Apple's iOS 27 transforms Siri into Google Gemini-powered chatbot with standalone app

iOS 27's new Siri is coming, and sounds very much worth the wait - 9to5Mac

iOS 27's biggest changes are reportedly going to focus on overhauling Siri with new features and expanding Apple's assistant in key ways. And though the wait for an all-new Siri has been long, the coming changes sound very exciting. It's been a long wait for the promised new Siri. But reporting indicates the wait is almost over, with an unveiling coming on June 8 at WWDC 2026. Apple originally promised three powerful Siri upgrades that were later delayed: These three improvements are all coming with the new Siri in iOS 27, but rumors indicate a much bigger overhaul is in store. For starters, Apple is moving Siri to a custom, Google Gemini-based set of LLMs. This new LLM-based foundation will modernize Siri, making it feel more like a capable, intelligent assistant than before. Thanks to these underlying upgrades, in iOS 27 you'll be able to interact with Siri like you do other AI chatbots, in a conversational style. You'll also be able to ask 'world knowledge' questions of Siri like you might ChatGPT, and it will have the answers. Reporting indicates Siri will also be able to process multiple actions in the same request. So you can ask Siri to, for example, turn off the lights in your bedroom and adjust the thermostat -- all with one command. And if you have a preference for a third-party assistant, iOS 27 will expand the 'Extensions' system currently used for ChatGPT. This means you'll be able to connect Siri to the likes of Claude, Google Gemini, and more. Alongside Siri's new capabilities, iOS 27 will also change the UI and method for interacting with the assistant. The biggest upgrade on this front is the addition of a new Siri app for the iPhone's Home Screen. This standalone app will offer a dedicated hub for interacting with Siri. Mark Gurman details it at Bloomberg: The app's main interface will display prior conversations in either a list or a grid of rounded rectangles with text previews. Users can pin favorite chats, save older conversations, search across interactions and start new chats via a prominent plus button. The conversation view resembles a thread in Apple's Messages app, with chat bubbles and a text entry field. It also includes a toggle for switching in and out of voice mode and an option to upload attachments -- such as documents and photos -- for analysis. In addition to this new app, users will still be able to press the iPhone's Side Button to invoke Siri. But in iOS 27, the assistant is rumored to integrate with the Dynamic Island. Siri will appear in the Dynamic Island when you're speaking to it, and you can track the progress of more time-consuming requests there too. With the Dynamic Island, you'll be able to use your iPhone normally without being held up by Siri. Bloomberg reports that there are several other new systemwide places you'll see Siri: All of this means Siri will be present wherever and whenever you need it. Apple has rightfully borne a lot of criticism after announcing Siri upgrades in 2024 that it couldn't actually deliver. It's been a long, painful wait for the all-new Siri. But Apple's rumored plans for iOS 27 make the new Siri sound very much worth the wait. Here's hoping Apple's long-time mantra of "not first, but best" ends up describing the Siri experience in iOS 27. How are you feeling about Apple's plans for Siri in iOS 27? Let us know in the comments.

