Apple is poised to significantly enhance its virtual assistant, Siri, with new AI capabilities powered by Google's Gemini models, set to be released with iOS 27 this fall. Historically criticized for its limitations, Siri's upcoming iteration aims to address these shortcomings by leveraging advanced AI to understand context and personal data more effectively.
The new Siri AI can index information across a user's phone, including texts, emails, notes, and calendar events, allowing it to answer more complex queries. For instance, users can ask about upcoming appointments or deadlines for cancellations. The assistant also demonstrates an improved ability to draw on real-world knowledge, capable of identifying events in photos and providing relevant commuting tips by accessing local news sources.
Despite these advancements, the initial beta testing reveals that Siri is not yet perfect. It occasionally misunderstands non-American accents and has faced issues accessing data from the Health app, even when permissions are granted. However, the author expresses optimism that these issues will be resolved before the public release, suggesting that Siri could become a genuinely useful AI assistant, competitive with offerings like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Beyond Siri, iOS 27 introduces a range of other updates. Apple Maps gains enhanced 'Flyover' visuals and a new 'Local Lists' feature for discovering recommendations. Find My offers more flexible location-sharing controls, allowing users to set custom durations. Apple Wallet is enhanced with receipt scanning for bill splitting via Apple Cash, digitization of loyalty cards, and improved hotel key functionality. Apple Pay receives a redesigned checkout experience and a new 'Tap to Share' feature for merchants. Apple Music expands its lyrics translation and pronunciation features, while also bringing Hi-Res Lossless Audio to Apple TV 4K. Apple Podcasts introduces 'search within show' and video podcast support. iCloud gains full-resolution photo sharing and temporary albums, with web contributions enabled for non-Apple users. Fitness+ adds a new program focused on menopause and a 'Time to Walk' episode.