Apple launches dedicated Siri app, marking the assistant's biggest transformation yet

Apple gives Siri its own dedicated app

At WWDC on Monday, Apple unveiled the new AI-ified version of Siri -- in what has been called the assistant's biggest and most dramatic transformation in the company's history. In addition to the launch of its new Siri AI system, the personal assistant now has its own standalone app. The app is designed to serve as a warehouse of the user's previous, archived conversations with the assistant. Much like the functionality of chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude, users can scroll through all of those previous conversations and re-visit a session. When a user opens a previous conversation, the app provides an overview of what was said so that users don't have to read through the entire transcript. The app is also the place where users can launch a new conversation with the assistant. Siri now offers users a multi-function interface that mirrors other AI chatbots where users can enter text, upload documents and images, and a voice mode, where you can speak directly to it. The Siri app is designed to give users access to the assistant across Apple devices, including iOS, MacOS, and iPadOS. All of a user's Siri conversations are synced privately with iCloud, per Apple's typical privacy protections. The dedicated app is obviously designed to give users a more organized way to interact with the assistant, as its powers become more extensive within Apple's software.

My first 24 hours with Siri AI on the Mac

I turned off Siri on the Mac years ago and never looked back. Similarly, I found Apple Intelligence so fruitless I never engage with it. But the new Siri AI coming to macOS 27 Golden Gate has at least got me slightly rethinking things. I'm still early in testing Siri AI, as I've only had access to it in the macOS 27 developer beta for little more than 24 hours. It's also in an early preview state on the dev beta, so there should be lots of runway for improvements before it releases later this year. I don't even know if it's done indexing my files and folders on our review unit M5 MacBook Air and M5 Max MacBook Pro. Unlike on the iOS 27 dev beta, there's no "indexing in progress" box in the settings page. I asked Siri if it could tell me, but it told me to click a button in Settings that isn't there. My colleagues got a headstart testing Siri AI on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and getting a read on its general vibe, and they've so far had some positive feedback from using it. My feelings are a little more mixed. When I sit down at a laptop I don't need a voice assistant for searching things I'm randomly curious about or checking the weather like I would on a phone; I can do that faster and more accurately with keyboard and mouse. So I tried to think of ways to let Siri AI help me on macOS -- things that might actually be useful to me in my everyday work. I'd be happy to automate some of the time-consuming benchmarking I do when reviewing laptops, but although Siri AI can launch apps, it can't take actions inside them (not that Apple ever claimed it could). I then tried to see if vibe coding a couple Shortcuts could get me there instead. This isn't a Siri AI feature, but it is a new part of Apple Intelligence. I asked Shortcuts to run a test in either Geekbench or Cinebench, capture the results in a screenshot, wait a few minutes, and repeat the process two more times. But the resulting automations couldn't actually run the tests either. Apple Intelligence made a shortcut that opened Geekbench and took screenshots (but forgot about actually running the benchmark), and it made a Cinebench shortcut that had "Wait for you to run the test" as an actual step. Maybe if developers continue expanding App Intents this could one day work. So if Siri can't help me run my benchmarks, maybe it can at least help me be a little faster in logging the data. In my normal workflow, I run each benchmark three times, taking screenshots as I go, and later average out the results before cataloging them in a spreadsheet. Apple's WWDC keynote showed someone using Ask Siri in Spotlight to analyze data in local files. So I tried selecting batches of those screenshots in Finder and asking Siri to calculate the average scores for me. It worked pretty well -- most of the time. It was smart enough to distinguish single-core CPU scores from multicore CPU scores and GPU scores, average the test results, and arrange them in easy-to-read tables. But it could get thrown off if I included screenshots of too many different types of tests, especially if I mixed ones with synthetic score results (Geekbench, PugetBench, etc.) and time-based results (Blender render tests and our 4K video export test). And it sometimes got thrown off by the CPU rankings data that's visible in Cinebench screenshots. Ideally, I'd be able to have Siri AI accurately calculate the 15 or so averages from my dozens of screenshots all at once -- that would save me some serious time. But for now, it can at best only help me a little bit. And unless it gets better I'm still inclined to continue doing it all myself, especially since Siri messed up the numbers a couple times by pulling the wrong data. So far, Siri AI seems a lot more capable within Apple's ecosystem than it is outside of it, even for apps and files that are already on my Mac but in non-Apple apps. When I asked Siri to find my pictures of cats or babies, it pulled up results from Apple's Photos and Messages apps. This could be enough for plenty of people, but not for me. Most of my messaging is done in Signal, and photos from my phone are uploaded to Google Photos, not iCloud. Siri also missed the thousands of images I have in my Lightroom Classic catalog, even though the files are stored locally in the Pictures folder and I kept asking it to access them directly. It's possible those files haven't been indexed yet, but I have no way to tell. For now, I'm getting similar vibes to when I tested Copilot Vision last year. Like Copilot Vision, you can use Siri's Visual Intelligence to ask questions about things on your screen. And like Copilot, it's limited. I asked Siri to evaluate benchmark results on a spreadsheet in Google Sheets, but it can't see all the data if it's not visible onscreen all at once. I could get it to see the whole spreadsheet by downloading it as an Excel file and pointing Siri at it in Finder, but when I asked for the laptop with the highest single-core Geekbench score it gave me multicore data. Not great. I opened Siri while running Lightroom Classic, on a black-and-white photo from my Ricoh GR IV Monochrome review, and asked Siri how to make it look more like a shot from street photographer Alan Schaller. Siri offered specific value adjustments for exposure, contrast, and so on, and adjusting those values gave me a decent result. Unfortunately, when I asked Siri to judge the result, it went sycophant on me, saying I'd nailed the look and achieved an "almost timeless feel," which is the type of behavior Apple says it's not supposed to show. (I thought we were past this.) Then I uploaded a classic Garry Winograd photo and asked how to change my Lightroom settings to match that photo; Siri recommended I set the exposure to the value it was already at. So, some hits and some misses. It's still very early days for Siri AI, and much can change between now and the final release. But what's clear already is that the experience is likely to be very different on an iPhone, where so much of your data is held inside Apple's apps, and on a Mac, where you're likely to be bouncing between all kinds of apps and ecosystems in ways that limit what Siri can do. Even so, it's faint praise, but this is still the most useful and helpful Siri has been. It's baby's first real AI steps for Apple.