Siri in iOS 27: Everything We Know

With iOS 27, Apple is turning Siri into a chatbot. Right now, Siri can answer common questions and complete simple tasks, but you can't engage it in a back and forth conversation, get help with multi-step tasks, or ask complicated questions with multiple steps in one query. Based on the Siri chatbot rumors, Siri will be able to do all of that and more with the upcoming upgrade, and it will work like competing chatbots. Apple wasn't initially planning to introduce a full chatbot like ChatGPT, but chatbots have become too popular for Apple to ignore. Simply adding AI capabilities to apps and features isn't enough for Apple to stay competitive with the way people have embraced chatbots for everything from web searches to coding help. Google has already integrated Gemini into its Android device lineup, and chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude have hundreds of millions of weekly active users. Apple can't afford not to compete. When Siri evolves into a Apple-designed chatbot, it will launch alongside a standalone Siri app. The Siri app will look similar to apps from other companies like OpenAI, displaying a grid or list of past Siri conversations. Siri will support text and voice-based conversations, and there will be options to favorite chats, search for content within chats, initiate new chats, and save chats. Conversations with Siri will apparently resemble iMessage conversations, with Apple adopting chat bubbles. New conversations will start with suggested prompts on what users can ask Siri. While there will be a standalone Siri app for back-and-forth conversations, Siri will be deeply integrated into Apple devices at the system level. Siri will be activated the same way as today, by speaking the Siri wake word or pressing on the side button of a Siri-enabled device. Siri will be able to respond to both voice and text-based requests. Siri will be able to do what current chatbots can do, such as searching the web with visually rich results, providing summaries, and evaluating uploaded documents. The personal assistant will still be integrated into Apple devices. Siri integration will replace the current Spotlight search functionality, but Apple plans to keep and expand on Siri Suggestions. Siri Suggestions will have more access to user data to provide more relevant prompts. Siri will also be integrated into Apple's core apps, including Mail, Messages, Apple TV, Xcode, and Photos. Siri will be able to search for specific images, edit photos, help with coding, make suggestions for TV shows and movies, and send emails. Chatbot Siri will have an updated look to go along with the dedicated app. Activating Siri will have a new animation that prompts the user to search or ask a question, and Bloomberg says Apple is testing a version of Siri integrated into the Dynamic Island. Apple's test interface includes a glowing Siri icon and a "searching" label in the Dynamic Island while Siri is processing a request, and once done, Siri expands into a larger translucent panel with the results. Pulling down on the menu initiates an interface for a conversation. Apple may also integrate an "Ask Siri" button into the menus of other apps, giving users a way to send content directly to Siri alongside a request. The iOS keyboard could get a Write with Siri option that surfaces Writing Tools. Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini can remember past conversations and interactions, retaining a memory of the user. Apple is said to be discussing how much the Siri chatbot will be able to remember. Apple may limit conversational memory to protect user privacy. Apple will allow third-party AI chatbots to integrate with Siri in iOS 27. Apple already has a partnership with OpenAI that lets Siri hand questions off to ChatGPT, but that integration will expand to chatbots from other companies like Google and Anthropic. An iPhone user with the Claude or Gemini app installed will be able to send questions from Siri to those chatbots, similar to how the OpenAI integration works today. iPhone users will be able to choose which services they want to use inside Siri through a new "Extensions" option coming to the Siri and Apple Intelligence section in the Settings app. Apple Intelligence Siri features that were originally planned for iOS 18 will finally be introduced in iOS 27, with Siri able to use personal data and context to answer queries. Siri will also be able to do more in and between apps, and will be able to see what's on the user's screen. Apple promised that those features would appear before the end of 2026. Apple has inked a deal with Google that will see Gemini powering upcoming versions of Siri. Apple plans to use Gemini for the Siri chatbot and the other Siri features coming in iOS 27. "Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the two companies said in a statement in January. The Siri chatbot will rely on a custom AI model developed by the Google Gemini team. Gurman claims that the custom model is comparable to Gemini 3, and that it is more powerful than models Apple has developed in-house. Apple and Google are also discussing running the Siri chatbot on Google's servers powered by Tensor Processing Units, probably because Apple doesn't yet have the infrastructure to handle chatbot queries from billions of active devices per day. Apple is planning to introduce Siri's chatbot capabilities when it announces iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 at the June Worldwide Developers Conference, which starts on Monday, June 8. It is still unclear which Siri features Apple will be ready to unveil, and some could be held for future updates. We have a dedicated iOS 27 roundup that goes into more detail on all of the features that we might see in the iOS 27 update.

iOS 26.5 beta arrives with no Gemini-powered AI features as focus shifts to iOS 27 - 9to5Mac

