makes them more tinted and opaque.
This control used to live under Display & Brightness. iOS 27 moved it to the new Appearance menu, along with Text Size, Bold Text and Display Zoom. If the slider does not respond, check whether Reduce Transparency or Increase Contrast is turned on under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
2. Choose a Siri AI voice and adjust its pace
Open Settings > Siri > Voice and pick a voice from the list. Eleven American and British voices support the Pace and Expressivity sliders, each with five levels, and Siri plays a live sample as you drag. Tap the checkmark in the top-right corner to save. The same voice settings carry over to Apple Maps and Safari.
Siri AI itself runs on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 model or later, and iPhone Air, with the device language and Siri language both set to English. The voice sliders are narrower, because the voice runs on the device. They work on iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air.
Siri AI launched behind a waitlist, and Apple still labels it a beta. You join from Settings > Siri > Try Siri AI (Beta), and Apple says wait times vary. Our Siri AI waitlist guide has the details. The iOS 27.2 release candidate adds Siri AI in five more languages. It is not available on iPhone in the EU.
3. Decide whether Smart Reply should copy your writing style
iOS 27 can draft Mail replies in your own tone. Open Settings > Apps > Mail and find Personalize Smart Replies. Leave it on if you want suggested replies that sound like you, or turn it off if you would rather not have them imitate your style.
To see the effect, open an email, tap Reply, tap Reply again, and tap a suggestion above the keyboard. Apple Intelligence drafts the full reply in the message. Smart Reply also works in Messages, but the personalized version there is English only. You need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.
4. Split your alarm volume from your ringtone volume
Turning your ringer down at night no longer has to quiet your morning alarm. Open Settings > Sounds & Haptics, find the Alarms and Timers section, and turn off Match Ringtone Volume. A separate slider appears for alarms and timers.
A second Match Ringtone Volume switch sits under Alerts and System Sounds and works the same way. Turn either switch back on to tie that group to your ringtone volume again. Wake-up alarms set from the Health app or a sleep schedule keep their own volume handling.
5. Know which Apple Intelligence controls still exist
iOS 27 renamed the Apple Intelligence & Siri menu to Siri, and it no longer has one master Apple Intelligence switch. Features are on by default on supported iPhones, which are iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models or later, and iPhone Air. You turn off individual features instead, such as ChatGPT under Settings > Siri > ChatGPT.
Our guide to turning off Apple Intelligence features on iOS 27 lists what can be disabled. Some models also need more free storage for the on-device models, as covered in our report on Apple Intelligence storage requirements.
6. Read the Battery insights before blaming the update
Open Settings > Battery and look above the Daily Usage chart. An insight reading Ongoing iOS Update means the iPhone is still finishing background work after the install, which can raise battery use for a few days.
Tap View All Battery Usage to see which apps and system activity used the most power. iOS 27 also flags poor cellular signal as a reason for faster drain. If battery life is still low after a few days, Settings > Battery > Power Mode is where you switch on Low Power Mode.
7. Turn off Zoom Photos to Fill if you want full photos
Go to Settings > Apps > Photos and open Display Options. Zoom Photos to Fill is on by default. It slightly zooms photos whose shape is close to your screen so the gaps at the top and bottom disappear.
That zoom crops a small slice of the picture. Turn the switch off if you want every photo shown as captured, then force-quit and reopen Photos so the change takes effect.
8. Cut Location Services access down to what each app needs
Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and go through the list. Change Always to While Using the App for anything that does not need to track you in the background.
Tap an app to find the Precise Location switch. Turning it off gives the app your approximate area only, which is enough for weather and most shopping apps.
9. Check camera, microphone and photo permissions app by app
Location is only one list. Settings > Privacy & Security also has separate sections for Camera, Microphone, Photos, Contacts, Bluetooth and Local Network.
Open each section and look at the apps with access. Remove access for anything you no longer use or do not recognize. An app you want back can ask again the next time it needs the permission.
10. Tune AirPods with the new three-band Custom EQ
Custom EQ works on AirPods 4 (with and without Active Noise Cancellation), AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2. Your AirPods need their latest firmware and your iPhone needs iOS 27. Our AirPods Custom EQ guide has more on compatibility.
With the AirPods connected, open Settings, tap your AirPods at the top, and choose Custom. Drag the Low, Mid and High points to change the sound, and use Reset to return all three bands to flat.
The EQ is saved on the AirPods themselves. It is separate from the equalizer in Apple Music and from Headphone Accommodations under Accessibility.
1 comment