Apple is expected to officially unveil iOS 27 during the WWDC 2026 in June, ahead of its fall release.
Image Playground and Genmoji were first introduced with iOS 18.2
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple is believed to preview iOS 27 at its WWDC event in June. The next-generation operating system is expected to offer improved Apple Intelligence features with an enhanced AI-powered image generation experience. A new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that Apple's image generation models used in Genmoji and Image Playground will get notable upgrades in visual quality. The reported improvements are expected to be noticeable in Genmoji and Image Playground. Earlier reports indicated that Apple is working on support for third-party AI image-generation models in iOS 27.
In the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter, the journalist states that Apple is planning an upgrade for Genmoji and Image Playground in iOS 27. "Apple's own models for Genmoji and Image Playground have been improved, so quality is getting a big boost this year", Gurman said.
Apple introduced the Image Playground and Genmoji with iOS 18.2, and the brand might be gearing up to make the features more useful in iOS 27. Genmoji currently allows users to create custom emojis using text prompts. It could soon suggest AI-generated emojis based on a user's photo library and commonly used phrases. Currently, users have to switch to the emoji keyboard and manually type prompts to create a Genmoji. Gurman, however, did not reveal any additional details about the upcoming improvements.
The company could expand support for additional third-party AI image-generation models in Image Playground in iOS 27. The feature currently supports ChatGPT for image creation. Earlier reports suggest that Apple could soon support Google's AI models that enable on device AI features that could also extend to image editing, such as Nano Banana.
Apple is likely to provide more insights about iOS 27 and its capabilities at the WWDC 2026 keynote next month. The annual event is already confirmed to take place from June 8 to June 12.
Besides the Apple Intelligence features, iOS 27 is expected to offer redesigned Siri and a revamped Shortcuts app. It could include an AI-powered wallpaper generator and enhanced Writing Tools features.
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