The New Siri App in iOS 27 Will Change the iPhone Forever

CUPERTINO -- Since its inception, Siri has remained an ephemeral assistant. It comes and goes when summoned, and iPhone users never actually see it. Although the iPhone's screen lights up to signal that it's listening, and it sometimes speaks out loud when responding or delivering results, there's never been an actual Siri app. That's about to change. The new Siri and revamped Apple Intelligence are the core upgrades Apple is bringing to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year, impacting hundreds of millions of devices. I spent the bulk of my time with Apple this week at WWDC learning about how the company rearchitected Siri and viewing numerous demonstrations of what it can do -- and it could have a significant impact on how people use their iPhones. For example, the Siri app lets you field more complex queries, view more detailed results, and take action on them. In a demo I saw at Apple HQ, a company representative asked Siri on the iPhone about meteor showers. Siri recommended waiting for the Perseids in August, and the Apple rep then used Siri to create an action plan for viewing the show at a nearby park. It was great to see the conversation flow from iPhone to iPad to Mac -- and persist after closing the app. More Than Just a Revamped Siri AI-based mobile chatbots have been available on the iPhone for several years now. You can easily find ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others on the App Store. Many are free to use and do a fine job of assisting with queries and helping formulate plans. (The Siri that's available today has access to ChatGPT if you want richer results.) But iPhone owners have to proactively seek them out. They aren't preinstalled on the iPhone, unlike many Android phones from Google, Motorola, and Samsung, which often include Gemini by default. This is a key distinction. Gemini often feels like a natural extension of the Google-centric experience on Android phones. Today's iPhone chatbots don't. More importantly, not every iPhone user has taken the effort to install one. Pew Research suggests between 40% and 48% of iPhone users have one installed. Of course, Apple doesn't really want us to call Siri a chatbot. "We see Siri not as a separate chatbot, [not as] just an unintegrated place you go and chit-chat, but rather as an integral, conversational tool that you use in the moment, deeply integrated into your experience," said Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, during a Tech Talk at WWDC. For now, Apple is still referring to the Siri app as just Siri. And an app was inevitable. "The most natural affordance for any user to go find something...is to have an app that they can manage on their home screen, launch, and get back to. And so we have a Siri app, and that Siri app just re-embodies those capabilities of that core system experience," said Federighi. A Reimagined, Integrated Companion The Siri AI app runs on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It syncs between the three platforms, so your queries and conversations are available no matter which device you're using. The early developer build I saw somewhat resembles Gemini's basic framework, especially on the desktop, though Apple's design cues give it that distinctive Apple-y look. Your past queries appear in a sidebar on the left, and the current conversation is displayed in a larger panel on the right. When Apple pushes iOS 27 to iPhones later this fall, those with newer devices (iPhone 15 Pro and up, and iPads and Macs with M1 and up) will have direct and easy access to this new functionality for the first time at the OS level. Seeing results on screen, having a Siri app to open and close, and scrolling through an ongoing list of your queries will be a brand new experience for many iPhone users. It might even be the first direct exposure to AI-based tools for some. Certainly, that will feel like a tectonic shift, especially given the care and thought Apple has put into the app's features and performance. Like it or not, the Siri app will be a turning point for iPhone users -- a change of direction that, perhaps, points to a more informed and well-planned future. At this point, we've only seen a few small glimpses of what Siri AI can do in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate on early developer builds across the three platforms. PCMag has yet to put Siri through its paces, which we will do in full when it is released to the public later this year.

