When Liquid Glass launched in macOS Tahoe, Apple faced criticism over how the design looked on the Mac. Some people felt that Liquid Glass in ‌macOS Tahoe‌ was an afterthought with little impact from the design update, while others had issues with contrast, readability, rounded corners, and design consistency. There were long complaint threads on the MacRumors forums and on Reddit, and some people refused to update.


Apple is making several changes to Liquid Glass and the overall macOS Golden Gate design, and while subtle, some of the changes could make Liquid Glass on Mac easier to digest.

Transparency and Diffusion

Apple added a full Liquid Glass slider under System Settings > Appearance. It changes the translucency of Liquid Glass elements, and users can choose a clear version of Liquid Glass that allows some of the background to show through, select a more opaque, tinted version that improves the legibility of text, or choose something in between.


Unfortunately, there is no ultra-clear version of Liquid Glass available with the slider. Even the setting that's as clear as possible does not match the original version of Liquid Glass that Apple showed off at WWDC 2025.

Apple changed the overall Liquid Glass opacity, and it now diffuses complex content more effectively. Apple says a darkened edge and brighter specular highlights establish more depth and separation for the UI.

Toolbars and Window Shapes

Apps have uniform toolbars to make text headings and groups of controls more legible. Windows also all have the same corner radius for more consistency between apps.


Corners of apps are not as dramatically rounded in ‌macOS Golden Gate‌, and the difference is noticeable.


It's easier to tell when a window is active because of the sidebar design, the opacity update, and changes to window shadows.

Sidebars

Sidebars are no longer floating and are instead edge-to-edge. It's a design that's less distracting and more uniform because there's no unnecessary sidebar shadowing that just takes up space.


Sidebar icons have color again, which is something Apple removed in ‌macOS Tahoe‌.

Icons

Apple didn't budge on requiring squircle Mac icons, but it did change icon design. Icons have more layers of Liquid Glass to improve detail and sharpness in light, dark, tinted, and clear icon modes.


Apple is also using icons for some menu bar items to make it easier to find commonly used actions.

HDR

Apple is using HDR for depth and dimension in the ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ interface.

Launch Date

‌macOS Golden Gate‌ also includes all of the new Siri AI features coming in iOS 27, along with performance improvements that make the Mac feel faster.

The update is limited to developers right now, but Apple plans to release a public beta in July. ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ will launch this fall.

This article, "All the Liquid Glass Changes in macOS Golden Gate" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today released new beta firmware for the AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3. The firmware is limited to developers at the current time, and it has a build number of 9A5292e.


In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, Apple is adding a new AirPods interface and support for custom EQ. AirPods are also compatible with the new Siri AI.

With iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe, Apple added a beta firmware update installation option that's available from the AirPods settings interface when the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, which facilitates beta testing.

Developers can use the beta option to turn on beta downloads.
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Nomad today introduced two new products in its Stellar Orange colorway, expanding the number of accessories it offers in the unique shade. Stellar Orange matches the Cosmic Orange color that Apple used for the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max.


The Stellar Orange Stand One is a 2-in–1 charging stand that's priced at $135. It was previously available in silver and carbide, but it now comes in bright orange. It is a Qi2 charger that charges a MagSafe iPhone at up to 25W.

The upright charger supports charging an iPhone in portrait or landscape orientation for Stand By, and it has a quality glass and metal build. A second Qi charger at the bottom of the stand allows AirPods to be charged at 5W.

The stand charges over USB-C, and you'll need to supply a 40W or better power adapter, but it does come with a braided nylon USB-C cable. An anti-slip base keeps it in place, as does the weight of the charger.

Nomad's Stellar Orange Tracking Card Pro is $39, and it is made to slip into a wallet to add Find My tracking capabilities. It connects to the ‌Find My‌ network so it is locatable in the ‌Find My‌ app's Items tab, and it can use nearby Apple devices to report its location if lost or stolen.


The Tracking Card Pro can charge using any Qi or ‌MagSafe‌ charger, and the battery lasts for up to 16 months. It is 2.5mm thin, which makes it three times thinner than an AirTag and better suited for use in a wallet. It does not support Precision Finding because Apple doesn't make the iPhone's Ultra Wideband chip available to third-party trackers.

