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Apple may be ready to give the Photos app a much bigger AI toolbox.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is reportedly developing new Apple Intelligence editing features for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS, including tools that could expand image borders, improve lighting, and adjust spatial photos. If released, the features would push Apple’s default photo editor closer to AI tools already available on Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices.
The catch: some of the most ambitious features reportedly remain unreliable in internal testing, which could make Apple’s next AI push as much about execution as it is about ambition.
Expanding the frame
The most ambitious of the new features is a tool called Extend. Much like the generative fill options seen on Google and Samsung devices, this will allow users to virtually zoom out of a photo they’ve already taken.
According to Bloombergthe feature lets users “generate additional image content beyond the original frame.” For instance, if you snapped a tight shot of a famous building, you could use your fingers to drag the edges of the photo and let the AI fill in the surrounding sky or sidewalk that wasn’t in the original shot.
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Better lighting and 3D shifts
Two other tools are set to join the lineup:
Enhance: While Apple already has an Auto button, this new AI-driven version is expected to be more sophisticated, automatically tweaking colors, lighting, and overall sharpness to make photos pop.
Reframe: This tool is specifically for spatial photos, the 3D images used for the Vision Pro. It will allow users to actually shift the perspective of a photo after it is taken.
Despite the ambitious plans, development hasn’t been flawless.
According to Bloomberg, the Extend and Reframe features “don’t perform reliably during internal testing.” This could lead to delays or scaled-back functionality if improvements aren’t made in time. Apple is already facing criticism over its existing Clean Up tool, which some users say produces inconsistent results, including visual artifacts and inaccurate fill-ins.
Playing catch-up with rivals
Apple’s renewed focus on AI editing highlights its effort to close the gap with Android competitors.
Google’s Pixel devices, for instance, have long offered features like Magic Eraser and generative image expansion, while Samsung has aggressively expanded AI capabilities in its Galaxy lineup. By contrast, Apple has taken a more cautious approach, prioritizing on-device processing and privacy, but at the cost of slower feature rollout.
The photo-editing overhaul is just one piece of Apple’s wider software strategy for 2026. Reports suggest the company is focusing on two main priorities: expanding Apple Intelligence features and improving overall system performance.
This includes updates to Siri, which is expected to become more capable and possibly take on a chatbot-like interface. Apple is also working to reduce bugs, improve battery life, and streamline its operating systems following last year’s more design-heavy updates.
For more on Apple’s broader roadmap, check out the latest rumors around a potential “Ultra” lineup for iPhone and MacBook.
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