Updated
Updated · Tom's Guide · Jun 17
Apple Adds Drawing Tools to iOS 27 Messages in Developer Beta
Updated
Updated · Tom's Guide · Jun 17

Apple Adds Drawing Tools to iOS 27 Messages in Developer Beta

3 articles · Updated · Tom's Guide · Jun 17

Summary

  • iOS 27 developer beta adds a new Drawing option in Messages, letting users sketch doodles or handwritten notes directly inside chat threads and send them as images.
  • The feature sits under the plus menu in a conversation, opening a blank canvas where users can draw with a finger on iPhone or an Apple Pencil on iPad.
  • Apple is limiting access for now to the early beta, available through the free Apple Developer Program and the latest iOS 27 beta update.
  • The addition pushes Messages beyond standard text and emoji, giving Apple another built-in tool for more personalized communication across iPhone and iPad.

Insights

With a new drawing tool and supercharged Siri, is Apple promoting human creativity or paving the way for more AI control?
Apple cites brain science for its new drawing tool. Is it a genuine cognitive enhancer or just a clever marketing gimmick?
As iMessage becomes a digital canvas, how will Apple police the art to prevent a surge in harmful user-generated content?