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When using my iPhone's camera, I'll sometimes see an animal, plant, landmark, painting, or other object that strikes my curiosity. In those moments, I want a quick way to get information on the item. Well, that's something I can now do easily thanks to the new Siri mode in the iOS 27 Camera app.
Also: I put Siri AI through the same tests I use for ChatGPT and Gemini on MacOS 27 - here's how it did
Currently available in the iOS 27 developer beta, Siri mode is another addition to the camera modes, alongside Photo, Video, Portrait, and Pano. When you see something through the camera, just tap the Siri mode icon. From there, you can ask Siri about it by voice, run a Google Search on it, or send an image of the object directly to Siri for analysis.
What's the big Siri improvement in iOS 27?
If this sounds like the Visual Intelligence feature introduced in iOS 18.2, that's because it is. But here's the difference. With the current version of iOS on a supported phone, you have to trigger Visual Intelligence separately. That means you must exit the Camera app and then launch the feature, a clumsy process. With iOS 27, you can stay in the Camera app and kick off Siri without losing sight of the object. That's a big improvement, and one I appreciate.
As with any photo, you can zoom in or out in Siri mode to capture as much or as little of the object as you want. Depending on the object, Siri may display a name identifying the item. Tapping the shutter button then captures the image for Siri to further analyze. Tapping the picture icon on the right runs a Google search on the photo to show you similar images. Tapping the Ask Siri icon on the left opens a prompt with a thumbnail of the image, so you can type or dictate a question about it.
Also: Will your iPhone support Siri AI? The answer is complicated
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