Siri is getting an all new app experience later this year - Engadget

Apple's digital assistant is finally getting true chatbot capabilities. Siri has been a touchy subject, as Apple's digital assistant has fallen behind rival AIs from companies like Google, OpenAI and Anthropic. But Apple is hoping to change that by leveraging Gemini to provide Siri with upgraded intelligence while also creating a new dedicated app for its assistant, a change it announced at WWDC 2026. As before, Siri can be summoned with a voice prompt or by holding down an iPhone's power button. Apple's assistant will now emerge from the Dynamic Island to let you know that it's listening. Users will be able to swipe down from the top center of their device's display to launch a new search box where they can ask questions via voice or text. For more complicated tasks, Apple is making a standalone Siri app for people looking for a more conversational, chatbot-like experience. From there, they'll be able to see their previous queries and chats while the app gives Siri more room to display detailed text cards and multimedia in response to questions. Additionally, Siri will have access to a device's camera and will be able to see what's on its screen in order to do things like identify an object in a photo or in real life. This story is still developing, please check back for updates...

Craig Federighi explains why Apple made a Siri chatbot app after all

As part of iOS 27, Apple debuted an all-new Siri app as a way for users to manage their interactions with Siri AI. In a post-keynote tech talk at Apple Park this week, Apple's Craig Federighi explained why Apple decided to launch a chatbot-style app, after previously saying a chatbot wasn't part of Apple's strategy ... In an interview with Joanna Stern last year, Federighi and Greg Joswiak explained that Apple's strategy with Apple Intelligence was to create an "experience that's integrated into everything you do, not a bolt-on chatbot on the side." Federighi was directly asked about those comments in the Q&A I attended at Apple Park yesterday. He explained that Apple wanted to create a place where people can go back and reference their previous chats with Siri. Apple ultimately determined that a dedicated app on the home screen made the most sense for this. Federighi's full comments: We see Siri not as a separate chatbot, just an unintegrated place you go and chit-chat, but rather as an integral, conversational tool that you use in the moment, deeply integrated into your experience. Understanding what's on screen, able to interface, not in some separate world, but directly in the document that you're editing and that you want help proofreading, that you want tips on. And so all these experiences are conversational. They are really an extension of your system experience, deeply integrated into your flow. Now, we did go back and forth on what's the best way, if you want to get back to such a chat that you had, because you want to continue it, you want to reference it, and quite honestly, in our platform, the most natural affordance for any user to go find something like that is to have an app that they can manage on their home screen, launch, and get back to. And so we have a Siri app, and that Siri app just re-embodies those capabilities of that core system experience. What do you think of Apple's change in strategy with iOS 27? Are you glad to have a Siri app icon on your home screen? Let us know down in the comments.

I spent 48 hours with Siri AI on macOS Golden Gate -- here's what I like (and what I don't)

