Get ready, iPhone users! The highly anticipated iOS 27 public beta is now available, bringing with it Apple’s groundbreaking, reimagined version of Siri. Dubbed “Siri AI” at the company’s WWDC event in June, this update dramatically expands the familiar voice assistant, adding a powerful chatbot-style app and deeply embedding it throughout the iPhone experience.
Our initial hands-on experience with the developer beta of Siri AI was genuinely impressive. This overhaul makes Siri feel truly helpful for navigating your phone and tackling tasks far beyond simple voice commands. During our limited tests, Siri AI effortlessly found old vacation photos, dispatched quick texts, and even pinpointed a fantastic pancake spot – all from basic prompts.
While not flawless, the new Siri is absolutely worth exploring, especially if you rarely used its previous iteration. You might just discover some game-changing features that seamlessly integrate into your daily routine. According to Nabila Popal, a senior research director focusing on consumer devices at the International Data Corporation, Apple has integrated Siri AI “across the entire ecosystem,” making it accessible no matter where you are on your device.
You can interact with it via voice or through a dedicated app, showcasing excellent accessibility and operating system integration. While you can still disable Siri if you’re not interested, Apple’s latest offering might just persuade you to fundamentally rethink how you engage with your iPhone.
Embarking on Your Siri AI Journey
Ready to dive in? Early adopters interested in the iOS 27 public beta can sign up through the Apple Beta Software Program. Remember, it’s always a wise move to back up your device before installing any beta software, just in case something goes awry, though our experience with earlier developer betas on an iPhone 16 Pro Max was smooth.
After downloading the public beta, you’ll also need to navigate to your iPhone’s Settings to join Apple’s Siri waitlist. You’ll receive a notification as soon as you’re off the list and ready to put the new Siri through its paces.
One of the most immediate changes you’ll notice is the new chatbot-style app for Siri AI. Think of it more as an interaction log, a place where you can easily track past Siri conversations or pick up previous threads. While you can initiate new chats here, its primary strength lies in its integration with the iPhone’s core search functionality.
Concerned about your Siri chats being stored indefinitely? Simply go to your phone’s Settings, find Siri AI, and open the Keep Conversations tab. Here, you can choose to store them “forever,” for a year, or for 30 days. Selecting a shorter timeframe will automatically wipe older chats from the app.
While the new Siri app will feel somewhat familiar to anyone who’s used chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude, it currently lacks some expected features, such as a memory function for user preferences. This means you’ll need to remind Siri AI about your vegan diet every time you ask for recipe suggestions. Keep in mind that this is a fresh release, and Apple is expected to iterate and add new capabilities over time.
Siri’s On-Device Intelligence and Contextual Awareness
Even after you’ve downloaded the iOS 27 beta and gained access to the new Siri, there might be one more waiting period: indexing. “Siri AI has access to the kind of context that things like ChatGPT and Claude can’t easily have, because Siri is cooked into the operating system,” explains Josh Clark, principal at Big Medium and co-author of Sentient Design: Crafting Intelligent Interfaces with AI.
During this indexing process, which appears as “Optimizing Search and Siri” with a progress bar in recent iOS 27 developer betas, your iPhone essentially builds a searchable, on-device database. Our device took just over a week to fully index, though your experience may vary depending on your specific iPhone, storage, and the software version.
This deep indexing allows Siri to effortlessly pull data from across your device to answer questions with remarkable context. For example, Siri AI can gather details from recent text messages about an upcoming order from TikTok Shop or nudge you about a movie discussed in a group chat, all while cross-referencing your calendar for events like a birthday party or live performance.
If you prefer Siri not to use your interactions with a specific app, simply navigate to your phone’s Settings, then the Siri AI section, and scroll down to App Access. Select the app you wish to modify and toggle “Learn from this App” to the left. This allows you to control which apps Siri uses to make suggestions across your device, as these are enabled by default when Siri AI is on.
The revamped Siri is also seamlessly integrated into your phone’s search function. Swiping down in the middle of the screen now reveals a “Search or Ask” bar. You can type your query or tap the microphone icon, and hitting enter will often send the query directly to Siri for an answer. For instance, typing “What’s a good route for driving to Sacramento?” will prompt Siri to open the Maps app with a pre-chosen suggested path. For a more traditional web search, you can still tap “Show Results” below the text bar.
Visual & Writing Superpowers: Siri Beyond Voice
In addition to personal context from indexing, Siri can now draw details from what’s currently visible on your screen, an evolution of its “Visual Intelligence.” This on-screen awareness truly makes Siri feel helpful, no matter what you’re doing. It’s incredibly handy for fact-checking information you encounter on social media.
Imagine scrolling through Bluesky and seeing multiple posts about a singer criticizing AI smartglasses, but lacking a source. With the post visible on your screen, simply ask Siri AI, “Where did she say this?” Siri will intelligently pull context from your screen, confirm the event’s location (e.g., a festival in Madrid), and provide links for more details, all without you needing to specify who “she” is.
For Siri AI, seeing what’s on your screen and around you is key. Beyond on-screen awareness, Apple has introduced a new Siri tab within the Camera app, alongside your standard photo and video options. Tapping the circular button in the middle prompts Siri to automatically analyze the image and provide a quick paragraph of context.
The message icon on the left uploads an image to Siri, giving you the option to add a prompt for more details. Tapping the image search icon on the right browses the web for relevant links. If you swipe down on the initial paragraph provided by Siri AI, it expands into a longer answer with source links.
Siri AI extends far beyond just your iPhone, becoming an integral part of the user experience across Apple’s entire ecosystem. You’ll find this new Siri on iPads and Macs, complete with screenshot integrations on iPads and a dedicated shortcut on Macs. Even the Vision Pro benefits from this updated Siri for those who own the hardware.
It’s important to note the hardware requirements: Siri AI features are exclusively available on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer devices, even if your older iPhone can run iOS 27. Within the iPhone, Siri AI’s features are even more widespread, including a “Write with Siri” tool for drafting notes or composing text messages.
For instance, when texting your partner about apartment organization, tapping the Siri button and stating the gist of your message (e.g., “more storage bins”) can generate a paragraph-long text that sounds remarkably like your own writing, ready to be loaded into the message box. This is a significant upgrade from older auto-suggestions.
While this advanced level of assistance will feel revolutionary to many iPhone users, Android phone owners using Google’s Gemini may already be familiar with such adept smartphone assistants. Nabila Popal notes that “The average Apple user is still not aware of what AI features are already available on Android devices.”
While Android users may point to similar capabilities on Pixel or Samsung phones, Siri AI represents a monumental “step-change moment” for how millions of iPhone users will interact with their devices. Our smartphones, often a black hole of personal context with countless photos, texts, emails, and calendar entries, used to make finding old information a frustrating ordeal.
By baking Siri into the very foundation of the iPhone and comprehensively indexing your device, Apple has crafted an assistant that truly feels attuned to your specific needs and interactions. This transformation promises to make your digital life more streamlined and intuitive than ever before.
Source: Wired – AI