It's safe to say that the Gemini-powered Siri and Apple Intelligence features won't arrive in beta this month. iOS 26.5 beta 1 was released right on schedule. However, the upgraded AI features are not included. To recap, Apple announced Apple Intelligence in June 2024. It shipped a lot of the features it showed off as part of iOS 18.1, iOS 18.2, iOS 18.3, and iOS 18.4. Personal Intelligence, however, never made the iOS 18 release cycle. Neither did the kind of in-app action and on-screen awareness features that Apple originally announced. iOS 26 came after iOS 18 as Apple changed the versioning system to reference the year ahead. Now it looks like iOS 27 may be the first time we see Gemini-powered Siri and Apple Intelligence features. Today's iOS 26.5 beta 1 includes no new Siri and Apple Intelligence features. Apple could still surprise us in a future beta, but all signs point to putting everything inside iOS 27. The first iOS 27 beta is a little over two months away. Still, if Apple felt like its Gemini-powered features would be in good shape before iOS 27.0's release in September, an update to iOS 26 could deliver them before fall. The issue may just be that Apple wants more time to continue developing these new features. Instead, it's putting all its AI cards on the table with iOS 27, it seems. Apple officially delayed its "more personalized" version of Siri one year ago on March 7, 2025. This is what Apple said at the time: "Siri helps our users find what they need and get things done quickly, and in just the past six months, we've made Siri more conversational, introduced new features like type to Siri and product knowledge, and added an integration with ChatGPT. We've also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps. It's going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year." Apple skillfully deployed the phrase "in the coming year" to mean that last year's announcement wouldn't be ready until next year at the earliest. Then on January 12, 2026, Apple and Google made a joint announcement that the two companies were collaborating on a Gemini-powered upgrade to Siri and Apple Intelligence: "Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year. After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google's Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users. Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple's industry-leading privacy standards." Apple reportedly targeted iOS 26.4 for the first Gemini-powered enhancements. Prior to iOS 26.4's first developer beta release, however, Mark Gurman correctly reported for Bloomberg that Apple wouldn't make the iOS 26.4 release: After planning to include the new capabilities in iOS 26.4 -- an operating system update slated for March -- Apple is now working to spread them out over future versions, according to people familiar with the matter. That would mean possibly postponing at least some features until at least iOS 26.5, due in May, and iOS 27, which comes out in September. Gurman suggested that Personal Intelligence was most likely to slip until iOS 27. Now it seems anything related to Gemini might not make the iOS 26 timeline. This month's iOS 26.4 release may be Apple's last big software update before shifting focus to iOS 27 in June and releasing the finished version in September.

New Siri Features Absent From iOS 26.5 Beta, Likely Pushed to iOS 27 in September

The iOS 26.5 beta that Apple released today includes no new Apple Intelligence Siri functionality, which suggests we're going to be waiting until iOS 27 to see any of the promised Siri features. Apple was initially targeting iOS 26.4 for new Siri capabilities, but in February, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the company wasn't going to make that goal due to ongoing accuracy issues. He said that Apple could postpone some or all of the new Siri features until iOS 26.5 and iOS 27. At the time, Apple engineers were apparently using iOS 26.5 for internal Siri testing, and the employees said the update included all of the Apple Intelligence Siri features that Apple promised back at WWDC 2024, but there are no signs of those additions to Siri now that the beta is available to developers. It's possible that Siri features could come in a later beta of iOS 26.5, but that's looking less and less likely as we get closer to June and the iOS 27 WWDC debut. Last week, Gurman said that iOS 27 would include a standalone Siri chatbot app and all of the Apple Intelligence Siri features, indicating members of the public won't get a smarter Siri until iOS 27 launches in September 2026. When Apple introduced Apple Intelligence Siri in June 2024, it said the feature set would launch in an update to iOS 26 coming in 2025. When spring 2025 rolled around, Apple announced a delay and said that Siri was not ready and needed more time. After that setback, Apple made no promise other than saying the revamped version of Siri would launch in 2026. Behind-the-scenes rumors suggested Apple was targeting iOS 26.4 and development was further delayed, but Apple never publicly mentioned the iOS 26.4 update. As long as Apple launches the new Siri features before December 2026, it will be on track to deliver what it promised. The version of Siri that Apple has planned for iOS 27 will go above and beyond what was demonstrated at WWDC 2024. Siri is turning into a full chatbot, with a standalone Siri app and feature set that will put the personal assistant on par with Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI chatbots.

iOS 27 Leak: Siri Finally Gets Multi-Command Support and a Standalone Chatbot App

