iOS 27 turns Siri into an AI assistant that understands your personal context

Since its debut in 2011, Siri has changed little — capable mainly of handling pre-programmed commands like playing a song or setting an alarm, while more complex requests were often simply redirected to a web search. With iOS 27, Apple has rebuilt Siri from the ground up using artificial intelligence.

Understanding personal context

The new Siri is built around what Apple calls "personal context understanding." After installing iOS 27, users may notice a Settings notification about optimizing search and Siri, as the device begins learning from emails, messages and other content. This process takes some time, running faster when the phone is locked, charging and connected to Wi-Fi.

This added knowledge makes Siri considerably more capable. For instance, someone arriving at an airport can simply ask Siri for a hotel address instead of digging through emails — Siri can find it based on past messages and even copy it to the clipboard. The assistant can also help recall a song or book recommended by a friend by searching through message history, and it can answer general knowledge questions, such as locating specific songs from a concert within a music app. The new Siri also works with select third-party apps, depending on developer support, with a few already compatible.

Availability limits

Not everyone can access the new Siri AI. It requires a device that supports Apple Intelligence — at minimum an iPhone 15 Pro, or a Mac or iPad with an M1 chip or later, or the seventh-generation iPad mini with an A17 Pro chip. The feature is also currently available only in English, with Apple planning to add support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish starting in October. Some users may need to join a waiting list before gaining access to the new Siri AI.