iOS 27 Brings New Drawing Tool to Messages

The upcoming iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate updates are expanding Apple’s built-in Markup drawing tools to three core applications across the iPhone , the iPad, and the Mac (via MacRumors).

[Image: MacRumors]

The biggest change is coming straight to the iPhone’s Messages app. In iOS 27, Apple has added a brand-new, dedicated “Drawing” option directly inside the app drawer. You can access it by simply tapping the plus sign in the bottom-left corner of any chat window.

On older iOS versions, the Messages app relied on a very basic, hidden drawing panel that only appeared if you flipped your iPhone horizontally into landscape orientation. This old system was clunky, easy to miss, and lacked deep features. With the iOS 27 update, the full suite of modern Markup tools is front and centre. It works perfectly in both vertical portrait mode and horizontal landscape mode.

When you open the canvas, you can sketch using a full arsenal of digital tools, including a pen, a highlighter, crayons, and a paintbrush. You can also quickly insert shapes, signatures, typed text, and stickers. Once you finish your drawing, you can send it instantly. The person on the other end receives it as a standard image file that they can easily save to their Photos app.

Apple is not leaving desktop users behind. Over on the Mac, macOS 27 Golden Gate is integrating these exact same Markup drawing tools directly into two of its best productivity apps: Notes and Freeform.

Right now, these new sketching features are only available to users running the first developer betas of iOS 27 and macOS 27. Apple is expected to launch a public beta program in July for those who want to test the software early.