Apple has lagged behind its competitors in the AI space, but the company is set to change that with its Apple Intelligence-powered Siri AI. Instead of just handling one-off voice commands, the digital assistant now functions like a true chatbot, in the vein of ChatGPT or Claude. Even if Apple is late to the AI party, the new Siri AI could prove useful for anyone deeply embedded in the company's ecosystem. Thanks to the macOS Golden Gate developer beta, I've had a chance to test out Siri AI on a MacBook Air. While still a work in progress, I can already see what Apple aims to do. Though it mostly functions like other AI assistants you're used to, it has some agentic features that are truly impressive. With the understanding that this is a beta build and not fully indicative of the final Siri AI you'll see this fall, here are my hands-on impressions. What is Siri AI? Siri AI is designed to be more conversational and more aware of what's happening across your devices. It can understand context, perform more complex actions, and help you get things done without constantly switching between apps. If you're used to ChatGPT and similar chatbots, you'll feel right at home texting or voice chatting with Siri AI. Beyond holding a conversation, Siri AI can set reminders, play music or help with everyday tasks. There's now a dedicated Siri app that lets you review previous conversations, continue chats, and interact via text and voice. This chat window also resembles those of other AI apps. I appreciate that Siri is now an app I can easily launch whenever I need it, especially if I want to follow up on a previous conversation. Siri AI in action To see what the new Siri could do, I performed an assortment of tasks. The first thing I did was ask it to send an iMessage to one of my group chats. I typed what I wanted it to send, and after it showed me a preview of the message for approval or editing, I had it send the message. I also tried to message a friend on Discord. While Siri opened the Discord app, it said it couldn't send a message. We'd need more third-party integration for this to work. Next, I asked Siri to add a reminder that I'm off on June 19th, which it did. I also asked it to find an email from one of my PR contacts. It wasn't able to do that, but it did find when said contact sent me an iMessage. I asked Siri AI what was on my screen, and it accurately said I was looking at Tom's Guide and even listed some of the articles on the home page. However, it could not open articles for me. I asked it to read an article out loud, but despite saying it would, it remained silent. Again, this is a beta, so I won't give it too much flak for failing to complete the task. For all you wannabe vibe coders, you can now generate new shortcuts by going into the Shortcut app and creating one via text or voice. I created a shortcut to launch YouTube in Safari if it was 6 pm on a weekday, which is usually when I come home from work and open my MacBook. I won't keep this shortcut since I prefer using Google Chrome, but I like that I was able to create it by just typing what I wanted. One interesting thing is that Siri has been merged with Spotlight, which you can bring up by pressing Command + Space. While you can certainly search for apps as you normally would in the pop-up window, you can also ask questions, such as the location of a restaurant, and it'll respond by opening the correct app. In this instance, it opened the Maps app to the location I requested. Limitations Siri AI generally works as intended, but it's certainly not perfect. Because I've only used it for a couple days so far, the answers it provides aren't as personalized as those I get from Gemini or Grok, which I've used for months. Siri AI is supposed to understand you based on all the chats you've had with it, so this should resolve itself over time. As I've said before, Siri AI can't yet manage third-party applications as well as Apple's own. If Siri AI can eventually play nicer with the assortment of Google apps I use daily, it could be a game-changer. This last one might actually be a selling point for some, but Siri AI gives extremely short, blunt responses compared to chattier chatbots. This could change with more use, or perhaps if I directly ask Siri AI to be more talkative. That said, I do appreciate that Siri isn't trying to rope me into an endless conversation like Gemini frequently does. Outlook Though Siri AI isn't yet finalized, it's already miles ahead of the old Siri. I'm sure Apple will continue to refine it between now and when it officially launches for the new operating systems this fall. Would I use Siri AI regularly? Probably not, given how I don't generally find chatbots all that useful for my daily life. Yes, it's cool that Siri AI can send messages or check emails for me, but these are also tasks I can just do myself and skip the middle bot, as it were. And like with other AI assistants, I don't entirely trust its answers, so it's not something I want to depend on for anything major. Though Siri AI (or chatbots) aren't really for me, I applaud Apple's efforts with the updates. For those who already use AI assistants and are in the Apple ecosystem, I can see it being very beneficial once the company has ironed out all the kinks. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Alternatively, you can read our content on the Tom's Guide app available now for iOS and Android. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.

