The Three iOS 27 Features Apple Held Back from WWDC 2026

The new variant keeps the prominent clock display but removes one row of complications, making it slightly less information-dense than the Ultra version. It is not a wholesale redesign, but a pragmatic adaptation that brings a popular Ultra aesthetic to a broader audience .

Apple did not show this watch face at WWDC, but multiple reports tie its debut to the fall, when Apple typically refreshes its smartwatch lineup. The timing suggests it could ship as a marquee feature for the next generation of Apple Watch hardware .

Fully Customizable Pro Camera App

One of the more ambitious iOS 27 features reportedly in development is a deeply customizable Camera app aimed at professional and enthusiast users. Gurman first teased this concept in his May 28 Bloomberg feature, describing a camera interface that would let users choose which controls appear on screen and arrange them to their liking .

Subsequent reporting expanded on this: the app will support per-mode widgets, meaning the controls visible in Portrait mode can differ entirely from those in Video or Pano modes. It represents a significant departure from the current one-size-fits-all Camera layout that has changed little in recent iOS versions .

The feature is reportedly being held for the iPhone 18 Pro launch, which aligns with expectations that Apple will pair the software overhaul with camera hardware upgrades on the next-generation Pro models. It is a clear signal that Apple sees the Camera app as a differentiator for its most expensive phones, not a feature to roll out across the entire installed base immediately .

Siri Extensions and Third-Party Chatbot Integration

Perhaps the most consequential missing feature is Siri Extensions, a framework that would let iPhone users swap between third-party AI chatbots without leaving Apple's interface. The system was discovered inside the iOS 27 developer beta but received no mention during the WWDC keynote .

Internally, the Extensions framework would allow apps from AI providers—including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude—to integrate directly with Siri, Writing Tools, and Image Playground. According to the test version, a settings panel and a dedicated App Store section are built but currently toggled off on Apple's backend .

An internal message inside the beta describes the system plainly: "Extensions allow agents from installed apps to work with Siri, the Siri app and other features on your devices" .

This marks a strategic pivot for Apple. Since iOS 18, Siri has offered ChatGPT integration via a direct partnership, but the Extensions framework would eliminate the need for Apple to negotiate bespoke deals with every AI provider. Users would simply install their preferred chatbot app, and it would become a selectable option system-wide .

Why was it pulled from the keynote? Gurman and other outlets point to a tangle of regulatory and messaging challenges. The European Union's Digital Markets Act and broader scrutiny of big-tech AI partnerships likely made Apple cautious about unveiling a feature that lets users funnel queries to Google, OpenAI, or Anthropic by default. There are also reputational considerations: positioning Siri as a routing layer for competitors' models could look like an admission that Apple's own AI isn't competitive—a narrative the company would prefer to avoid during a flagship Siri relaunch .

Despite the omission, the framework's presence in the developer beta is strong evidence that Apple intends to ship it. Current reporting suggests the feature is still on track for the public iOS 27 release in September .

What to Expect This Fall

None of these three features has been officially confirmed by Apple, and their final form, timing, or availability could shift before September. But Gurman's track record and the evidence in the developer beta make a compelling case that all three are real and in active development.

The pattern is consistent: Apple is lining up software features designed to launch alongside new hardware. A watch face timed with new Apple Watch models, a camera overhaul reserved for iPhone 18 Pro, and an AI framework that will sit at the heart of Siri's future—each one a fall story rather than a June headline.