Under the settlement, eligible US iPhone users may receive compensation. Apple denies any wrongdoing but agreed to settle to avoid prolonged litigation. The case highlights growing legal risks for tech companies making bold AI claims.

A California court previously accepted the case, finding plaintiffs provided sufficient evidence of misleading marketing claims.

Apple is planning to introduce three brand-new AI-powered editing features to the iPhone Photos app in its upcoming iOS 27 operating system, along with a “Siri Mode” in the Camera app, in what would be one of the most significant updates to the iPhone camera experience ever, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported on April 29.

Three AI-Powered Photo Editing Features

According to the report, iOS 27 will bring the following three new capabilities to the Photos app:

1. Intelligent Object Removal: Users will be able to use AI tools to precisely remove unwanted objects or people from photos, with the system automatically filling in the background to make edited photos look natural and seamless.

2. AI-Driven Scene Reconstruction: Powered by Apple’s proprietary visual AI model, the system will understand photo content and allow users to modify scene elements through natural language commands, such as “make the sky bluer” or “remove passersby from the background.”

3. Enhanced Memories: The Photos app’s “Memories” feature will receive an AI upgrade, enabling smarter recognition and grouping of photos, and generating more personalized annual recaps and curated collections.

“Siri Mode” Revolutionizes Camera Experience

According to Macworld and AppleInsider, the iOS 27 Camera app will feature a new function dubbed “Siri Mode,” which is essentially a comprehensive upgrade of Apple’s “Visual Intelligence” capability.

In this mode, users can interactively operate the camera viewfinder through Siri — for example, pointing at a restaurant to ask for its rating, photographing a product to find online prices, or identifying a landmark to access related information. This marks a significant step for Apple in integrating AI into everyday photography experiences.

Playing Catch-Up?

The update is widely viewed as an important effort by Apple to catch up with competitors in the AI features space. Over the past year, Google’s Pixel phones have won significant user praise for their AI editing capabilities (such as Magic Eraser and Best Take), and Samsung has introduced similar AI-enhanced features in its Galaxy S series.

Mashable commented that iOS 27 is “finally” bringing AI photo editing to the iPhone, suggesting Apple has been relatively slow in this area. However, analysts point out that Apple’s advantage lies in its hardware-software integration — AI features run directly on-device without relying on cloud processing, which offers significant advantages in privacy protection and response speed.

Release Timeline and Impact

iOS 27 is expected to be officially unveiled at WWDC (Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference) this June and rolled out in the fall alongside new iPhone models. The introduction of these AI features is seen as a critical step for Apple in responding to investor and user expectations in the AI arms race.

Notably, Apple’s updated AI features focus primarily on on-device processing, consistent with the company’s long-standing emphasis on privacy protection. As AI technology increasingly permeates daily life, whether Apple’s differentiated strategy can win market recognition remains to be seen.

Sources: Bloomberg, Mashable, Macworld