Apple Intelligence 2.0: What the New AI Features Actually Mean

The new Apple Intelligence features point to one goal: fewer app-hops, fewer tiny chores, and a Siri that finally earns the spotlight. This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage Updated less than 1 minute ago "Apple Intelligence 2.0" isn't Apple's official name, but it's a useful shorthand for where the company is going. Apple calls it the next generation of Apple Intelligence, with Siri AI as the most visible piece. That's a risky place to put the spotlight because Siri has baggage. For years, it's been the assistant people use for timers, weather, and arguments with a glowing orb that somehow heard every word except the important one. Recommended Videos The ideal version is Siri finding the flight code from an email while the airline hold music slowly removes the will to live. That's the version Apple is now trying to sell: AI that doesn't live in a separate prompt window, but inside the normal behavior of the iPhone. Why Siri still carries the whole thing Siri AI is the obvious star because Siri has spent years as Apple's most public AI problem. The new version is supposed to understand context, see what's on screen, answer tougher questions, and act across apps. Apple says Siri AI can use personal context to search across messages, emails, photos, and more, while also answering onscreen questions and taking broader systemwide actions. That is a huge reset, meant to make Siri look like it didn't sleep through the entire chatbot boom. The funny thing is that this sounds impressive partly because the baseline has been so low. Apple is finally describing the Siri people thought they were getting years ago. That doesn't make the update fake or unimportant. It makes the stakes stranger. Apple is rebuilding trust in a feature many users have already trained themselves to ignore. A better Siri doesn't need to become a charming digital friend. It needs to stop making simple things feel like a scavenger hunt. What the new features are really doing The new Apple Intelligence features can look scattered at first. Some live in Siri. Others show up in the camera, text fields, calls, photos, and everyday apps. Taken together, they point at one goal: make the phone feel less fragmented. Writing help should appear where people are already typing. Visual search should work through the camera. Call Context should surface the right detail during a call, because modern life still requires that specific punishment. Apple specifically says Call Context can surface a confirmation code or reservation number during a business call, including finding an airline confirmation code from Mail. Photo tools should make editing feel less like a separate errand. Messages and Mail should get smarter without turning every reply into a corporate memo with better punctuation. The camera should understand more of what it sees without demanding that users learn another AI ritual. The best version of Apple Intelligence shouldn't feel like "using AI." It should feel like the phone understands the task better and removes some of the manual nonsense around it. Much of the AI race has trained people to think of AI as a separate destination, and Apple is trying to make it feel like something already under the glass. How Apple ended up here Apple Intelligence started in 2024 with a smaller first wave of tools. It brought writing help, notification summaries, photo cleanup, and a nicer Siri shell. Those tools were useful, though they were not the full version of the idea Apple was selling. The larger promise was always a more personal Siri that could understand what users were doing and act across apps. That's the stuff that would make it feel less like a voice interface with nicer lighting. Because those more ambitious Siri features weren't part of the first wave, the first version of Apple Intelligence felt oddly incomplete. This update is Apple trying to close that gap. Apple can talk about privacy, polish, and ecosystem control, but useful AI also needs raw model strength. Apparently, that meant letting Google into the machinery. Why the boring plumbing decides everything That hidden machinery may decide whether Apple Intelligence works at all. Siri AI can only become useful if apps expose enough information and actions for the system to understand. That's where things like App Intents and semantic indexing stop being developer jargon and start becoming the product. Apple says App Intents lets developers connect app content and capabilities to Siri AI features like personal context understanding, app actions, and onscreen awareness. Most users will never think about any of this. Nobody buys an iPhone because the app plumbing looks healthy. If Siri can't find the right thing, act on the right screen, or understand what an app can do, the magic trick collapses back into voice-command theater. This is the least glamorous part of Apple Intelligence, and probably the most important. A smarter model can answer better questions, but an assistant that can't interact with the apps people actually use is still trapped behind glass. Where the promise gets messy Apple's careful approach creates its own problems. Siri needs enough personal context to help without making the phone feel like it's reading over someone's shoulder with a clipboard. It also needs enough app access to act without becoming unpredictable. Then there's the uneven rollout, which will depend on the device, region, language, and whether apps support the deeper hooks. Apple says Siri AI will arrive as a beta later this year for supported devices set to English, will not initially be available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, and will not be available in China while Apple works through regulatory requirements. Privacy is Apple's advantage here, but it's also a constraint. Too little access, and Siri remains a polite search box with a voice. Too much access, and the iPhone starts to feel like a personal assistant that has been rifling through the drawers. What this means for normal iPhone users For normal iPhone users, Apple Intelligence comes down to friction. Someone should be able to ask Siri to find the flight code from an email while they're on a call, instead of playing clipboard gymnastics across three apps. That's a small example, but small examples are where this kind of AI has to prove itself. The real test is whether Siri can understand the thing happening in front of the user, find the right personal detail, use the right app, and avoid turning the whole process into another chore. Apple Intelligence shouldn't ask users to become prompt engineers. It should make the iPhone feel less like a pile of apps pretending to be one device. That's the real promise of Apple Intelligence 2.0, even if Apple would never call it that. Siri is getting a second chance, but the future of Apple AI may depend less on a shiny chatbot moment than on whether it can finally handle ordinary phone work without making a meal of it. After all these years, Siri may finally be getting the job it's been pretending to have.

Craig Federighi on Siri AI: 'We see Siri not as a separate chatbot, but rather as an integral but conversational tool that you use in the moment, deeply integrated into your experience'