Nomad's $135 Stellar Orange Stand One and $39 Stellar Orange Tracking Card Pro are available from the Nomad website as of today.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner Nomad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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BenQ is expanding its display lineup with the MA320UG, a 32-inch 4K 120Hz display designed for Mac users. BenQ's new $830 display connects to a Mac using Thunderbolt 4, and provides up to 96W charging.


The MA320UG has an appealing design with a silver aluminum stand and a round height-adjustment arm that has up to 150mm of travel. It can be used in landscape or portrait mode by rotating, and the bottom of the base has a rubber pad where a Mac can sit. It has tilt and swivel functionality for getting an ideal viewing angle. There are slim bezels at the sides and top of the display, and a thicker bezel at the bottom.


There's an upstream Thunderbolt port, a downstream Thunderbolt port to daisy chain a second display, two USB-C ports (one with 35W charging), two USB-A ports, and two HDMI ports at the back of the display. An always-on charging mode lets devices charge when the display is turned off, and there are two speakers included. Speakers in displays are generally not great, and that's the case here. The sound is fine, but if you want good sound, use your Mac's speakers or get external speakers. The 96W charging was enough to keep my MacBook Pro topped up, even though the ‌MacBook Pro‌ can draw up to 140W.

I tested the MA320UG with a 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, and it's always tricky evaluating a 4K display next to a ‌MacBook Pro‌ display, because it's never going to look as crisp. A 4K 32-inch display is about 138 pixels per inch (PPI), while my ‌MacBook Pro‌ display is 254 PPI.


With BenQ's display software, the MA320UG can be set to 2560x1440, which is the default, 3840x2160, or a lower resolution. The lower the resolution, the larger the on-screen elements. I find 3840x2160 to be too small, and 2560x1440 to be too big, so there's no real sweet spot. The software doesn't allow for it, but I used my Mac's settings for a 3008x1692 resolution for a more consistent UI size with my ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Text on the MA320UG is slightly fuzzier than on the ‌MacBook Pro‌'s display at the three higher resolutions I tested, but it's still entirely readable with HiDPI for Retina scaling. I don't notice the difference when I'm absorbed in work, but if I sit and stare at both displays, I can see the softness of the text on BenQ's display. I know some people are bothered by the disparity, but it's not something I think about unless I concentrate on it.


HDR video in BenQ's HDR mode is where I can see the biggest difference between the MA320UG and the ‌MacBook Pro‌. The ‌MacBook Pro‌'s display is much brighter and the contrast ratio is higher, so it wins out when it comes to color variation and detail. Everything has more depth on the ‌MacBook Pro‌ display.


If I'm not sitting at my desk and looking at the same HDR video on both displays at the same time, the MA320UG is totally fine, and I don't know what I'm missing. If I look at the MA320UG alone, it looks great. The MA320UG has a 120Hz refresh rate, which does match the ProMotion of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ for smooth scrolling, so there's no jarring transition. While the refresh rate is up to 120Hz, it tops out at 60Hz when using HiDPI and HDR at the same time due to bandwidth limitations.

You can have 120Hz HiDPI, 120Hz HDR, or HiDPI HDR enabled, but not all three, and if that sounds confusing, it is. The limitation is because of the bandwidth needed for 4K, HDR, 120Hz, and Retina scaling all at once, and it's true for other 4K HDR 120Hz displays too.

Mac settings and BenQ's software aren't intuitive when it comes to using the different modes. The app doesn't allow refresh rates to be manually adjusted, and it's not clear why HDR can't be activated when in HiDPI mode and at 120Hz. In the native display settings, HDR doesn't even show up as an option. I have to use the Mac settings to drop to 60Hz when using HiDPI, then the HDR option appears.


I don't know that anyone is going to want to use 120Hz HDR without HiDPI in a scaled mode because it looks bad, so HDR mode effectively means running at 60Hz unless you're at the native 4K resolution. At 4K, you're not using HiDPI, so 120Hz HDR works fine. You can set up modes on the BenQ display to switch these parameters quickly when you want to watch HDR content.

The MA320UG uses an IPS panel with what BenQ calls a "Nano Gloss" coating. It has 450 nits brightness, a 2000:1 contrast ratio, and DisplayHDR 400. It does not have the brightness level or the contrast ratio for the bright colors and deep blacks that make HDR content look incredible on a Retina display, but it's not terrible. Content that's bright makes the entire display brighter, drowning out dark colors and cutting some detail. This wouldn't be my first choice for HDR content, but it is an option.


