Siri AI is Apple’s rebuilt, chatbot-style Siri in iOS 27. It can search your messages and email, understand what’s on your screen, take actions inside apps and answer almost any question using the web. It launched on September 14, 2026 as a free, English-only beta. You need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer (or an M1-or-later iPad or Mac), and you have to join a waitlist under Settings > Siri > Try Siri AI (Beta) before you can use it.
Updating to iOS 27 doesn’t switch the new Siri on, and many iPhones that run iOS 27 can’t use it at all. Below: what the new Siri actually does, which devices qualify, how to turn it on, what to ask it, and when ChatGPT or Gemini is still the better pick.
Last updated: September 29, 2026 (UTC+7). Siri AI is still in beta and Apple is adding languages in October. We will update this guide as Apple changes availability.
Siri AI is what Apple calls “an entirely new version of Siri.” It runs on the next generation of Apple Intelligence. Apple rebuilt it from the ground up on new Apple Foundation Models, which it says were “custom-built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models.” These models run both on your device and on Apple’s own servers through Private Cloud Compute.
Apple previewed it at WWDC on June 8, 2026 and shipped it in beta on September 14. Unlike the old Siri, you can talk or type naturally, ask follow-ups and turn almost any answer into a longer conversation.
It’s Apple’s biggest step yet toward the personal AI agents that act for you instead of just answering.
These are the capabilities Apple documents in its September 14 announcement and its “How to get Siri AI” support page.
Siri AI can find things across Messages, Mail, Calendar, Notes, Reminders, Photos and more. In Apple’s example, Siri finds a relative’s message about baking a family recipe, pulls the instructions from an old email and adds the ingredients to Reminders. Apple says the index it uses for this works entirely on device.
Ask about whatever is on your screen and act on it. On iPad and Mac you can also Control-click an image, file or text to ask about it.
Siri can do more inside apps: send messages, create events, edit and share photos, draft email. It already works with some third-party apps. Apple mentions texting a friend in WhatsApp and playing a book on Audible. Apple says drafting an email in Microsoft Outlook, searching Notability, and adding a restaurant to Tripsy are coming “soon.”
Siri AI can pull current information from the web and write a full answer instead of a list of links. On iPad and Mac it’s built into Spotlight.
A new Siri app keeps your past conversations and syncs them through iCloud, so a chat started on iPhone continues on Mac, iPad, Apple Watch or Vision Pro. It can also generate images with Image Playground.
Describe what you need and Siri can write a draft from scratch, edit your text or give feedback “virtually anywhere you type.” In Mail and Messages, Apple says it can match the tone you usually use with each person.
A new Siri mode in the iPhone Camera app lets you point at something and act on it, such as turning a festival poster into calendar events. iPhone and iPad also support the screenshot gesture, and Mac has a keyboard shortcut.
You can tune Siri’s pace and expressiveness, and dictation now handles punctuation and formatting as you talk. Both need Apple’s AFM Core Advanced on-device model, which only the newest devices have (see the table below).
This is where most confusion starts. The devices that can install iOS 27 and the devices that can run Siri AI are two different lists. According to MacRumors, iOS 27 supports the same iPhones as iOS 26: the iPhone 11 series, iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later. Siri AI needs an Apple Intelligence-capable model.
| iPhone model | Runs iOS 27 | Siri AI | Expressive voices & advanced dictation |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| iPhone 17, iPhone 17e | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 16e | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| iPhone 15, 15 Plus | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| iPhone 11 to 14 series, iPhone SE (2nd gen and later) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| iPhone XS, XR and older | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
Not sure which model you have? Open Settings > General > About and check the Model Name. Siri AI and the new Apple Intelligence models also need space. Apple says they can take up to 14 GB on iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air (and the equivalent high-end iPad, Mac and Vision Pro models), and up to 8 GB on other supported devices.
Even with the right iPhone, three other things decide whether you can turn Siri AI on:
Apple blames the EU delay on the Digital Markets Act, and the European Commission disputes Apple’s interpretation, Macworld and Engadget report. There’s no EU date for iPhone yet.
Update to macOS 27 Golden Gate, then open System Settings > Siri and click Try Siri AI (Beta). The steps are the same as on iPhone.
Apple Watch gets Siri AI through a paired iPhone that already has it switched on. On Vision Pro, update to visionOS 27 and use the same Siri setting.
Apple only says “wait times can vary.” Macworld and Engadget report waits from minutes to days; Engadget says the waitlist spreads demand on Apple’s servers. If your iPhone shows “Optimizing Search and Siri,” it’s building the on-device index Siri AI uses. That works best when the phone is locked, charging and on Wi-Fi.
On iPhone, you can start Siri AI by saying “Hey Siri,” pressing the side button, or swiping down from the Dynamic Island. On iPad and Mac you can also type into Spotlight. Every example below matches a capability Apple documents. Results will depend on what’s actually in your apps.
For better answers, give Siri the same kind of context you’d give a person: names, dates and the app you mean. The prompting habits in our guide to getting reliable answers from ChatGPT work just as well here.
Apple calls Siri “the world’s most private digital assistant.” That’s Apple’s own claim; here is what it actually documents:
If you turn on the ChatGPT extension, requests you send to ChatGPT follow OpenAI’s rules, not Apple’s. For more on how assistants handle what you share, read our guide to AI agent data privacy.
