Apple has introduced Siri AI, a rebuilt version of its voice assistant that the company says is more conversational, more useful and more deeply woven into its devices. Announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the new assistant is powered by Apple Intelligence and is designed to understand personal context, read what is on screen and pull in current information from the web.
The company said developer testing starts immediately, with a beta release for users planned later this year. Apple is positioning the update as one of its biggest AI software changes to date, bringing Siri closer to a full digital assistant that can respond to questions, summarize information and take actions across apps.
Apple says Siri AI can do far more than answer simple commands. It can search across a user’s messages, email, photos and other data to find specific details, such as a restaurant recommendation, a hotel confirmation number or pictures from a recent trip. The assistant can also look at what is currently displayed on a device and answer questions about that content.
The company also highlighted broader web knowledge, saying Siri AI can provide updated answers on topics ranging from astronomy to entertainment. Users will be able to continue conversations with follow-up questions instead of starting over each time.
Apple is also expanding the assistant’s ability to work across apps. In examples provided by the company, Siri AI can draft an email, edit photos and help users add information to Notes after planning something in Messages. Apple said personal-context features can also extend to third-party apps if developers connect them through Spotlight.
The new assistant is integrated across Apple’s products rather than confined to a single app. On iPhone, users can still activate Siri by voice, but Apple is also adding the side button and a swipe-down gesture from Dynamic Island as ways to start a conversation. On iPad and Mac, Siri AI is built into Spotlight, allowing users to ask questions from a search interface. It also appears in systemwide context menus, where users can ask about images, files or selected text.
Apple Vision Pro users will see a 3D Siri interface they can place in their space and invoke by looking at it and speaking. The company also said Siri AI will be available on the go through Apple Watch, CarPlay and AirPods, with the watch getting new suggestion features to help users continue recent conversations.
Apple framed the new version of Siri around its privacy strategy. The assistant relies on Apple Intelligence models that run both on device and through Private Cloud Compute when needed. Apple says personal data processed in the cloud is not stored or accessible to the company or other parties. The system also uses on-device tools such as Spotlight indexes and app controls to keep more requests local.
The company reiterated that it views Siri as its most private digital assistant, even as it adds more advanced AI features.
For devices that support Apple’s newest on-device model, Siri AI includes more expressive voice options and customizable pacing. Apple also says dictation has been improved, with better speech recognition and automatic handling of punctuation, capitalization and formatting.
A separate Siri app will let users revisit past conversations and continue them across devices. Apple says the app uses iCloud to privately sync conversation history between iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.
The company also said Siri’s visual understanding is expanding, including new image-based capabilities on iPad, Mac and Vision Pro, and a new Siri mode in the iPhone Camera app that can respond to what the camera sees.