Apple first unveiled the concept of an intelligent version of Siri at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference. Siri with Apple Intelligence was supposed to be introduced as part of iOS 18, but the underlying architecture was not good enough, and Apple was forced to delay the feature. Now we are waiting for a new version of Siri in iOS 27 with the long-awaited intelligence.
Siri’s New Skills
Based on Apple’s promises and rumors about what’s coming in the new version of iOS, Siri in iOS 27 will not be the same as Siri in iOS 26. In 2024, Apple showed us three ways Siri will improve, but two years have passed and more work has been done, so we expect more than what Apple showed.
Siri will be able to draw user data and information from Apple devices, and access personal data to complete tasks. Assistant will be able to do more with apps, and will be able to say what’s on the screen to answer questions.
Your Essence
Siri will have access to emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning all about you to help you complete tasks and track what’s been sent. Apple has given some examples of how the human context will work:
- Show me the files Eric sent me last week.
- Get an email where Eric talked about ice skating.
- Find the books Eric recommended to me.
- Where is the recipe that Eric sent me?
- What is my passport number?
Screen Awareness
Screen awareness will allow Siri to see what’s on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you’re looking at. When someone texts you an address, you can tell Siri to add it to their contact card. Or if you’re looking at a photo and want to send it to someone, you can ask Siri to do it for you.
App integration
Siri will be able to do more and across apps, perform actions and complete tasks that are currently impossible with the personal assistant. We don’t have the full picture of what Siri will be able to do, but Apple has given a few examples of what to expect.
- To move files from one application to another.
- Edit a photo and share it with someone.
- Getting directions to home and sending ETA in the messaging app.
- Write and send an email.
Siri will be able to complete tasks in Apple apps and third-party apps, and developers will be able to reveal app capabilities to Siri.
Siri as a Chatbot
Apple is turning Siri into a full chatbot that users can interact with similarly to Claude or ChatGPT. The Siri chatbot will be integrated with Apple apps at the system level, and there will be a Siri app for back-and-forth conversations.
Siri will be able to do the same things that other chatbots can do. It will be able to search the web to find answers to questions and provide summaries, examine and summarize uploaded documents, and generate images and content to do things like get help with writing or creating an infographic.
Unlike ChatGPT and Claude, Siri will have deeper integration with Apple devices and more access to user data. Current chatbots can’t access your Mail app, your notes, your Photo Library, or your messages, but Siri will have that information. Accessing personal data will set Siri apart and give iPhone users some features that Android users have been able to enjoy thanks to Gemini’s integration with Google services.
Siri will be able to answer multi-part questions, remember what was asked before, store context across requests, and remember information about the user.
Siri design
With the change of Siri chatbot, Apple will be making many design changes related to Siri. Siri will live more on Dynamic Island, and there will be new ways to access Siri.
Swiping down from the center of the iPhone display from the Home Screen or any app will bring up the new “Search or Ask” feature on Dynamic Island. A glowing, pill-shaped animation will be displayed on the Dynamic Island to indicate that Siri is processing the request.
If Siri has an answer, the Dynamic Island will expand into a transparent card with the result, including images, information from the web, notes and other information related to the question or request. Swiping on the scorecard will bring up a chat mode similar to an iMessage chat, and there will be an option to switch to the full Siri app.
Search or Ask replaces Siri Suggestions and will allow users to launch apps, start text messages, ask about the weather, add calendar appointments, trigger shortcuts in apps, and search the web using Apple’s new web AI feature. Search or Ask questions and it will be able to be sent to third party chatbot services like ChatGPT instead of Siri.
Although Siri can be accessed by swiping in iOS 27, Apple is keeping the word “Hey Siri” and opening Siri using the Side button. With the new center swipe, accessing the Notification Center will be done by swiping down from the left side of the display. Swiping down to the right will continue to bring up the Control Center.
Apple will also include an “Ask Siri” button in its apps’ menus, giving users a way to send content directly to Siri along with a request.
The new Siri interface uses dark colors with no brightness mode available. Siri UI elements have a black background with color markings that reflect the options used by Apple in the WWDC presentation. Apple’s WWDC website features a white Swift bird in bright pink, blue, purple, and orange colors.
The Siri app
There will be a dedicated Siri app for interacting with Siri, and it will look similar to third-party chatbots apps but with Apple’s design aesthetic. We have a separate guide on the Siri app.
Privacy
Apple plans to lean on privacy as the main goal of its approach to AI, providing a way to differentiate Siri from other chatbot options. Apple will likely aim to keep as much processing on the device as possible to limit the amount of data that leaves the user’s device.
Apple said Apple Intelligence features will continue to work on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute.
Apple will have limits around memory, including limits on what information can be stored and how long it can be stored. Users will be able to automatically delete conversations and Siri requests after a set period of time, such as 30 days or one year. There will also be an option to save conversations forever.
Siri can be turned off right now, as can Apple Intelligence, and there’s no sign that will change in iOS 27. Users who don’t want to enable Siri or use new features won’t have to.
Siri extensions
Apple is allowing competitor chatbots to interact with Siri in iOS 27, expanding on the OpenAI partnership that currently allows Siri to relay requests to ChatGPT. Apple plans to allow other chatbots like Claude and Gemini to work with Siri, so users will be able to send questions to their favorite chatbot instead of Siri.
iPhone users will be able to choose which services they want to use within Siri with “extensions” options coming to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. The options will be found in the Apple Intelligence and Siri section of the Settings app, Apple provides download links for chatbot apps. There will be a dedicated Extensions section in the App Store that will serve as a way to select a third-party AI app.
Siri will be the default for the Search or Ask interface, but rumors suggest that users will be able to choose other chatbots to talk to. Users will also be able to choose third-party AI services as defaults for Apple Intelligence features such as authoring tools and Image Playground, expanding Apple Intelligence integration beyond ChatGPT.
Apple also plans to allow users to choose third-party AI voices to use instead of Siri, so there will be a distinct sound difference between the response from Siri and the response from the user’s chosen chatbot. Siri will use one voice, while third-party AI responses will use another voice.
Gemini Help
To get Siri up and running, Apple partnered with Google to use Gemini AI models instead of its own AI models. Apple has signed a multi-year agreement to use Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology in its Apple Foundation models.
Google and Apple said the next generation of Apple Foundation models will be based on Google Gemini models, and Gemini will be used to power future Apple Intelligence features and a personal version of Siri.
Apple said Google’s AI technology provided the strongest foundation for its models.
Device Compatibility
Apple Intelligence features require an iPhone 15 Pro or later, and it’s possible some of the new Siri options may be limited to those same models.
Effective Date
Apple will preview the new Siri at its WWDC 2026 keynote event on June 8, with betas for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 given to developers that day. The public beta will arrive in July, and software updates will be launched in September.
It’s not yet clear if all the new Siri features will be available in beta, or right when iOS 27 launches.