Apple is preparing a Siri mode for the iPhone camera and expanding Visual Intelligence in iOS 27

Apple plans to build AI deeper into the iPhone camera. According to Bloomberg, iOS 27 may add a dedicated Siri mode alongside the familiar shooting modes. If plans don't change, Visual Intelligence will no longer be a hidden feature and will become a visible part of the main camera.

The camera as a gateway to Siri

Right now, Visual Intelligence on the iPhone is tied to Camera Control and to workarounds such as Control Center or the Action button on compatible models. For the average user, that isn't the most obvious path: the feature exists, but it lives apart from the place where people most often work with images, the Camera app itself. Apple apparently wants to close exactly this gap and make AI a visible part of the interface rather than an extra gesture.

According to Bloomberg, Apple will move Visual Intelligence directly into the camera and present it as a new Siri mode next to the regular shooting modes. That marks a significant shift in product logic: instead of explaining where to find smart features, the company makes the camera the way in. It also gives Apple a better way to show off Apple Intelligence in everyday use, rather than in standalone demos that are easy to skip after setting up a device for the first time.

What's coming to Visual Intelligence

The main update isn't just a new label in the interface; it also expands what the feature can do. Bloomberg reports that iOS 27 should let the system read nutrition labels on food packaging and log the nutrition data immediately, as well as recognize contact information and send it to the Contacts app. In other words, the camera is turning from a shooting tool into an action layer on top of the real world: point, recognize, save, move on.

• Scanning nutrition labels
• Moving contacts from business cards and printed materials into Contacts
• Faster access to Visual Intelligence directly from Camera
• Putting AI features in the main interface instead of behind a hidden gesture

In practice, this looks like an attempt to remove the extra steps between recognition and action. Today, many visual AI features on smartphones impress in keynotes but rarely become everyday tools: it's too unclear where they live and when to use them. Judging by the leak, Apple is betting on everyday use cases rather than novelties: reading a product's ingredients, saving a number from a paper card, and quickly understanding what the camera sees and what you can do with it next in the iPhone ecosystem.

The iOS 27 context

The camera story also matters because it fits into Apple's broader pivot around Siri. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple is preparing a deeper overhaul of the assistant in iOS 27: a new interface, more system-level integrations, and a more prominent role for Apple Intelligence in everyday tasks. A Siri mode in the camera looks like one of the clearest ways to show this upgrade to a mass audience without separate training and without complex voice commands.

Apple hasn't announced anything officially yet, so details may still change before release. But the timeline is already clear: WWDC26 kicks off on June 8, 2026, and that's where the company usually shows off major iOS versions and new AI features. If the leak is accurate, Apple will try to tackle two goals at once: upgrade Siri and give Visual Intelligence a more prominent place inside the iPhone, where it can actually shape users' daily habits.

What it means

Apple is betting not on a standalone AI app but on building intelligence into the most common actions on a smartphone. If Siri really does arrive in the camera as a full-fledged mode, the fight over mobile AI will increasingly shift from chatbots to interfaces where recognition, search, and saving data happen in a single gesture.