If you’re like most people, you might still be getting used to iOS 27 on your iPhone. Perhaps you haven’t even installed it yet, or maybe you’re confused about why iOS 27.0.1 exists. (The short answer: The iPhone 18 Pro is a bit glitchy.) But there’s a new iPhone update on the horizon that adds even more new features and changes to the mix: iOS 27.2. While this update isn’t nearly as big of an overhaul as iOS 27 itself, it’s still impactful, especially for Health app users. Here’s what’s new.
The update is currently in testing, so if you want to try it out early, you can enroll your iPhone in Apple’s beta and check these features out today. Just know that all betas come with some level of risk, so if you decide to go down this path, create a proper backup of all important data before installing the beta.
iOS 27.2’s new Health app
With iOS 27.2, Apple is totally overhauling the Health app. This is perhaps the biggest change coming with Apple’s update, and fitness users will likely welcome many of these new features. With the new Health app, you’ll be able to see your Fitness rings within the Health app, rather than the Fitness app; there’s a new “Longevity” tab that gives you insights into key aspects of your long-term health, including mental wellbeing, nutrition, daily movement, heart health, metabolic health, sleep, and hearing health. There are also new assessments you can take to analyze your current overall health and where you can improve, including a new “Health Age” feature. You can even allow your iPhone’s camera to watch you exercise in order to rate your fitness in categories like flexibility, balance, VO2max, and strength.
This is by far the Health app’s biggest revamp in years, and I’m looking forward to exploring the new features when the update drops. For more on what’s new with the Health app in iOS 27.2, check out Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki’s guide here. (Beth is particularly fond of the new step count that appears at the top of both the Health and Fitness apps.)
iOS 27.2 expands “Call Context”
Call Context is an excellent use of Apple Intelligence. When you’re on a phone call, Apple Intelligence checks if the phone number you’re calling is related to a business that you have relevant information for elsewhere on your device. If so, it fetches that information for you and displays it on the call screen. For example, if you’re talking with your airline’s customer service line, Call Context can proactively display your flight number based on the itinerary it finds in your email.
With iOS 27.2, Call Context now includes anniversary alerts. If you’re on a phone call with someone you have a saved anniversary for, that alert will appear on-screen. That way, you can get a small reminder if you call a friend on their birthday, but you happened to forget the occasion. (Thank you, technology, for saving some of us from our thoughtlessness, even if you are enabling bad habits.)
FaceTime is getting ASL support
As part of a previous announcement of accessibility features, Apple revealed it was adding a new API to FaceTime that supports adding a human interpreter to video calls. This feature did not make it to iOS 27, but it appears to be rolling out in Apple’s next update, making video calls more accessible going forward.
What do you think so far?
If you have an Apple TV, you likely know you can set up profiles, so individual users can personalize the experience when watching shows and movies. As MacRumors highlights, these profiles are now coming to the Apple TV app in iOS and iPadOS 27.2. That way, multiple users can personalize the Apple TV experience on a single device: If your family shares an iPad, for example, each user can switch to their Apple TV profile when it’s their turn to watch. Now, if we could only get system-level profiles too, Apple.
Siri AI is coming in more languages
At launch, Siri AI is only available in English. But with iOS 27.2, Apple is expanding that list. Once you update to the latest version, you’ll be able to use Siri AI in French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.
iOS 27.2 introduces small UI changes
Apple isn’t thrilled with how some of its apps look in iOS 27, apparently. MacRumors also spotted that in the Music app, Apple removed some of the red accents and turned certain buttons from red to black—including the Play and Shuffle buttons, and the icons in the Library sections. In the Clock app, “AM” and “PM” are now smaller than the time when setting alarms. In Podcasts, “Up Next” is now “New Episodes,” perhaps adding a touch more clarity. Finally, Apple changed “App Access” in Siri to “Excluded Apps,” and now allows you to exclude multiple apps from Siri at once.
