iOS 27: Camera freely customizable, Liquid Glass new Apfelpatient

Just under a month before WWDC 2026, the first concrete details about iOS 27 are emerging. Apple is planning several visible design improvements, a significantly deeper overhaul of the Liquid Glass system, and a camera app that can be fully personalized for the first time. Additionally, Safari, Weather, and Image Playground will receive noticeable updates.

The information comes from a recent report by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg and provides the most detailed preview yet of what Apple will unveil on June 8th. According to Gurman, iOS 27 will bring "noticeable design changes across multiple areas" - with the stated goal of unifying the Liquid Glass design language introduced with iOS 26. This aligns with the existing picture painted by expectations surrounding iOS 27 at WWDC 2026: Apple is addressing the inconsistencies left by iOS 26 and adding functional enhancements to its classic apps.

Camera app: Fully customizable with widgets

The biggest single piece of news concerns the camera app, which already underwent a comprehensive redesign last year with iOS 26. iOS 27 takes the next step: According to reports, the app will become "fully customizable." Specifically, this means that users can decide for themselves which controls are visible and where they are located on the interface. Apple internally refers to these controls as "widgets."

The widgets appear at the top of the camera interface and can be arranged in any order. Selection is made via a transparent drawer that slides from bottom to top across the app. The widgets are sorted into three categories: Basic, Manual, and Settings. Options include flash, exposure, timer, depth of field, photographic styles, and resolution.

Apple is pursuing a two-tier strategy. The standard layout with the familiar quick-tap buttons for flash, Live Photos, and Night mode remains. Alongside this, there's a new, advanced layout specifically designed for professional users. Each shooting mode - photo, video, and the new Siri mode - gets its own set of widgets. The Siri mode integrates the visual intelligence features that were previously only accessible via the Camera Control button or the Action button.

Two further minor changes: The overview of all camera controls has moved from the upper right corner to next to the shutter button. Apple has also added new grid and level options.

Liquid Glass becomes more consistent and corrects its own decision

iOS 26 introduced an ambitious new design language with Liquid Glass – but its implementation was visibly inconsistent in several areas. According to reports, iOS 27 focuses primarily on streamlining this aspect.

One notable change is a complete reversal: the tab bar in key apps like Podcasts, TV, Music, Health, and News is getting the search button back into the main navigation. Currently, the search function in many apps is a separate button next to the actual tabs. iOS 27 combines both again – Apple is thus returning to a layout that was standard before iOS 26.

In addition, there's a new animation for the on-screen keyboard: it will now visibly slide into view from the bottom of the screen, instead of simply appearing. A small detail, but exactly the kind of refinement Apple is using to extend its Liquid Glass approach to micro-interactions.

Safari, Weather, and Image Playground are receiving visible updates

Safari gets a new home screen in iOS 27. At the top are four tabs for quickly switching between Favorites, Bookmarks, Reading List, and History. Frequent Safari users will likely welcome this change – previously, these sections were located on different levels and required multiple taps to switch between them.

The weather app is getting a new "Conditions" section directly on the main page. There, users can view more detailed information about temperature, rainfall, and wind without having to navigate to separate detail pages for each city. It's the same comprehensive data that was previously hidden behind an extra tap – now prominently displayed.

Image Playground, Apple's AI-powered image generation app, has reportedly been "completely redesigned." A new "Describe a change" option allows users to edit a generated image by entering specific text. Apple is also said to be working on improved models to make the generated images appear more realistic. This aligns with Apple's approach with the three new AI features for the Photos app - editing images rather than just passively organizing them.

Apple's U-turn on tab bar design

What's exciting about the whole package is the tab bar reversal. With iOS 26, Apple deliberately separated the search function from the tab bar and established it as a separate floating button. This very decision is reversed in iOS 27. This isn't a given – Apple rarely corrects its own design principles so quickly and so noticeably.

The interpretation is obvious: In practice, the separate search function likely created more friction than it clarified. Users who regularly used the search function in apps like Podcasts or Music had two separate tap zones – one for navigation, one for search. A combined bar reduces this distance and integrates better into the overall Liquid Glass logic. Apple is thus delivering what iOS 26 promised in this regard but failed to do.

The bigger picture behind iOS 27

Against this backdrop, iOS 27 will not be the next major feature update, but rather a consistent consolidation update. Mark Gurman has previously described the system as a "Snow Leopard update" for iOS – a comparison to Apple's legendary macOS release, which primarily brought stability, speed, and consistency instead of a new wave of features.

The changes reported here fit this pattern perfectly. A unified Liquid Glass line, a customizable camera app without new sensor requirements, cleaner home screens in Safari and Weather, and a modernized Image Playground. At the same time, the larger issue continues in the background, one that Apple can't avoid this WWDC year anyway: the replacement of Core ML with the new Core AI framework and the long-overdue Siri overhaul.

iOS 27 is likely to end up being a mix that suits Apple well in its current situation: visible corrections where iOS 26 fell short of expectations, and concrete usability improvements where everyday life feels noticeable.

iOS 27 is taking shape ahead of WWDC

More detailed reports are expected before the official unveiling on June 8th. However, what can already be gleaned from the current Bloomberg story is that Apple is entering this iOS year with the understanding that design consistency and everyday usability are more important than spectacular feature headlines. Camera app personalization will be the most discussed single feature – but the real story lies in the cleanup surrounding Liquid Glass. (Image: Shutterstock / DANIEL CONSTANTE)