The iOS 27 developer beta includes a newly introduced star rating feature in the Apple Photos app, enabling users to rate individual or multiple photos and filter their photo library based on those ratings to quickly find the best shots.
- iOS 27 beta unlocks star rating controls in Photos app
- Feature supports rating individual and multiple photos
- Photo filtering by rating streamlines browsing and editing
What happened
In its initial developer beta for iOS 27, Apple introduced a hidden star rating feature in the native Photos app, allowing users to rate photos with one to five stars. This feature is disabled by default but can be enabled through the profile settings within the app. Once activated, a star rating control appears on photos, and users can also apply ratings to multiple selected photos simultaneously.
The new tool addresses a longstanding challenge for iPhone photographers who accumulate many near-duplicate or similar shots and need an efficient way to identify the best images. By permitting ratings and filtering within the Photos app itself, Apple has brought a popular functionality from professional photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom directly to iPhone users.
Why it matters
Managing large numbers of photos on an iPhone often involves cumbersome manual sorting or relying on third-party apps. The star rating addition streamlines this process natively, providing iPhone users a straightforward way to triage images without exporting or switching platforms. This can save time and enhances photo workflow directly on the device and within iCloud libraries.
For hobbyist and professional photographers alike, the ability to quickly find highly rated photos unlocks faster editing, sharing, and organization. Integrating such a feature within iOS reinforces Apple’s commitment to improving user experience in creative workflows and brings iPhone photo management closer to desktop-grade solutions.
What to watch next
It remains to be seen whether the star rating feature will persist into the public release of iOS 27 or evolve further. Apple may expand the functionality with additional organizational or editing tools based on user feedback during the beta period. Observers should watch for updates on how this feature integrates with other Apple ecosystem products such as macOS Photos and iCloud Photo Library.
The feature could also influence third-party photo apps on iOS, potentially prompting them to offer enhanced rating and filtering tools to complement the native options. For users, adoption rates and practical impact on daily photo management will determine if this small addition becomes one of the more significant enhancements in the upcoming iOS release.