About a year ago I spoke with Apple's Craig Federighi after the WWDC 2025 keynote to talk about the Siri delay and at the time the senior vice president of software engineering seemed pretty adamant that Apple was not interested in building a chatbot. "Apple didn't want to send users off into some chat experience in order to get things done," Federighi told me. "We were very clear this wasn't about us building a chatbot. We want to bring intelligence deeply integrated into the experience of all of our platforms." Fast forward one year to WWDC 2026 and now Apple has unveiled the new Siri AI, which -- you guessed it -- has a dedicated app that some could perceive as a chatbot. But Federighi and other Apple executives here insisted during a press Q&A that Apple's focus has not changed. "We see Siri not as a separate chatbot, an unintegrated place you go and chitchat, but rather as an integral but conversational tool that you use in the moment," said Federighi. "It's deeply integrated into your experience, understanding what's on screen...And so while the experiences are conversational, they are really an extension of your system experience, deeply integrated into your flow." The new Siri AI in action A good example of the new Siri is what Mike Rockwell demoed during the Q&A session. The VP of Siri engineering asked what everyone was bringing to an upcoming potluck lunch, and Siri AI then gathered the info from separate text messages and showed it on screen. From there, Rockwell asked Siri what drinks would pair well with the food, and Siri went out to Apple's World Knowledge Service and found the info. He then swiped down to expand the window, and we were immediately brought to the Siri app, where you can scroll for more information. And then it's a conversation that you can return to in the Siri app whenever you want. "Now we did go back and forth on what's the best way if you want to get back to such a chat that you had," Federighi shared. "Because you want to continue it, you want to reference it, and quite honestly, the most natural affordance for any user to go find something like that is to have an app that they can manage on their home screen, launch, and get back to. And so we have a Siri app." A big focus on privacy Despite Apple partnering with Google to use some of its models, Apple execs insist that its Siri AI is private and no user information is shared. Craig Federighi showed how Apple's architecture is completely different that, say, how Google Gemini works. The architecture includes an on-device component that comprises a system orchestrator and Apple's AFM Core Advanced model, and there's there's models in the cloud, including AFM Cloud, AFM Cloud Pro and ADM Cloud (images), plus Apple's World Knowledge service. Apple's Private Cloud Compute still handles users' requests even when working with third parties like Google, and personal data is not stored nor made accessible to Apple or anyone else. "To bring this model to production, we worked with both Google and Nvidia to extend our private cloud compute infrastructure to Nvidia GPUs in Google's cloud, while maintaining Apple's unmatched privacy guarantees," said Sebastian Marineau-Mes, who runs the Apple Intelligence Experience team at Apple. And while other chatbots are exploring ads based on your interactions and personal context, you're not going to see that from Siri AI. "You are in control of your information, your information about how well Siri and Apple intelligence get to understand you and your preferences, your personal contacts," Rockwell said. "You're not going to see an ad from us coming based on, 'Hey, we noticed you like Thai food, here's some Thai food now.' You stay completely in control of your information at all times." Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Alternatively, you can read our content on the Tom's Guide app available now for iOS and Android. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.

Craig Federighi Explains Why Apple Finally Built a Dedicated Siri AI App

The app is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac and more Apple devices Apple introduced a slew of AI features during the keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Part of the Apple Intelligence suite, it announced several upgrades for Siri, the Cupertino-based tech giant's digital assistant. One of the highlights was the dedicated Siri AI app. The move marked a notable shift in strategy for Apple, with the company previously arguing against building a standalone chatbot experience. The decision was later explained by an Apple executive. Siri AI App Designed Around Conversation Continuity Speaking during a Q&A session following the WWDC 2026 keynote at Apple Park, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, addressed comments he and Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, had made last year. At the time, the executives had emphasised that the company's vision for Apple Intelligence centred around experiences integrated throughout the operating system rather than a standalone chatbot user. During the discussion, Federighi explained the rationale behind the new Siri AI app, claiming that Apple still views Siri as a deeply integrated system experience rather than a separate chatbot (via 9to5Mac). However, the tech giant reportedly determined that a dedicated app was the most straightforward way for users to revisit previous conversations, continue ongoing interactions, and manage their chat history across Apple devices. As per the executive, a challenge emerged when Apple began considering how users would revisit earlier conversations with Siri AI. With the assistant becoming more capable and conversations growing longer, there was a requirement for users to access previous chats and continue unfinished ones more conveniently. Federighi said Apple debated several approaches internally before concluding that a dedicated app offered the most intuitive solution. "We see Siri not as a separate chatbot, just an unintegrated place you go and chit-chat, but rather as an integral, conversational tool that you use in the moment, deeply integrated into your experience," 9to5Mac quoted Federighi as saying. The Apple executive emphasised that Siri continues to be a part of the broader OS experience. Apple says the new Siri app serves as a hub for both new and previous conversations. Users can launch the app to continue ongoing discussions or revisit earlier interactions with the assistant. The company also highlighted that Siri conversation history is synced privately through iCloud. This means users can start a conversation on one Apple device and continue it on another. However, not all users will receive the app at launch. At WWDC, the company confirmed that Siri AI will not be available on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 in the European Union when the software updates are released later this year. This was attributed to the delay in ongoing disagreements with EU regulators over the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The timeline for its availability has yet to be announced.