Apple has unveiled a major leap in artificial intelligence with the release of iOS 27, introducing a standalone Siri chatbot app that redefines the role of its voice assistant. This development represents a significant evolution, transforming Siri into a more interactive and capable tool that integrates seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem. By using advanced AI technologies, Apple aims to meet the growing demand for smarter, context-aware digital assistants while maintaining its focus on user privacy and ecosystem cohesion. The centerpiece of iOS 27 is the new Siri chatbot app, which moves beyond the traditional voice assistant model to deliver a more dynamic and personalized experience. This standalone app allows users to engage in conversational threads, save chats for future reference and explore suggested prompts tailored to individual needs. This shift aligns Siri with the growing trend of chat-based AI interfaces, which have become increasingly popular for their intuitive and user-friendly design. By consolidating Siri's capabilities into a single app, Apple is positioning it as a versatile tool that caters to a wide range of users, from casual consumers to professionals. This approach simplifies access to advanced features, making Siri more practical and efficient in everyday scenarios. iOS 27 introduces a completely reimagined interface for Siri, designed to improve usability and engagement. The new layout adopts an iMessage-style chat format, offering a familiar and intuitive experience for users. This design choice ensures that interactions with Siri feel natural and fluid, whether you're issuing commands or engaging in extended conversations. The interface also features smoother animations and seamless integration with the Dynamic Island, Apple's innovative multitasking feature. These enhancements prioritize efficiency, allowing users to interact with Siri quickly and effortlessly. Whether you're asking Siri to perform a task, retrieve information, or provide recommendations, the redesigned interface ensures a streamlined and responsive experience. Siri's functionality has been significantly upgraded in iOS 27, making it a more powerful and versatile tool for managing daily tasks. Key enhancements include: These improvements reflect Apple's commitment to transforming Siri into a comprehensive AI-powered assistant that goes beyond simple voice commands to deliver meaningful, context-aware support. Siri's integration with Apple's ecosystem has been significantly enhanced in iOS 27, making it a more seamless and indispensable part of the user experience. While traditional access methods, such as the side button and wake words, remain available, the standalone Siri app introduces a new level of functionality that could eventually replace Spotlight search. This shift emphasizes AI-driven interaction, allowing users to search for files, apps and information more intuitively. Additionally, Siri's deeper integration with Apple apps unlocks advanced capabilities. For instance, users can collaborate on documents in Pages, receive real-time summaries in Notes, or even automate workflows in Reminders. By embedding Siri more deeply into its ecosystem, Apple aims to create a unified experience that enhances productivity and convenience across all its devices. The release of the new Siri chatbot app was initially planned for earlier iOS versions but was delayed to ensure a polished and reliable user experience. Apple's decision to take extra time underscores its commitment to delivering a product that meets its high standards for performance and usability. This delay also highlights Apple's strategic approach to competing in the increasingly crowded AI market. With rivals like ChatGPT and Claude setting high benchmarks, Apple has focused on refining Siri's capabilities to ensure it stands out as a robust and reliable digital assistant. The revamped Siri is set to make its official debut at WWDC 2026, alongside other advancements in Apple's AI portfolio. While this update represents a significant step forward, it also raises questions about how Siri will compare to competitors in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Apple's emphasis on ecosystem integration and user privacy may provide a competitive edge, but the ultimate measure of success will be Siri's ability to consistently deliver high-quality performance. As artificial intelligence continues to shape the future of technology, Siri's evolution will play a pivotal role in Apple's strategy to remain at the forefront of innovation. The introduction of a standalone Siri chatbot app in iOS 27 marks a major milestone in the evolution of Apple's voice assistant. With a redesigned interface, expanded capabilities and deeper integration into the Apple ecosystem, Siri is poised to become a central feature of Apple devices, offering users a smarter and more intuitive way to interact with technology. This update underscores Apple's dedication to innovation and its determination to remain competitive in an AI-driven world. As the technology landscape continues to evolve, Siri's transformation signals Apple's readiness to meet the demands of a more connected and intelligent future. Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.