- New For Apple Services, As Announced In WWDC26
- Apple Maps: Enhanced Flyover, Local Lists
- Find My: Custom Duration Sharing, New Unified watchOS App
- Apple Pay: New Checkout UI, Tap To Share
- Apple Podcasts: Video Playback Support For macOS and tvOS
- Others: iCloud Shared Albums, Apple Music, Apple Sports & Fitness+ Updates
- Alright – So, When?
Apple has announced a broad set of updates coming to its software and services as part of the 2027 software releases this fall. The beneficiaries include Apple Maps, Find My, Apple Pay, Apple Podcasts, iCloud, and Apple Music, among several others.
New For Apple Services, As Announced In WWDC26
Apple Maps: Enhanced Flyover, Local Lists
The updated Apple Maps introduces an “enhanced Flyover experience” that combines aerial imagery with AI to provide higher-definition 3D views of select cities around the world (think of it as AI upscaling fused into the Flyover feature). On top of that, a new Local Lists feature surfaces curated collections of nearby places – think restaurants or family-friendly spots – based on what is trending locally, though Apple notes that this is limited to US-based users for now. The company notes that curations are derived with privacy considerations and are never tied to individual users.
Find My: Custom Duration Sharing, New Unified watchOS App
Find My is getting more granular location-sharing controls. Users will be able to share their location for a custom duration, set in minutes, hours, or days, or specify a date and time for sharing to stop automatically. There is also a pause option that stops sharing until the end of the day, which Apple says there are use cases, like shopping for surprise gifts or attending private events.
On Apple Watch, the existing Find Devices, Find Items, and Find People apps are being merged into a single unified Find My app. The redesigned app features a map-centric interface and supports Precision Finding for locating a paired iPhone, AirTag (2nd generation), and AirPods Pro 3. Precision Finding support is limited to Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, and Apple Watch Series 9 and later, paired with iPhone 15 models or later.
Apple Pay: New Checkout UI, Tap To Share
Apple Pay is receiving a redesigned checkout interface that makes it easier to compare payment options, view rewards balances, check debit account balances, and access pay-later options in a single swipe. Users will also be able to add funds directly to an eligible debit card from within Apple Wallet or during an online checkout later this year.
A new Tap to Share feature is being added to the Tap to Pay on iPhone feature. Customers can tap their iPhone to connect to a participating merchant’s device, enabling secure sharing of contact details, shipping addresses, and loyalty rewards information; the feature also allows customers to view their basket in real time and pay directly on their own iPhone without needing to tap again. Note that Tap to Share requires iPhone 12 or later running iOS 27 and is not currently available in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Apple Podcasts: Video Playback Support For macOS and tvOS
For Apple Podcasts, video podcast playback is coming to Mac with Picture in Picture (PIP) support. The update also brings transcripts, timed links, and chapter navigation to the Mac experience alongside the video content. On the tvOS side, the app is also getting a full redesign with video playback support, a new sidebar navigation, and support for podcast creators’ custom artwork. A new search-within-show feature is being added across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro, and Apple Podcasts website, allowing users to find specific episodes faster without scrolling through an entire show’s archive.
Others: iCloud Shared Albums, Apple Music, Apple Sports & Fitness+ Updates
iCloud Shared Albums are being revamped with full-resolution sharing, support for more file types, emoji reactions, updated activity feeds, and temporary albums for short-term collaborative projects. Non-Apple users can also join and contribute photos via the web.
As for Apple Music, the music streaming service is expanding Lyrics Translation to seven new language pairings including English to French, German, Italian, Korean, and Spanish. Lyrics Pronunciation is also gaining five new pairings, among them English to Hangul (Korean) and English to Katakana (Japanese). AutoMix is also getting improved transitions and will come to tvOS and HomePod, while Hi-Res Lossless Audio is also coming to tvOS for subscribers with compatible external speakers.
Apple is also introducing the new Apple Sports app (just in time before World Cup kicks off tomorrow), which aggregates various major sports events around the world with real-time updates, news, and more. This is available for free in over 170 countries and regions worldwide, the company says.
Finally, Apple Fitness+ is launching a new three-week program called Strong Through Menopause, featuring Yoga and Strength workouts designed for users navigating perimenopause and menopause. The program complements menopause-related features added to Cycle Tracking in iOS 27. More details on the new health features can be found in our coverage of the watchOS 27 announcement.
Alright – So, When?
All feature updates mentioned in this article are available for testing now through the Apple Developer Program – a public beta will be available next month via the Apple Beta Software Program as well, while the full rollout is scheduled as a free software update this fall, likely around the time Apple hosts its yearly iPhone keynote (this time with John Ternus as the CEO). Note that feature availability may vary by region and device, and some features are subject to change.
Pokdepinion: They’re all small updates, but still welcomed nonetheless.