"Nano Gloss" is indeed glossy, and it looks fairly similar to the coating on my ‌MacBook Pro‌ and Studio Display. It's glossier than other 4K displays I've used, which are typically more matte. It has reflectivity that's similar to a ‌MacBook Pro‌'s display, so it's maybe not the best monitor if you have a bunch of bright lights behind you, or light from a bright window.


BenQ says the MA320UG covers 98 percent of the P3 wide color gamut, with a color syncing feature that matches the color of the display to the Mac's display. I thought the colors were close to identical on the default setting when comparing the same image on the MacBook's screen and the BenQ display. I don't have a colorimeter, but to the naked eye it was close. There are options for tweaking red, blue, and green to get a better match if needed. The Mac color matching feature does not seem to work when the display is in HDR mode because HDR settings override it.

The display supports setting different color profiles like P3, sRGB, Cinema, Game, or ePaper. Cinema cranks up contrast while lowering brightness, while Game increases brightness and sharpness. ePaper is a black and white mode, which is interesting if you want a quick access grayscale mode for reading. You can also set a custom user mode and adjust gamma, color temperature, contrast, sharpness, hue, and saturation.

Display Pilot 2 is BenQ's display software that adds multiple "Mac" features to the MA320UG. I have mixed feelings about the software. It's useful and feature-rich, but wanted me to sign in with an Apple or Google account when I first installed it. My Apple Account passkey would not work, but I was able to use the software in guest mode. Signing in enables auto backup of personal settings to a Cloud server and allows display settings to sync across devices, but I'm not sure most people need that. It also opted me in to sharing analytics, diagnostics, and usage information with BenQ automatically (an opt out toggle is available in settings).

You need the software to get the full feature set from the MA320UG, like the ‌MacBook Pro‌ color syncing. It also enables brightness control from your Mac's keyboard, which is done through macOS Accessibility permissions. Other display control apps like BetterDisplay do the same thing. In addition to color matching, True Tone, Night Shift, and automatic brightness sync are available too, so the BenQ display's white balance always mirrors your Mac's white balance. The display has a sensor that can be used to detect ambient light and keep brightness levels matched between the display and the connected Mac, but it made both displays inappropriately bright in my office. The ‌MacBook Pro‌'s ambient light sensor did a better job, and that's also an option for maintaining the same brightness levels.

It is convenient to have a third-party display that behaves in the same way the ‌Studio Display‌ does, because you don't need to dig into menus for things like adjusting brightness. I think the app could use a better interface and improved instructions that outline what each feature does, but I appreciated the unseen features that made Mac settings work.


The app has a long list of settings for customization and to meet different workload needs. It syncs color and Focus modes between the MA320UG and the Mac display. You can set display settings to go with a particular Focus mode. If you activate Do Not Disturb, for example, you can set a Low Blue Light mode on the MA320UG, change the color temperature, or choose a particular color mode. Focus options can be used for quickly changing display color modes by activating a Focus on the Mac. Using Focus modes requires enabling Full Disk Access, and that's not a setting that I enable for any app.

There's a visual optimizer, blue light reduction feature, partition option for changing how tiled windows are displayed, quick access tools for swapping color modes and changing resolution, toggles for HiDPI and HDR, KVM settings, and a DualView mode where you can use one color profile on half the screen, and a different color profile on the other half. I don't know why, but there's also a Google bar that lets you enter a search term in the app that then opens a Google search on the web.

With a 5ms response time, the MA320UG isn't ideal for competitive gaming, but it does support FreeSync for general gaming. There is a built-in KVM switch for using the same peripherals with two Macs or a Mac and a PC, and it can be used for cross-device copy paste and file transfers. Display Pilot 2 needs to be installed on both machines, with PBP mode activated and KVM set to auto switch.

Display Pilot 2 understandably only works with BenQ displays, but that's frustrating if you want to use it with other third-party displays. I have a 4K OLED display for my PC that I sometimes use with my Mac, and if I want to adjust brightness or manage it, I have to use BetterDisplay. I can use BetterDisplay with the BenQ display too, but then I lose some of the features like color matching.

