Apple buried dozens of small features in iOS 27, ones that didn’t get any mentions at WWDC 2026, but this one might be the most delightful discovery so far.
If you call someone on their birthday with iOS 27 installed on your iPhone, it quietly displays a fireworks animation on the call screen. I tested this feature by setting my sister’s birthday to today, June 20, 2026, in a beta build of iOS 27, and it worked just fine.
So how does the iOS 27 birthday call feature actually work?
When you dial a saved contact on their birthday, a “Birthday · Found in Contacts” banner appears at the top of your call screen, along with the date, while a subtle fireworks animation plays in the background.
It kicks in before they pick up, giving you just enough time to prepare a birthday wish. For the feature to work, you must have the person’s exact birth date saved in their contact card in your Contacts app.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the banner only appears on their actual birthday, so it stays out of the way the other 364 days of the year.
Does the feature work only with iOS devices?
Since the animation displays on your iPhone rather than the recipient’s device, it works regardless of what phone they’re using, whether that’s another iPhone or an Android device.
This cool little feature wasn’t mentioned anywhere during Apple’s WWDC keynote, and it has barely surfaced in any major iOS 27 coverage since. I’ll admit it won’t change your life, and it will not help you if you already forgot to save their birthday in the first place.
But little easter eggs like this, especially those discovered by the community and iPhone users themselves, are among the best parts of a new iOS release. Not every feature needs to be useful to put a smile on your face.