The Hidden Siri Features Apple Left Out of Its Keynote

Apple has significantly enhanced Siri, transforming it into a smarter, faster, and more intuitive AI assistant. With the release of iOS 27 and the latest macOS updates, Siri now delivers highly context-aware responses while maintaining a strong focus on user privacy. By using on-device indexing, private cloud computing and proprietary foundation models, Apple has positioned Siri as a versatile tool for both personal and professional use. These advancements reflect Apple's commitment to innovation and user-centric design. The video below from Stephen Robles gives us more details on the new Siri. Personal Context Integration Siri now integrates deeply with your personal data to provide tailored, context-specific assistance. By indexing local device information, such as messages, emails, calendar events and even app usage, Siri can answer highly personalized queries. For example, you can ask Siri about your most recent coffee order, upcoming meetings, or podcast recommendations based on your listening habits. This integration ensures Siri feels less like a generic assistant and more like a personalized tool designed specifically for your needs. Additionally, Siri's ability to adapt to your preferences over time enhances its usefulness. Whether you're managing a busy schedule or seeking entertainment suggestions, Siri's personalized approach makes it an indispensable digital companion. On-Screen Awareness One of Siri's standout features is its ability to interpret and respond to on-screen content. Whether you're viewing a screenshot, video, or webpage, Siri can analyze visible information and provide relevant assistance. For instance: * Identifying Businesses: Siri can recognize a business from a photo or address and provide details like reviews or directions. * Media Recognition: Play a song featured in a video or identify a movie scene based on visual cues. * Real-Time Object Recognition: Use the camera to identify objects, landmarks, or text in real time. This capability allows Siri to offer contextual recommendations based on what it "sees," making it a more dynamic and responsive assistant. Whether you're exploring a new city or organizing your digital content, Siri's on-screen awareness adds a layer of convenience and efficiency. World Knowledge Database Apple has developed its own world knowledge database to handle general-purpose queries, reducing reliance on external search engines like Google. This database integrates seamlessly with Siri's personal and on-screen context capabilities. The result is a more cohesive and efficient experience, as Siri delivers comprehensive answers that combine global knowledge with your unique preferences. For example, you can ask Siri about historical events, scientific facts, or cultural references and it will provide accurate, well-rounded responses. By merging global insights with personalized data, Siri ensures that every interaction is both informative and relevant. Privacy-Focused AI Apple's commitment to privacy remains a cornerstone of Siri's design. Whenever possible, Siri processes requests locally on your device, minimizing the need for cloud-based data handling. When cloud processing is necessary, Apple employs its private cloud compute infrastructure to ensure data security. This approach balances advanced functionality with robust privacy protections, making sure your information remains secure. Key privacy-focused features include: * On-Device Processing: Most requests are handled locally, reducing data exposure. * Encrypted Cloud Computing: When cloud processing is required, data is encrypted to maintain confidentiality. This privacy-first approach ensures that Siri remains a trusted assistant, capable of delivering powerful features without compromising your personal information. Enhanced Mac Siri App Features The Siri app on Mac introduces several productivity-focused enhancements designed to streamline workflows and improve usability: * Conversation History: Revisit previous interactions for easy reference and continuity. * Pinned Chats: Save frequently used queries for quick access. * File and Document Analysis: Search within PDFs, folders, or documents directly through Siri. * Finder Integration: Perform quick actions via Finder's contextual menu without disrupting your workflow. These features make Siri a powerful tool for professionals and casual users alike, enhancing productivity and simplifying complex tasks. Performance and Usability Enhancements Siri's performance has been significantly optimized, delivering faster and more accurate responses. These improvements often outpace competitors like ChatGPT or Claude, making Siri a leader in AI-driven personal assistance. Additional usability updates include: * Expressive Voice Options: Customize Siri's tone, pitch and speed to suit your preferences. * Concise Responses: Professional, to-the-point answers enhance usability and reduce unnecessary dialogue. These updates bridge the gap between AI and human-like interaction, making sure that Siri remains both practical and engaging. Collaboration with Google and Nvidia Apple has partnered with Google and Nvidia to refine its foundation models and expand its private cloud compute capabilities. Nvidia GPUs play a critical role in powering these advancements, allowing faster processing and more sophisticated AI capabilities. This collaboration underscores Apple's commitment to delivering innovative technology while maintaining its focus on user privacy and performance. Keyboard Shortcuts and Spotlight Integration Accessibility and efficiency remain priorities for Siri. You can activate Siri using keyboard shortcuts, such as Shift + Command + Space, or through Spotlight. This seamless integration allows you to multitask efficiently, whether you're drafting a document, browsing the web, or managing files. These features ensure Siri is always within reach, enhancing productivity and streamlining your workflow. Future Potential Apple's roadmap for Siri includes several exciting developments aimed at further enhancing its capabilities. Upcoming features include: * Natural Language Automations: Create complex shortcuts and workflows using conversational commands. * Enhanced Responsiveness: Ongoing updates will continue to improve Siri's speed, accuracy and functionality. These advancements suggest that Siri is poised to become an even more integral part of your digital life, offering unparalleled convenience and adaptability. Discover other guides from our vast content that could be of interest on Foundation Models. Source & Image Credit: Stephen Robles 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.