Bottom Line

BenQ's MA320UG is a good 4K display if you're looking for a Mac-friendly 32-inch display at a price that comes in under Apple's own display options. The Mac color matching and the software that allows it to work like a native display are useful, and a 120Hz refresh rate is appreciated when used alongside a ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Many third-party displays are much less Mac-friendly and aren't able to function like a native display, but the MA320UG matches the Mac's color and white balance, which gives it an edge over competing 4K displays.

For a 4K LCD display, the MA320UG has a good screen that pairs well with a Mac. It wouldn't be my first choice for HDR or gaming, but for everyday work, it's a solid option. A lot of displays are designed for Windows machines and don't have features that translate to a Mac, so I do appreciate that BenQ created the MA320UG with Mac functionality in mind.

BenQ's software is decent, as long as you don't have another third-party display that you want to use along with the MA320UG. Multi-display management is a hassle when you have to use two different display software options.

I wouldn't choose this over a ‌Studio Display‌ if I had the budget for Apple's monitor, but it is larger and hundreds of dollars less expensive.

How to Buy

The MA320UG is available from the BenQ website or from Amazon.com for $829.99.

Note: BenQ provided MacRumors with an MA320UG for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
This article, "BenQ MA320UG Review: A 32-Inch 4K 120Hz Display Made for Macs" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple held its WWDC 2026 keynote today, introducing iOS 27, macOs 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27. It took Apple an hour and a half to walk through the major new features in the updates, but we have a quicker 10 minute recap for those who want the highlights.


Apple debuted an all-new smarter Siri, added Apple Intelligence features to multiple apps, and shared details on a long list of performance improvements and bug fixes. We have a recap of all our coverage below.

Siri AI

• Apple Announces 'Siri AI' at WWDC 2026


• Apple Unveils All-New Siri App Across iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate


• Apple Rebuilds Search Infrastructure Across Platforms


• Apple Touts Faster Core Software Features Across Devices


• Apple Reveals New AI Architecture Built Around Google Gemini Models


• New Siri AI Features Won't Be Available in EU Later This Year


• Apple Says New Siri is Compatible With These iPhones, iPads, and Macs


• Siri AI Gains Customizable Voice Expressiveness and Pace


• Apple's Private AI Will Run on Google's Servers

iOS 27 and iPadOS 27

• Apple Announces Liquid Glass Improvements and Transparency Slider


• Apple Expands Visual Intelligence With Bill Splitting, Nutrition Insights, and visionOS Support


• New Safari Can Monitor a Webpage and Notify You of Updates


• Apple Brings Natural Language Creation to Shortcuts App


• Apple to Bring AI Reframing and Editing Tools to Photos App


• Apple Revamps Image Playground With Photorealistic Generation and New Editing Tools


• iOS 27 Adds New Parental Controls: Ask to Browse, Time Allowances, and a Redesigned Screen Time


• Apple to Add AI Video Descriptions and Smarter Notifications to Home App


• Apple Intelligence Introduces Contextual Call and Messages Features


• iOS 27 Calendar and Reminders Apps Get New AI Features and Natural Language Support


• Apple Passwords Can Now Automatically Fix Weak and Compromised Passwords With Agentic AI


• Apple Brings AI Tab Organization and AI-Generated Extensions to Safari


• iOS 27 Camera App Gets Siri Mode, Updated UI


• Apple Intelligence Gains Smarter Writing Tools in iOS 27


• iOS 27 Wallet App Gets 'Create a Pass' Feature


• Apple Overhauls Genmoji in iOS 27


• iOS 27 Tidbits: Share a Phone Number on Two iPhones, Independent Alarm Volume, Faster AirPlay and More


• Apple Announces New CarPlay Features on iOS 27, Including Video Apps


• Apple Maps Flyover Gets a Visual Upgrade in iOS 27


• iOS 27 Adds Perimenopause and Menopause Tracking to Health App


• Apple Photos Finally Gets a Slideshow Maker


• iOS 27 Supports iPhone 11 and Newer


• iPadOS 27 Drops Support for a Wave of iPads


• How to Get iOS 27's New Siri AI: Join the Waitlist First


• iOS 27 Announced: How to Install the Beta

macOS 27 Golden Gate

• Apple Announces macOS Golden Gate


• Rich Siri Conversations in macOS 27 Can Be Started in Spotlight


• Here Are the Macs Compatible With macOS Golden Gate

watchOS 27

• watchOS 27 Features Dynamic App Grid, New Gesture Control, and More


• watchOS 27 Introduces Workout Buddy Upgrades, Better Sleep Tracking, and More


• watchOS 27 Drops Support for Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra 1, SE 2, and Older


