Apple is testing an iOS 27.2 feature that reminds iPhone users about an anniversary when they go to call a contact, provided the date is saved in Contacts.
The anniversary alert appears in the first iOS 27.2 developer beta, released on 16 September. It uses Call Context, an Apple Intelligence feature introduced with iOS 27, to surface the important date as the user starts the call.
For anyone who has remembered an anniversary halfway through an ordinary phone conversation, it could provide a useful last-second reminder.
Your iPhone Gets the Hint Before You Do
The feature works through Call Context in the Phone app.
If someone calls a contact whose anniversary is stored on their contact card, iOS 27.2 can display a notice reminding them that it is an important day.
Apple already does something similar with birthdays. In iOS 27, Call Context can show an upcoming or recent birthday when a user calls a contact.
Birthday reminders can also appear with a fireworks animation. The anniversary alert being tested in iOS 27.2 does not currently have its own celebratory animation.
The timing may prove more useful than the decoration. Ordinary notifications can easily disappear among other alerts, while Call Context puts the information on screen when the user is actually contacting the person.
How to Make Sure Your Anniversary Appears
The feature depends on the anniversary being stored in Contacts.
Users can open Contacts, choose the relevant person and tap Edit. They can then select Add date, choose Anniversary and enter the correct date.
MacRumors notes that users with access to Siri AI can also ask it to add an anniversary to a person's contact card. Once the date is stored, Call Context can use the information when the anniversary arrives.
There is one important limitation. This is not an automatic warning several days before the anniversary.
The reminder appears when the user goes to call that contact on the anniversary itself. Someone who does not make the call could therefore still forget the date.
Call Context Is Becoming More Personal
Anniversary alerts show how Apple is expanding Call Context beyond information connected to business calls.
The feature can already search Mail, Messages, Wallet and Calendar for information that may be useful during certain calls.
If someone calls an airline, for example, the iPhone can surface a relevant booking or confirmation number instead of making the user search through emails while speaking to an agent.
Call Context also works with birthdays. Adding anniversaries extends the same idea to another type of personal information that could be useful at exactly the right moment.
Not Every iPhone Will Get the Full Experience
Call Context requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.
Apple says Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 is available on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models or later, and iPhone Air. Feature availability can also vary by language and region.
For UK users, Apple lists English (United Kingdom) as a supported language for Call Context.
The anniversary reminder remains part of beta software, so Apple could change or remove it before the final release.
Apple has not announced an official public-release date for iOS 27.2. MacRumors expects the update to arrive in October.
Until then, remembering the anniversary remains the user's responsibility. But for anyone who only realises what day it is when their partner asks, 'Do you know what today is?', the new iPhone reminder could provide a few valuable seconds of warning.
