Key Highlights

• Apple has released the iOS 27 public beta with its redesigned Siri AI for all eligible users.
• The upgraded Siri can understand on-screen content, search emails, photos, and messages, and answer general knowledge questions.
• The AI assistant is powered by Apple Intelligence, combining on-device Foundation Models with Private Cloud Compute.
• The new Siri is available across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay, AirPods, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.

Apple has officially expanded access to its redesigned Siri by releasing the iOS 27 public beta. For the first time, everyday users can try the AI-powered voice assistant before its wider rollout later this year. The update transforms Siri into a more capable assistant with deeper system integration, on-device AI, and conversational abilities designed to compete with ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI chatbots.

The public beta marks Apple’s largest real-world test of its next-generation AI assistant. With more than 2.5 billion active Apple devices globally, even limited beta adoption could provide Apple with valuable feedback before the official release.

What is new in Siri AI?

The biggest change is that Siri is no longer limited to simple voice commands. Powered by Apple Intelligence, the assistant can now understand context, search across personal data, and answer more complex questions.

Users can ask Siri to find specific emails, locate photos, summarize long message threads, or create calendar events from text conversations. The assistant can also understand what appears on the screen and combine that information with broader web knowledge to deliver more useful responses.

Apple says the goal is to make Siri feel like a modern AI assistant instead of a traditional voice command tool.

How can users access the new Siri?

Apple has introduced multiple ways to launch Siri.

Users can continue saying “Hey Siri” or press the side button as before. They can also swipe down from the Dynamic Island for quicker access. In addition, Siri is now integrated into Spotlight Search, allowing users to ask questions directly from the iPhone’s built-in search interface.

For the first time, Apple has also introduced a dedicated Siri app. This gives users a chatbot-style interface similar to ChatGPT or Gemini, although Siri remains deeply integrated across the operating system.

The upgraded assistant is available not only on iPhone but also across iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay, AirPods, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.

What powers Apple’s new AI assistant?

The new Siri is built on Apple Intelligence, using Apple’s Foundation Models alongside Private Cloud Compute.

Apple says its Foundation Models were developed specifically for Apple Silicon. While the company collaborated with Google during development and used Gemini through a model distillation process, Apple says its AI models are proprietary and optimized for its own hardware.

Private Cloud Compute is designed to process more complex AI requests without storing users’ personal information, helping maintain Apple’s privacy-focused approach.

Should users install the public beta?

Early testing suggests Siri performs significantly better than previous versions, especially when handling everyday tasks such as finding photos, summarizing conversations, identifying objects through the camera, or answering factual questions.

However, the beta is not perfect. Some users have reported occasional errors and inaccurate responses during developer testing. Apple also cautions that beta software may contain bugs, making it less suitable for primary devices that require complete stability.

The full public release of iOS 27 is expected later this year.

With the iOS 27 public beta, Siri enters a new phase as Apple’s AI-powered assistant. By combining deeper device integration, Apple Intelligence, and improved conversational capabilities, Apple is positioning Siri as a central part of its AI strategy across the entire Apple ecosystem.