• Apple Watch Series 9 Mistakenly Left Off watchOS 27 Compatibility List

tvOS 27

• Apple Announces tvOS 27 With These New Features


• tvOS 27 Drops Support for Two Apple TV Models

visionOS 27

AirPods

• Apple to Bring Custom EQ to AirPods

Other News

• Apple Releases First iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Betas to Developers


• Apple Unveils Xcode and Foundation Models Framework Improvements


• Apple's Most Powerful On-Device AI Now Requires iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone Air


• Apple Brings Full-Resolution iCloud Shared Albums to Android and Windows


• iOS 27 Hints at Foldable iPhone With App Resizability Push and New Framework Strings


• Tim Cook Delivers Farewell Remarks at His Last Apple Keynote as CEO

Make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors, because we'll have more in-depth feature guides and videos coming over the next several weeks.
This article, "Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2026 in 10 Minutes" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Maps is getting a visual update in iOS 27, with Apple planning to introduce new aerial imagery that's combined with Visual Intelligence models.


Apple said everything will have sharper detail, from the "shapes of individual trees to the way light reflects off the glass of skyscrapers."

Flyover is an ‌Apple Maps‌ view that lets users see more than 350 cities in 3D with detailed landmarks, roads, trees, parks, buildings, and more. It uses aerial imagery captured by planes, and it is a signature ‌Apple Maps‌ feature.

The more detailed Flyover visuals Apple described at the WWDC 2026 keynote do not appear to be implemented in the ‌iOS 27‌ beta as of yet.
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Apple today said it is expanding Private Cloud Compute (PCC) beyond its data centers, partnering with Google and NVIDIA to run Apple Intelligence workloads on Google Cloud.


Private Cloud Compute is Apple's cloud intelligence system for private AI processing, used to keep ‌Apple Intelligence‌ requests secure while handling processing in the cloud. PCC has been limited to Apple silicon servers in Apple data centers, but Apple is now relying on Google servers to handle some ‌Apple Intelligence‌ processing.

Apple partnered with Google to use the technologies behind Google's Gemini AI models for its own Apple Foundation Models. While some processing is done on-device, agentic tool use and complex reasoning require cloud processing. Apple says it worked with Google and NVIDIA to extend its PCC infrastructure to Google Cloud systems that run NVIDIA GPUs without compromising privacy and security protections.

Our core PCC requirements remain exactly the same: stateless computation, enforceable guarantees, no privileged runtime access, non-targetability, and verifiable transparency. What's new with PCC on Google Cloud is the implementation: NVIDIA Confidential Computing with NVIDIA GPUs, Intel CPUs with TDX, and Google's Titan chip.

All server components and software are part of a trusted computing base subject to verifiable transparency and no-privileged-access guarantees, plus Apple has a cryptographically verifiable ledger of all Google Cloud hardware that is part of the PCC fleet to mitigate the risk of supply chain attacks. PCC on Google Cloud also uses many of the same architectural security patterns as PCC on Apple silicon.

Apple says the efforts it has made to bring PCC to Google Cloud will mean user data continues to be protected by PCC's security and privacy properties even outside of Apple hardware and data centers. Apple maintains control over PCC software and Apple devices will only trust PCC software cryptographically approved by Apple.

PCC on Google Cloud is not fully implemented, and Apple plans to gradually add the full set of protections throughout the beta testing process.

PCC on Google Cloud binaries will be available for public inspection. Apple plans to provide public research tooling and access to live PCC nodes in research mode through its Apple Security Bounty Program.
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At the WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple detailed iOS 27 changes like a new version of Siri with a dedicated ‌Siri‌ app and Apple Intelligence features across multiple apps, but there are dozens of smaller but still important changes that Apple didn't have time to go through.