You don’t have to choose just one. Siri AI wins on your phone and your own data; ChatGPT and Gemini still win on long, open-ended work. The table sticks to what each company documents.
| Siri AI | ChatGPT app | Gemini app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free beta; daily usage limits; paid expanded access planned | Free plan plus paid plans | Free plan plus paid plans |
| Built into iPhone | Yes: “Hey Siri,” side button, Dynamic Island, Camera | Separate app; also an optional extension inside Siri | Separate app |
| Searches your Messages, Mail and Calendar | Yes, through personal context | No; only what you paste, upload or connect | No access to Apple apps; works with Google apps you connect |
| Takes actions in iPhone apps | Yes: Apple apps plus supported third-party apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Audible) | Not systemwide | Not systemwide |
| Sees what is on your screen | Yes, systemwide | Only content you share with it | Only content you share with it |
| Your chats and AI training | Apple says Private Cloud Compute data is not stored or accessible to Apple; Improve Siri & Dictation is opt-in | Consumer chats can be used for training unless you turn off “Improve the model for everyone” | Used to improve Google AI while Keep Activity is on; a subset is read by human reviewers |
| Languages | English only; 5 more languages due in October 2026 | Many languages | Many languages |
| Available on iPhone in the EU | No | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Quick tasks involving your own data and apps | Long research, writing, files and coding | Heavy Google Workspace users; research |
The ChatGPT integration is still in iOS 27. According to iDownloadBlog, the setting now sits under Settings > Siri (Extensions > ChatGPT). In the Siri app, touch and hold the “Ask Siri” field, tap Ask and pick ChatGPT. The choice resets to Siri AI with each new chat. No OpenAI account is needed, and Apple’s guide says Siri asks before sending photos or files to ChatGPT.
Bloomberg reported earlier this year that iOS 27 would open Siri to other chatbots such as Gemini and Claude. Apple’s launch materials don’t mention it, so treat that as unconfirmed for now. You can still install the Gemini or ChatGPT apps from the App Store.
| If you want to… | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Find something in your own messages, email or photos | Siri AI | Only Siri can search across Apple apps on your device |
| Send a text, add an event or edit a photo by voice | Siri AI | App actions are built in |
| Ask about what is on your screen | Siri AI | Onscreen awareness works systemwide |
| Write a long report, analyze a large file or write code | ChatGPT or Gemini app | Built for long, open-ended work |
| Work mostly in Gmail, Docs and Google Calendar | Gemini app | Connects to your Google account |
| Use AI on an iPhone 15, 14 or older | ChatGPT or Gemini app | Siri AI needs iPhone 15 Pro or newer |
| Use AI on iPhone in the EU or with a China account | ChatGPT or Gemini app | Siri AI is not available there yet |
If privacy is your main concern and you want a chatbot outside Apple’s ecosystem, privacy-focused assistants like Proton’s Lumo are also worth a look.
Siri AI is Apple’s rebuilt version of Siri, powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence. It launched in beta with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27 on September 14, 2026. It can search your messages, email and other apps for personal context, answer questions about what’s on your screen, take actions in apps, and answer general questions using information from the web. A new Siri app keeps your conversation history in sync across your devices.
Siri AI works on iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 model and later, and iPhone Air, all running iOS 27. iOS 27 also installs on the iPhone 11 through 14 series, iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and iPhone SE (2nd generation and later), but those models don’t get Siri AI. Expressive voices and advanced dictation need even newer hardware: iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max or iPhone Duo.
First, update to iOS 27 and set both your device language and Siri language to English. Then open Settings > Siri and tap Try Siri AI (Beta). If Siri is off, turn it on first. Follow the prompts to pick a voice, complete voice enrollment and review your privacy settings. That puts you on a waitlist, and Siri AI downloads automatically when your turn comes. On a Mac, use System Settings > Siri.
The most common reasons are an unsupported iPhone, a device or Siri language other than English, or an Apple Account region in the EU or mainland China. You may also still be on the waitlist, which Apple says varies in length. Press reports mention waits from minutes to several days. Also check that you have enough free storage (up to 8 GB, or up to 14 GB on some models) and that the user is 13 or older.
Yes. Siri AI is free during the beta on supported devices. Features that use Apple’s servers, including Siri AI, have daily usage limits that depend on request complexity and system demand. Apple says expanded access “will be available for a fee in the future,” but it hasn’t announced pricing or a date.
Right now Siri AI works in English only. Apple says French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish are coming in October 2026, but hasn’t given an exact date. In the EU, Siri AI isn’t available on iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. EU users can use it on macOS 27 and visionOS 27 with English selected. It doesn’t work with mainland China Apple Accounts.
Apple says the new Apple Foundation Models behind Siri AI were “custom-built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models.” They run on your device and on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, and Apple says personal data handled there isn’t stored or made accessible to Apple or anyone else. ChatGPT is separate: it’s an optional extension you can switch on in Siri settings and use when you want it.
Yes, if you have a supported device. Siri AI is free, opt-in, and the first Siri that genuinely connects your messages, email, calendar and apps. Personal context and onscreen help are things ChatGPT and Gemini can’t match on iPhone, because they can’t see inside your apps.
Keep expectations in check: it’s a beta, English-only until at least October, unavailable on iPhone in the EU and China, and capped by daily limits. iPhones older than the 15 Pro won’t get it, so check the table above before you upgrade just for Siri AI.
Our advice: join the Siri AI waitlist today and use it for everyday phone tasks. Keep ChatGPT or Gemini for longer research and writing. If you use the ChatGPT extension, set up your OpenAI privacy controls first.
