iPadOS 27.3 beta adds a Siri camera tab for Visual Intelligence
Apple has released the first iPadOS 27.3 beta, which adds a dedicated Siri tab in the Camera app for Visual Intelligence. The public release is expected in December.
Key takeaways
- The first iPadOS 27.3 beta, released in early November, adds a Siri tab to the Camera app for Visual Intelligence.
- On iPads, Visual Intelligence supports circling objects with an Apple Pencil to get information from Siri AI.
- Supported devices are iPad Pro and iPad Air with M1 or newer, and iPad mini with A17 Pro or A20 Pro.
- The public release of iPadOS 27.3 is expected in December; beta users should back up their iPad first.
In this article
What the beta adds
Apple released the first beta of iPadOS 27.3 in early November, according to Engadget. The update adds a new way to reach Visual Intelligence, the tool that lets you ask Siri AI questions about whatever the camera is pointed at.
Until now, the feature could be opened by long-pressing the Camera Control button or by pressing the Action button, if that button has been set up for it. In iPadOS 27.3, a Siri tab appears in the viewfinder alongside the photo, video and portrait modes, so you can simply swipe to it.
Apple Pencil support on iPad
The iPad version of Visual Intelligence has one feature that iPhones do not offer. With an Apple Pencil, you can take a photo, draw a circle around an object and ask Siri AI for information about it.
Engadget compares this to Google's Circle to Search. Apple showed off Siri AI at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June this year, where the camera-based mode was first presented.
Which iPads are supported
Visual Intelligence already works on several current tablets. Supported models are the iPad Pro and iPad Air with an M1 chip or newer, and the iPad mini with an A17 Pro or A20 Pro chipset.
The new Siri tab in the Camera app arrives with iPadOS 27.3 on those same compatible devices. Apple is expected to release the public version of the update in December.
How to install the beta safely
To try the feature early, open Settings, go to General and then Software Update. Tap Beta Updates, choose iPadOS 27 Public Beta, then return to Software Update to install it.
Engadget advises making a full backup with iCloud, a Mac or a Windows PC before installing. Beta software is not the finished product and can contain bugs, so backing up first protects your files. If that sounds risky, waiting for the public release in December is a reasonable option.
Sources
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