Apple’s WWDC 2026 won’t be remembered for the new features introduced within iOS 27, macOS 27 and iPadOS 27. It will be the underlying assistant that runs across all of them. That would be the new Siri, which has suffered a very long delay as Apple has been pushing to deliver features promised two years ago.
This includes the ability for Siri to tap into personal data, ‘see’ what’s on your screen and voice control your apps.
What has changed during this delay is that Apple is partnering with Google to have Gemini power the new Siri, and it’s reportedly costing Apple $1 billion a year. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as the new Siri won’t just live inside iPhones, iPads and Macs. It’s expected to power Apple’s smart glasses, a wearable AI pendant and a new smart home hub.
It’s also worth noting that Apple CEO Tim Cook is about hand the reins over to John Ternus — and Cook certainly wants to leave Siri in a good state since he presided over its launch way back in 2011. Ahead of WWDC 2026, I spoke with Apple analysts about what they want to see from Apple’s supercharged assistant and what’s on the line.
The new Siri: what can it do?
In addition to the overdue features Apple promised before the iPhone 16 launch, the new Siri is expected to gain all sorts of new powers as part of iOS 27.
This is thanks in large part to Apple licensing a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter Gemini model for roughly $1 billion a year.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Siri will let you perform advanced tasks, such as writing an email for you and pulling together relevant info. It will also be able to pull in data from the web and previous emails, calendar entries, contacts and notes.
“I want a more personal Siri that uses context and all the data she has about me to deliver a superior experience that provides real value to users,” said Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies.
How users access Siri is also set to change, as it’s expected to live inside the Dynamic Island on iPhones.
The assistant will open there when you say ’Siri’ or long press the power button. This area will display rich cards based on your queries, whether it’s the weather or your own data like appointments.
Similar to cross-app actions on Samsung phones, Apple users will apparently be able to stack multiple commands into a single prompt.
Wait, is Apple making an AI chatbot?
The biggest change for Siri is that it will reportedly act as a chatbot, similar to ChatGPT and Gemini. This is despite the fact that Apple’s Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak and Craig Federighi told us at WWDC last year that this isn’t what its users wanted.
“Apple didn’t want to send users off into some chat experience in order to get things done,” Federighi said at the time.
Apple needs to show that Siri is as capable as other smart assistants — as it promised at WWDC two years ago — and that it can get developers to allow Siri to securely and privately access apps to act on the user’s behalf
Avi Greengart, Techsponential
However, Federighi did say that Apple wants “to bring intelligence deeply integrated into the experience of all of our platforms.”
So Siri may indeed act like a chatbot, but it’s clear that Apple wants the assistant to not be a destination and more of an always-on presence.
Or maybe it’s not clear at all? Some WWDC rumors point to Apple possibly rolling out a dedicated Siri app as well. And there are leaked screenshots to back it up. Ultimately, though, no one will care if Apple goes back on its “chatbot” word if Siri works well.
“Apple needs to show that Siri is as capable as other smart assistants — as it promised at WWDC two years ago — and that it can get developers to allow Siri to securely and privately access apps to act on the user’s behalf,” said Avi Greengart, founder and lead analyst at Techsponential.
The Google gamble
In order to catch up in the AI wars, Apple is leaning on a Gemini model from Google, and Bloomberg’s Gurman says that Google is hosting “most of the new Siri on Google servers.”
This will likely raise privacy questions, especially given that Apple touted its own Private Cloud Compute as a “new frontier for AI privacy” when it introduced Apple Intelligence back in 2024.
Apple did promise a continued commitment to privacy when it announced its partnership with Google back in January, but it didn’t provide any details at the time.
Since then, however, we’ve learned that Apple is reportedly tapping into Google’s fleet of Nvidia Blackwell B200 data center chips. As per The Information, Apple will enable a confidential compute feature that encrypts data as it’s being processed.
“I’m most looking forward to seeing how well Apple’s Gemini-based small models perform…and how Apple can manage security if it will be using Google’s servers in some cases rather than its own,” Greengart said.
Choose your own AI
While Gemini will be under the hood of the new Siri, it won’t be the only option for users.
Apple is reportedly opening up Siri to outside chatbots, which had already included ChatGPT. You’ll apparently be able to toggle between Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT within the Search or Ask view in iOS 27 with so-called Siri extensions.
I am curious to see how Apple handles multi-AI options, not just because this is how users will likely want to use AI, but also because it is one of the first times that Apple is not doing everything itself for something that matters.
Carolina Milanesi, Creative Strategies
OpenAI in particular has not been happy with the results of its partnership with Apple and has reportedly even contemplated legal action. So it will be very interesting to see how much visibility these alternate chatbots get within the interface — and how well it all works.
“I am curious to see how Apple handles multi-AI options, not just because this is how users will likely want to use AI — at least till they pick their favorite — but also because it is one of the first times that Apple is not doing everything itself for something that matters,” Milanesi added.
Why the new Siri can’t fail
Apple’s Siri delay led to claims of false advertising following the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro series and iPhone 16. The phones simply couldn’t do what was promised.
Apple never admitted wrongdoing, but it settled a class action lawsuit to the tune of $250 million.
Now there are much bigger stakes than possible litigation. The new Siri is expected to make Apple smart glasses a reality, complete with Visual Intelligence features.
The glasses are expected to launch in 2027. And while they’re expected to shake up the market with an iconic design and best-of-breed cameras, shoppers could very well balk if Siri isn’t smart enough.
At the same time, Apple is reportedly working on a wearable AI pendant powered by Siri, as well as AirPods with cameras. And these devices will also heavily rely on Siri. Plus, Apple has reportedly had its new smart home hub on the shelf just waiting for its assistant to be up to snuff.
What’s not clear is how the new Siri will work with alternative chatbots on these other devices, and if it will be a seamless experience for users. Choice is good, but not if it leads to confusion.
“If it turns out that owning your own models is core to success in the future, then even the most impressive implementation of Apple Intelligence based on Gemini won’t help,” Greengart said. “And if it turns out that owning the platform the models run on is more important, then Apple is in excellent position.”
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