Apple's Siri could get AI agent in the future

Apple's artificial intelligence efforts are beginning to show progress with the introduction of its redesigned Siri experience and updated Apple Intelligence features. According to a report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new Siri, despite arriving roughly two years later than originally expected, delivers several capabilities Apple first announced in 2024 and could help the company move beyond a period of criticism surrounding its AI strategy. Personal context and on-screen awareness arrive The core additions are personal context and on-screen awareness, features Apple unveiled in June 2024 before delaying their release. After testing Siri across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, the report found that these capabilities allow the assistant to work with information stored across emails, messages, files, calendars, and apps. Examples cited in the report include: * Moving a calendar appointment, changing the event title, and replacing a dial-in number with an in-person meeting address through a single request * Finding a TV recommendation shared weeks earlier in a conversation * Locating a specific order-related email * Pulling restaurant suggestions from messages and emails * Creating calendar events using information displayed inside a third-party app * Searching messages, emails, and files for travel plans discussed at different times * Drafting a message and attaching a relevant photo through the same request According to the report, these were among the most important Apple Intelligence capabilities announced in 2024, despite Apple previously characterizing them as only part of the broader Siri and Apple Intelligence roadmap. Siri shows improved understanding of requests Beyond contextual awareness, the report highlights improvements in Siri's ability to interpret requests. As an example, Gurman noted that previous versions of Siri could misinterpret navigation requests, directing users to a city sharing the same name as a nearby restaurant rather than the intended destination. The updated Siri reportedly handles such requests more accurately. The report says Siri can now perform many tasks consumers commonly use AI assistants for, including: * AI-powered web searches * Recipe and historical information lookups * Editing text and emails * Finding practical information * Checking local entertainment listings According to the report, Siri is now functioning more like a modern AI assistant, though it does not introduce major new AI capabilities beyond those already available elsewhere. Closer to competitors, but limitations remain The report suggests Siri is now roughly comparable to where leading AI chatbots were about six months earlier. It also notes that Apple's built-in AI tools may be sufficient for many everyday tasks, reducing the need for some users to rely on third-party AI applications. However, Siri continues to trail services such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude in more advanced workloads, including: * In-depth research * Long-form report writing * Programming assistance * Data analysis * Complex travel planning * Legal document reviews * Tax-related tasks * Large PDF analysis * Spreadsheet, chart, and presentation generation The report compares Siri AI to iMovie and ChatGPT to Final Cut Pro, describing Siri as suitable for general tasks while more advanced platforms continue to offer broader capabilities. Apple Intelligence expands beyond Siri The report also highlights updates across Apple Intelligence. Features mentioned include: * Image generation improvements in Image Playground * Improved Genmoji creation * Image expansion tools that generate additional content within a scene * An updated Clean Up feature for removing unwanted objects and people from photos Future AI capabilities According to the report, Siri's new architecture could support additional capabilities in the future, including more precise voice-based control of apps. One feature previously demonstrated by Apple involves viewing a photo and instructing an app to make specific edits beyond basic actions such as cropping or rotating an image. The report also suggests Apple could eventually develop an AI agent capable of operating software across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices on behalf of users. Speaking after Apple's keynote presentation, Siri engineering chief Mike Rockwell said the new Siri architecture is "a completely modern architecture" with the ability to be extended in the future. Apple software chief Craig Federighi described this category as experimental and said development is focused on finding the right user experience. Beta version still has issues The first Siri AI beta reportedly continues to show a number of limitations, including: * Slow response times * Canceled queries * Misinterpreted requests * Inconsistent HomeKit controls * Lost conversation history * Failures to understand some on-screen content The report notes that many of these issues could be addressed before the public release later this year. Why it matters The report argues that Apple is positioning Siri and Apple Intelligence as useful, privacy-focused AI features while also working to close the gap with competing AI platforms. It also notes that if Apple could offer AI capabilities on par with leading competitors today, it likely would. According to the report, Siri's progress has also been supported by Google's AI technologies and changes in Siri leadership. If the remaining issues are addressed, the updated assistant could reduce concerns about Apple's AI position and help support future product launches. The report concludes that improvements to Siri, Apple Intelligence, and Apple's software platforms may help avoid AI-related concerns affecting future devices, including the company's foldable iPhone, the 20th anniversary iPhone, and future AI-powered hardware products that may have been delayed until the software platform was ready.