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After months of waiting, it's official: Apple has unveiled Siri AI – a completely redesigned assistant that can hold conversations, understands personal context, and knows what's happening on the screen. Developers can test the new Siri starting today, and a beta version for all users will be released later this year. However, there's a significant catch for iPhone and iPad users in the EU.
At the WWDC keynote on June 8, 2026, Apple unveiled what was arguably the most eagerly anticipated software component of the past year and a half: the completely redesigned Siri, which the company calls Siri AI. Even before the keynote, the outlines of a standalone Siri app, complete with a system-wide search gesture, had been emerging – today, Apple confirmed this direction and further enhanced it in several areas. Powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence, the assistant is said to be significantly more talkative, knowledgeable, and more deeply integrated into the system than anything Siri has been able to do before. Software chief Craig Federighi described it as a noticeably more powerful and conversational assistant that helps users find information and accomplish tasks across apps more naturally than ever before.
Personal context, world knowledge, and screen awareness
Siri AI relies on three key capabilities that Apple emphasizes. Through its understanding of personal context, the assistant accesses content from messages, emails, photos, and more to find the right information at the right moment. For example, it can retrieve a restaurant recommendation sent by a friend via message, display a hotel confirmation number from an old email, or compile photos from a recent trip with family and friends. This functionality extends to third-party apps once developers connect their applications via Spotlight.
In addition, there are significantly more system-wide app actions: Siri AI can compose an email from scratch or edit and share a series of photos. Thanks to screen awareness, it also answers questions about what is currently displayed. For example, if you receive a message about a dinner with friends, you can discuss what to bring with the assistant and then add a recipe to the Notes app.
Drawing on its vast knowledge of the world, Siri AI also provides up-to-date information from the web on virtually any topic and formulates a helpful answer – from when and where the next solar eclipse will be visible to the next concert date of a musician. Almost every answer can be extended into a detailed conversation with follow-up questions.
Siri at every corner of the system
The new Siri is accessible from anywhere in the system. On iPhone, it can still be activated with "Hey Siri," and additionally via the side button or by swiping down from the Dynamic Island to directly start a conversation and receive a detailed answer. On iPad and Mac, Siri AI is integrated into Spotlight, allowing you to search for answers to almost any question. A Control-click is all it takes to ask it questions about images, files, or text on the screen via system-wide context menus.
On the Apple Vision Pro, the assistant utilizes spatial computing: A 3D representation can be freely positioned in space, and simply looking at it while speaking is enough to activate it. Siri AI is also available on the go via iPhone, Apple Watch, CarPlay, and AirPods. On the Apple Watch, a conversation can be started directly from the wrist, or a new suggestion in the Smart Stack can help continue a recent conversation.
A new architecture under the hood
Apple emphasizes that Siri has been rebuilt from the ground up, with powerful AI at its core. The assistant relies on the new architecture for Apple Intelligence, including the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, which run both on the device and on servers via Private Cloud Compute. According to Apple, when Private Cloud Compute processes a request, personal data is neither stored nor accessible to Apple or third parties; independent experts can verify this promise at any time. Through a system orchestrator, Siri AI also accesses core functions such as the Spotlight Index and the App Toolbox, which operate entirely on the device and are designed to keep users in control of their own data. This, Apple claims, makes Siri the world's most private digital assistant.
More expressive voices and more precise dictation function
On devices that support Apple's most advanced on-device model to date, Siri AI offers more expressive voices and a significant boost in accuracy for system-wide dictation. Voice tone and speaking rate can be adjusted to suit individual preferences. When dictating, spoken words are captured more accurately than pre-written text, including automatic capitalization, punctuation, and formatting as you speak. This ensures that words sound clear and as intended, even when speaking naturally.
The dedicated Siri app for ongoing conversations
Those who want to continue a previous conversation or start a new one will find a dedicated Siri app for this purpose. A separate app, marked as beta, had already leaked beforehand. It synchronizes the conversation history privately between devices via iCloud – a conversation started on a Mac can be seamlessly continued on an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro, so that rich conversations can be kept together in one place.
