iOS 27.2 just upgraded Apple Photos in two ways, here’s what’s new

Apple Photos got a lot of new features in iOS 27 last month, but this week’s release of iOS 27.2 brought even more improvements. Here’s what’s new.

#1: New features for Shared Albums

Shared Albums are among my favorite features in the Photos app. I don’t post on social media often, but I love using Shared Albums because they provide a social media-style experience in a private way that lives right inside Photos.

iOS 27 brought a variety of big improvements to Shared Albums. And now iOS 27.2 has introduced four more.

Per Apple’s release notes, here’s what’s new:

1. you can now edit captions for your photos and videos
2. comments can be edited too
3. there’s a feature to prevent adding duplicate photos to an album
4. the app can display a reminder before albums expire, so participants can save photos before they’re gone

To get these new features, you’ll need to make sure your Shared Albums have been upgraded for iOS 27.

#2: SynthID watermarking to identify AI-modified photos

One complication introduced by AI is that it can be hard to know if an image is real or AI-generated.

This challenge extends to AI-edited photos too, which might have key details changed by tools like iOS 27’s Extend, Reframe, and Clean Up features in Photos.

Apple is tackling the issue with its new Reference Image feature in iPhone 18 Pro, and also through a software enhancement that rolled out in iOS 27.2.

Per Apple, its latest software update adds the following:

Support for SynthID watermarking to help identify whether an image was generated or modified with generative tools in Photos and Image Playground

SynthID is a cross-platform standard developed by Google that embeds unnoticeable digital watermarks into AI-modified photos. Users won’t see a visible watermark, but anyone who checks for a SynthID marker will find it.

What do you think of the latest Apple Photos changes in iOS 27.2? Let us know in the comments.

Best iPhone accessories

• AirPods Pro 3 (now only $199, down from $249)
• MagSafe Car Mount for iPhone
• 10-year AirTag battery case
• 100W USB-C fast charging power adapter
• HomeKit Garage Door Opener