Earlier this summer, well before the fall event showcasing the new iPhones, Apple gave a sneak peek of Siri AI at WWDC. I downloaded the iOS 27 beta soon after and got access to Siri AI a little later, so I’ve been using it for months now.
Before this update, Siri had never been more than an occasional tool to tell me the weather when I was picking out what to wear for the day, or to start a timer while I was cooking and didn’t have a free hand. Helpful things, but pretty limited.
With iOS 27, though, Siri has gone through a complete overhaul that changes the way you use your iPhone and Siri itself.
This Isn’t the Old Siri
Siri AI is powered by Apple’s own internal AI model, created in partnership with Google’s Gemini, and uses your phone to become a pocket-sized assistant in a way that old Siri never could.
Much like other AI assistants, it can tell you in detail what’s new at Starbucks, or pull information from the internet to tell you what time your favorite team plays.
But what sets Siri AI apart is its integration with your phone. It doesn’t just know what it can find on the internet. It knows the ins and outs of how you use your iPhone. No longer a layered app to tell the weather, Siri is your phone.
What I Keep Using
The feature I have found most useful is using Siri to remind me of things in my texts from any point in time. A few weeks ago, I was added to a group chat for an upcoming NFL watch party. A few different important pieces of information got thrown in one text: time, day, location, who is coming and what I was being asked to bring.
Weeks later, I don’t remember any of those things, so while I’m getting ready to head out, I can ask Siri, “Where was that watch party Ben invited me to, and what was I supposed to bring again?” In an instant, it can tell me everything in a conversational tone, not just reading the text word for word.
From there, I can ask for a follow-up, start a route to that address and add a stop at the nearest Target on the way.
How does it work
Upon installation of Siri AI, your phone will go through what’s known as “indexing.” Doing this will completely reorganize the backend of your phone, creating a sort of roadmap Siri can follow to get you the information you want.
Siri knowing you and every part of your phone sounds can nscary to some, but having the ability to recall details sent to you from any time is something I consider to be invaluable. How many texts get buried and lost over time? Never again will you have to dig to find a text from a month ago just to see how much flour you needed in a recipe from a friend.
Apple says Siri AI handles as much as it can on your phone itself, and anything that needs more power goes through its Private Cloud Compute servers, which are designed so your data isn’t stored or accessible to anyone, Apple included.
Not Perfect Yet
As of now, Siri AI is still in beta, and most people will be waitlisted when trying to add the update to their phone. Since it’s in a beta stage, Siri AI isn’t without its faults. At times when I’m driving and using CarPlay, I’ll ask Siri a question and be met with a slow spin of the Siri logo for a few seconds, and then nothing happens. After a few more “Hey Siri”s, it usually works, but not always.
I’ve used the iOS 27 beta for the better part of the summer, and Siri AI has become a pretty integral part of my phone usage in a way I wouldn’t have considered possible not that long ago.
Although it’s not perfect in its current iteration, Siri AI has already proven more useful in the last few months than any previous version, and to me, it’s a sign of where Apple is headed with AI.
Your Phone, Talking Back
As a part of the update, Apple has also made the feedback and voice of Siri highly customizable. The tone, speed and voice can all be changed within the settings, making “your Siri” truly your Siri.
Siri AI feels more like an extension of your phone than it does an app or a separate feature. In a sense, when Siri speaks now, it’s not just Siri. It’s your phone speaking to you.
As dystopian as that may sound, creating a tool that “unlocks” your phone in a new way is something Apple clearly had at the top of its list in this latest update, and it’s something I think will mark the beginning of the next era in personal technology.