Visual Intelligence is coming to iPad, Mac and Vision Pro
Siri now possesses image recognition and multimodal capabilities, allowing users to ask questions about visual content. On the iPhone, this capability is integrated directly into the Camera app: The previously described Siri mode within the Camera app is now official. A simple tap on the shutter button is all it takes for Siri to see what you see and provide relevant answers. The Camera mode also introduces new actions, including splitting a bill with friends using Apple Cash and receiving nutritional information about a meal. However, splitting via Apple Cash is limited to the US and is not available in Germany.
For the first time, Visual Intelligence with Siri is also available on iPad and Mac. On the iPad, the feature is integrated into the screenshot function, while on the Mac, it can be accessed via a dedicated keyboard shortcut to select something on the screen and ask Siri directly via text input. On the Apple Vision Pro, simply looking at things - whether content in app windows or physical objects in the environment - is enough to ask them questions.
Writing and revising with Siri AI
Siri now includes integrated writing tools that can be used virtually anywhere you type. If desired, the assistant can create a first draft from scratch; users who want to make changes simply describe the desired modification, and Siri implements them. In emails and messages, it adapts to how you typically communicate with the recipient – including your usual punctuation and tone of voice. If you normally send your boss short bullet points, that's exactly what you'll receive in your draft. Additionally, Siri provides hints and suggestions for improving your text and automatically proofreads your typing system-wide – even in most third-party apps.
More Apple Intelligence in everyday apps
The next generation of Apple Intelligence also brings new features to frequently used apps. These include enhanced editing capabilities in Photos, tools designed to transform browsing in Safari, and new ways to bring your own ideas to life in Image Playground.
Availability, devices and the EU reservation
The new Siri AI features are available for developers to test starting today via the Apple Developer Program – on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and visionOS 27. The developer beta for watchOS 27 will follow at a later date. Siri AI will be released as a beta for all users later this year, initially for devices with English as the language setting; Apple plans to add support for other languages quickly. German is among the languages supported by Apple Intelligence.
For users in Germany, one detail is crucial: Siri AI will initially not be available on iOS and iPadOS in the EU. iPhones and iPads will therefore remain excluded for the time being. However, Siri AI can be used on Macs, Apple Watches, and Apple Vision Pros in the EU, provided a supported language is selected. Apple states that it is working on a way to protect user privacy and security. Siri AI and the other new Apple intelligence features will also not be available in China for the time being, pending regulatory decisions.
| Platform in the EU | Siri AI at launch |
|---|---|
| iPhone (iOS) | Not available initially |
| iPad (iPadOS) | Not available initially |
| Mac (macOS) | available in supported languages |
| Apple Watch (watchOS) | available in supported languages |
| Apple Vision Pro (visionOS) | available in supported languages |
Apple Intelligence and Siri AI require an iPhone 16 or later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad models with M1 or later, Mac with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch Series 10 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3 – the latter when paired with a nearby Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.
The most demanding features - the more expressive voices and the more advanced dictation function - require Apple's most powerful on-device model. It runs on iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, on iPad (M4) or later with at least 12GB of unified storage, on Mac (M3) or later with at least 12GB of storage, and on Apple Vision Pro (M5).
Apple's AI promise is becoming tangible
With Siri AI, Apple is fulfilling a promise that has hung over the company since the original Apple Intelligence announcement, causing numerous delays and a visible restructuring of its software division. It's striking that Apple has consistently built the architecture around its own Foundation Models and Private Cloud Compute, once again making data privacy a central selling point. However, the real test is yet to come: only the public beta later this year will reveal whether the new Siri lives up to the demo's promises in everyday use. For German iPhone and iPad users, the wait is further extended because the EU version will initially launch on these two platforms without the new assistant. (Image: Apple)
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