iOS 27 puts Siri inside the Camera app. Apple’s iOS 27 page describes a Siri mode in Camera that gives you visual search and information straight from the viewfinder, so you point the iPhone at something and ask about it instead of taking a photo first and searching later. The feature arrives with the free iOS 27 update on Monday, September 14.
It is part of the Siri AI beta, which means it needs an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence and, at launch, a device set to English. Here is what Apple has said about the mode, how to use it once the update lands, and what to check if it does not appear on your phone.
What Siri mode in the Camera app does
Apple’s iOS 27 page keeps the description short: visual search and information from the viewfinder. In practice that means the camera becomes an input for Siri AI, Apple’s conversational assistant with personal context and app integrations, rather than a separate lookup tool.
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Apple’s Siri AI announcement in June listed the kinds of tasks it has in mind for the camera, including splitting a bill and reading nutrition information, and confirmed that visual lookups have moved into Camera as a mode of their own. On the iPhone Duo, which ships in October, the Camera Control button has a Siri Camera mode as well, according to Apple’s Duo pages.
How to use Siri mode in Camera on iOS 27
These steps follow Apple’s published description of the feature on its iOS 27 page. The exact button names and menu positions may shift when iOS 27 ships on September 14, so treat them as a guide rather than a script.
- Install iOS 27 from Settings, General, Software Update on or after September 14.
- Open Settings, then Apple Intelligence and Siri, and confirm Apple Intelligence is turned on and Siri AI is enabled. Your iPhone language needs to be English for the beta at launch.
- Open the Camera app.
- Swipe through the capture modes and select Siri mode. It sits alongside Photo, Video and the other modes rather than in a separate app.
- Point the camera at the subject you want to ask about and keep it framed in the viewfinder.
- Ask your question out loud, or tap to search. Siri responds with information about what the camera sees.
- Ask a follow-up if you need more. Siri AI supports multi-turn conversation, so you do not have to start over.
Apple has not said whether Siri mode saves an image to your library when you use it, or whether the lookups are processed on-device or with Private Cloud Compute in every case. Apple Intelligence uses both, according to Apple’s press release.
Which iPhones get Siri mode in Camera
Because Siri mode is a Siri AI feature, the hardware floor is the Apple Intelligence list, not the wider iOS 27 list. The table below separates the two, using Apple’s iOS 27 page.
| Requirement | What qualifies |
|---|---|
| Runs iOS 27 | iPhone 12 and later |
| Full Apple Intelligence, including Siri AI and Siri mode | iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 or later |
| Language at launch | English; French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish in October |
| Cost | Free with iOS 27 on September 14 |
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max ship on September 18 with iOS 27 installed, so Siri mode should be in their Camera app from the first boot. Their A20 Pro chip has a dual 16-core Neural Engine that Apple says doubles the AI processing of the A19 Pro, though Apple has not said Siri mode behaves differently on newer chips.
If Siri mode does not appear
- Check the model. An iPhone 12, 13, 14 or non-Pro iPhone 15 runs iOS 27 but does not get Apple Intelligence, so Siri mode will not show up in Camera.
- Check the language. The beta is English-only until October. A phone set to French or Spanish will not see Siri AI features until Apple adds those languages.
- Check the region. Apple said in a June press release that Siri AI is not available on iPhone in the European Union under the Digital Markets Act, with no timeline given, and that new Apple Intelligence features are pending approval in China.
- Check Settings. Apple Intelligence can be turned off entirely, and Siri AI is a beta you may need to enable inside Apple Intelligence and Siri settings.
Apple has not stated a release time for iOS 27; it usually ships iOS updates around 10 a.m. Pacific. Our iOS 27 release date guide has the timing, and the event recap covers everything else Apple announced alongside it.
