iOS 27 Reminders adds Apple Intelligence 'describe' feature, expanded metadata editor, and smarter grocery lists
9to5Mac reports on new Reminders features in iOS 27, including an Apple Intelligence-powered 'describe' option, an upgraded metadata editor, and improved grocery list sorting.
The new "describe" feature lets users create a reminder by describing it in their own words, and Apple Intelligence automatically fills in the relevant metadata. A splash screen in iOS 27 reads: "Describe a New Reminder: Use your own words to describe a reminder and Apple Intelligence will help create it for you." It is not yet clear whether both the old natural language input method and the new AI-driven approach will remain available throughout the beta cycle, given their overlapping functionality.
When editing or creating a reminder inside a list, the metadata options have also been rearranged and expanded. In iOS 26, users saw five options above the keyboard: Date, Location, Tag, Flag, and Camera. iOS 27 places all metadata options in a new box around the active reminder, with support for Date, Time, Urgent, Repeat, Location, Tag, Flag, and Camera. Users can still tap the 'i' icon for the full set of metadata options, but the need to do so should be reduced.
Grocery list auto-sorting has been improved as well. According to 9to5Mac, Apple says it now "sorts grocery list items more accurately" and that the sorting feature has expanded to multiple languages. This is credited to the more powerful Foundation Models in iOS 27.