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Siri AI in iOS 27: Features, Requirements, and How It Works
The biggest change in iOS 27 is Apple's total overhaul of Siri, with Siri turning into Siri AI. Apple delivered on the features originally promised at WWDC 2024 and added new capabilities that turn Siri into a viable competitor to chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT.
Siri AI is available in the iOS 27 beta, but everyone will get access this fall. Below, we walk through everything new you can expect from Siri.
Siri AI
Siri AI is more knowledgeable, more capable, and unlike other chatbots, able to tap into your personal data in apps like Mail, Messages, and Photos. Apple says Siri has understanding and reasoning that wasn't available before, with four main improvements that change how Siri works.
All of the different Siri functions come together to allow Siri to do far more than it could before. You can have full back-and-forth conversations with Siri, and include multiple tasks in a single request.
Personal Context Understanding
Apple overhauled its search index, and Siri has access to emails, text messages, files, photos, notes, and more. Siri can find content from across your apps, but it also understands that content. You can ask Siri to surface photos, bring up information from emails or texts, or find files, and the Apple Intelligence semantic index behind the scenes finds what you need.
What was that movie my brother told me to watch last week?
Can you get me the directions to that place I was supposed to meet Eric tomorrow?
What video games did John recommend to me last year?
Find images with pancakes from 2024
What was the name of that restaurant I ate at in February?
What's the confirmation number for my upcoming flight?
What do I need to do tomorrow?
Show me my photos from the music festival last weekend
What's the door code Sarah texted me?
Find the lease my landlord emailed me last month
Who did I have lunch with two Tuesdays ago?
Broad World Knowledge
Apple can search the web for up-to-date information to answer questions about anything, similar to other chatbots. Siri can analyze documents and get information from the web for additional context, help come up with recipes, do party prep, help with homework, give gardening tips, assist with DIY projects, and much more.
When is the Suki Waterhouse show in SF?
How can I get tickets?
I'm planning a birthday party, can you find me some good cake recipes?
What's the difference between pine warblers and goldfinches?
What's the Hurricanes score?
What are the hours for the closest Ace Hardware?
What's a good substitute for buttermilk?
What's a 15% tip on $84?
Help me plan a 5-day trip to Lisbon
Onscreen Awareness
Siri knows what's on your screen and can answer questions about it. Siri can tell what you're looking at, read text, and analyze images.
Siri can tell you where a photo was taken if there's something recognizable in it, and you can ask questions about any app you're in without having to provide specifics.
Where was this photo taken?
Summarize this
Can you give me directions here?
What are the best native plant options for a shady spot near my house?
Does this document look correct?
What is this?
Translate this menu
Explain what this chart is showing
App Actions
App Actions allow Siri to use tools in apps to complete requests. Siri can use some apps on your behalf, including apps from Apple and third-party apps that have implemented App Actions support.
Write a quick response to this email
Send all the photos from today to Eric
Add a 3pm Tuesday meeting with the neighbor to my calendar
Add these photos to the cat album
Get me directions to the post office, but add a stop at the coffee shop first
Move my 2pm meeting to Thursday
Siri Design
On the iPhone, a new Search and Ask Siri interface replaces the former Spotlight search option, and it's available from the Dynamic Island. A swipe down from the middle of the iPhone's display brings up Search or Ask, where you can type or speak a question or request to Siri.
An animation is displayed as Siri is thinking, and then the Siri bubble expands into a short response. If you swipe down on a response, it brings up a text bar where you can provide clarification or ask another question. A "+" button lets you add images or documents to the conversation.
Some responses use rich information cards pulled from apps. If you ask Siri about the weather, you'll see the current weather forecast. If you ask about upcoming calendar events, you'll see them listed in the Calendar app format.
You can also access Siri by pressing the side button or by using the "Siri" and "Hey Siri" wake phrases.
Systemwide Context
Siri works in any app. You can select text or images, then ask Siri about the selection. If you see an image in Safari you want to know more about, you can long press it to select and then ask Siri whatever you want about it.
Siri App
There is a dedicated Siri app where you can start new conversations or revisit past conversations you've had with Siri.
The app has a card-style interface with details on your most recent conversations across all of your devices. You can also use the search button to find conversations, and there's a pin option for conversations that you revisit frequently.
Write with Siri
In iOS 27, you can write with Siri anywhere you type with a systemwide Write with Siri feature. Siri can draft documents from scratch, and in Mail and Messages, it can use the same writing style that you normally use.
Siri can give you feedback on your writing if you select your text and ask Siri how it sounds, and as you type in apps, there's automatic proofreading for misspellings and grammar. Siri can also edit, and you just need to describe the change that you want to make to something you've written, such as changing the tone to be more professional.
Make this email sound more formal
Turn these bullet points into a paragraph
Shorten this to three sentences
Draft a thank you note for a gift
Rewrite this to be friendlier
What do you think of this presentation?
How can I improve this email?
Apple's AI Models
The Apple Foundation models used for Siri and other Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27 are the result of Apple's collaboration with Google. Apple used the technologies behind the Gemini AI models to develop the next generation of Apple Foundation models.
Apple's AI models are integrated into iOS and coordinated with a system orchestrator that can use the Spotlight index and the app toolbox.
The Spotlight index surfaces data from any app that integrates with it, such as Mail, Calendar, and Messages. The app toolbox identifies which app tools might be useful to answer a request.
Siri Voice
Apple has a more powerful on-device model for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, allowing for a customizable Siri voice. Apple says its on-device model can understand and generate speech, plus understand text and images. You can tweak expressivity and pace when customizing Siri's voice.
The on-device model also improves accuracy for system-wide dictation thanks to better natural language understanding. Dictation is better at capturing what you're saying, and it makes fewer mistakes with spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Privacy
Apple's Siri features run on-device and on cloud servers using Private Cloud Compute. Data is not accessible to Apple or third parties.
Private Cloud Compute servers have historically all been Apple servers in Apple data centers, but Apple is expanding Private Cloud Compute to run Apple Intelligence workloads on Google Cloud using NVIDIA hardware.
Cross-Platform Availability
Siri AI is available in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27, so you can start a Siri request on one device and revisit it on another device.
Siri conversations sync across devices, and the Siri app is available on most of Apple's software platforms.
Siri AI features are also available when using CarPlay and AirPods.
Device Requirements
Siri AI requires a device that supports Apple Intelligence, including the iPhone 15 Pro and later.
Siri AI will not be available in the European Union at launch on iPhone or iPad, but it will be available on the Mac. It will not be available in China.
Language Support
Siri AI works in English (Australia, Canada, Ireland, India, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, U.S.), and will expand to more languages in the future.Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27Tag: SiriThis article, "Siri AI in iOS 27: Features, Requirements, and How It Works" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
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