Apple Releases iOS 27 With Redesigned Siri AI Ahead of iPhone 18 Launch

Apple on Monday released iOS 27, a new version of its iPhone operating system that includes a redesigned Siri artificial intelligence assistant, days before the iPhone 18 is expected to reach store shelves.

The updated Siri, which Apple is branding as a personal intelligence system, is currently in beta. Users must opt in through the settings app and may be placed on a waitlist before receiving access.

"It's personal intelligence that's actually personal," Apple CEO John Ternus said at the company's iPhone launch event last week, his first since succeeding Tim Cook as chief executive on Sept. 1. Ternus also described the iPhone as sitting "at the center of an amazing ecosystem of intelligent features and experiences that work seamlessly across the products you use every day."

Apple first revealed the redesigned Siri in June. An earlier AI-powered version of the assistant, announced in 2024, was delayed last year.

The new Siri uses large language models to search a user's local personal data — including texts, emails, and calendar appointments — allowing it to locate addresses, recipes, and instructions stored in messages. The assistant can also answer general questions, search the web, and is accessible through a new dedicated Siri app that retains previous queries. Unlike older versions, the assistant supports back-and-forth replies, giving interactions a more conversational quality.

For more complex queries that exceed what on-device chips can handle, Apple uses a system it calls Private Cloud Compute, which runs on Google Cloud infrastructure using Nvidia and Intel chips. Apple is also using Google's Gemini to help build its own models. For simpler tasks, the company relies on smaller models it develops internally that can run directly on device hardware.

Apple said some Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features that use cloud servers will be subject to daily usage limits. The company added that expanded limits "will be available for a fee in the future," with limits varying "by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors."

Siri AI launches with English-language support. Apple said French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish will follow next month. The feature will not be available initially in the European Union or China, citing regulatory reasons.

Apple is positioning the iPhone 18 lineup — which includes a foldable model called the iPhone Duo — around artificial intelligence capabilities, pointing to its chips and the volume of personal data stored on the devices as key advantages over competitors. The company faces a crowded field, with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google all operating large-scale AI assistants with broader model capabilities.