Apple shared an image summarizing some of the bug fixes and optimizations it made in ‌iOS 27‌, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, and there are some interesting changes.

Dual Phone Numbers

Apple says you'll be able to switch between two iPhone devices with the same phone number, which presumably means you can set up two iPhones with one number and then swap between them as needed. It could work similar to how an iPhone and Apple Watch can share the same phone number. It should be a useful change for anyone who wants to get a foldable iPhone and a standard iPhone 18 Pro this year.

Sharing numbers between two iPhones may require carrier support, so it's not clear if it's implemented in the beta.

Two FaceTime Cameras

Dual camera in FaceTime is a listed feature, and that likely means you'll be able to use the front and back cameras at the same time during ‌FaceTime‌ calls.

Faster AirPlay and AirDrop

AirPlaying content to the HomePod and Apple TV is faster than before thanks to multiple system improvements. AirDrop transfers from the iPhone to other devices are also faster, and it's quicker for an iPhone to find nearby AirDrop recipients.

Messages Drawing App

There's a drawing app in Messages where you can handwrite a message or draw a picture. It uses the same drawing tools that are available in the Notes app or when annotating images.

Extra Large Widgets

There's a new extra large widget size you can select on the iPhone's Home Screen. The extra large size takes up an entire app page and displays more information from an app.

Shared Album Expirations

You can now set a shared photo album to expire after a set time, so it doesn't exist indefinitely.

Independent Alarm Volume

Alarm volume can be controlled separately from system volume, as can alerts and system sounds. In Settings > Sounds & Haptics, there are toggles to match Alarms, Timers, Alerts, and System Sounds to Ringtone Volume or to decouple them. Toggling off the match option lets you select a preferred volume level for alarms and system sounds.

Markdown in Notes

You can now copy and paste Markdown in the Notes app.

Save a Video Frame

There's a new option to save a video frame as a photo in the Photos app.

Weather

The Weather app has a "Highlights" view with at-a-glance information, plus it includes updated hourly and 10-day views for precipitation and wind speed.

Other iOS 27 Optimizations and Changes

• Faster message loading in Mail


• Enhanced Safari power efficiency


• Improved battery insights


• Smoother scrolling in App Library


• Smoother unlocking on iPhone


• New AutoMix transitions in Apple Music


• Faster HomeKit accessory pairing


• Faster start page loading in Safari


• More accurate Visited Places in Maps


• Improved Messages syncing across devices


• More power efficient personal hotspot on devices with N1 chip


• Failed messages will automatically try resending


• Improved Bluetooth power management


• Support for time zone changes in Sleep


• Improved unread badge accuracy in Mail

These are just some of the improvements and changes that Apple has introduced in ‌iOS 27‌. We'll be sharing more new features in ‌iOS 27‌ as they're discovered by the community. The ‌iOS 27‌ beta is available for developers right now, with Apple planning to introduce a public beta in July. ‌iOS 27‌ will launch this fall.
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iOS 27 includes an entirely revamped Genmoji creation experience. There's an updated interface that supports describing an emoji that you want to create, with options to start from existing emoji, choose an image from Photos, or select a person.


After uploading an image or using a text phrase to create a ‌Genmoji‌, there's now a "Describe a change" interface for making updates to what you've already created. You can iterate on designs and change specific elements of a ‌Genmoji‌, tweaking colors and objects.

Apple's AI is smarter than before and it is able to successfully make iterative updates for better ‌Genmoji‌ customization. Each change uses the old base rather than regenerating a new ‌Genmoji‌ with every request. With a series of requests, it is possible to make a complicated, multi-element ‌Genmoji‌. Along with describing changes, you can also add in additional emoji, and the interface makes suggestions on what to do next.

‌Genmoji‌ output is also more consistent, and ‌Genmoji‌ look more like real emoji with a 3D, cartoonish style by default. There is now an option to change style, so if you don't want the cartoonish look, you can ask for something else like a drawing or a sketch.

Generating a ‌Genmoji‌ does not take as long, and it appears to be less system intensive with less battery drain.

Apple also overhauled Image Playground in ‌iOS 27‌, and both Image Playground and ‌Genmoji‌ use updated Apple Foundation Models. ‌Image Playground‌ now supports generating photorealistic images and adding AI elements to just parts of photos.
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