Apple's New Siri AI Is Ready to Get Personal

Overview

At its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, Apple introduced a fully rebuilt Siri that holds back-and-forth conversations and takes actions across a user's personal data inside apps. The heaviest cloud reasoning runs on a custom Google Gemini model reported at roughly 1.2 trillion parameters, while simpler tasks stay on Apple's own on-device models. Apple also gave Siri its own stand-alone app, separate from the system assistant, with text and voice input and iCloud-synced history.

Key Takeaways

The new Siri is conversational and context-aware, able to chain tasks across apps such as pulling a photo into an email or building a schedule from notes.
Apple partnered with Google, with Siri's cloud features running on a custom Gemini model rather than Apple's own large model for the heaviest work.
Siri now ships as a dedicated app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro, with conversation history synced through iCloud.
Apple made App Intents the required integration path and put SiriKit, in use since 2016, on a deprecation clock of about two to three years.
A new Foundation Models framework lets developers swap between Apple's on-device model, Google Gemini, and Anthropic Claude by changing a dependency rather than rewriting code.
Developer betas of iOS 27 arrived right after the keynote, with the public release planned for September 2026 alongside the next iPhones.

Stats & Key Facts

#Roughly 1.2 trillion parameters in the custom Gemini model powering Siri's cloud reasoning, per Bloomberg and MacRumors reporting.
#About $1 billion per year is the reported amount Apple pays Google for the custom model.
#3 routing tiers: on-device, Apple's Private Cloud Compute, and Google Cloud for the heaviest tasks.
#2 to 3 years is the migration window before SiriKit-based voice features stop working.
#SiriKit has powered app voice features since 2016, about a decade of installed support now being phased out.
#September 2026 is the planned public release of iOS 27 carrying the new Siri.

Siri Becomes Conversational and Acts Across Your Apps

The headline change is a Siri that talks back and gets things done.

›Supports multi-turn dialogue, so you keep a conversation going instead of issuing one-off commands.
›Draws on real-time world knowledge rather than only canned responses.
›Performs cross-app actions, such as pulling photos into an email or turning notes into a schedule.
›Reads what is on your screen and uses personal context from your apps to answer more usefully.
›Marks Apple's biggest assistant change in years.

The Google Gemini Partnership Behind the Cloud Brain

Apple turned to Google for the model doing the heavy lifting.

The cloud side of the new Siri runs on a custom Google Gemini model. Reporting from Bloomberg and MacRumors puts the model at roughly 1.2 trillion parameters and built on a mixture-of-experts design, so only a relevant slice of the parameters activates for any single query. That design keeps a large model affordable to run at scale.

The same reporting says Apple pays Google about $1 billion per year for the custom model powering Siri's cloud features. These figures come from press reporting, not from official Apple statements made on stage.

Three Tiers: On-Device, Private Cloud, and Google Cloud

Where your request goes depends on how hard it is.

›Simple requests stay on the device using Apple's own foundation models, with no network call.
›Moderately complex requests route to Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, which Apple says retain no data.
›The heaviest reasoning tasks go to Google Cloud running on Nvidia Blackwell B200 GPUs.
›Apple says it anonymizes requests before they leave the device and that data serves only the immediate request.

A Stand-Alone Siri App Like ChatGPT and Gemini

For the first time Siri lives in its own app.

Alongside the system assistant, Siri now ships as a dedicated app that resembles chatbot apps such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. It opens with an Ask Siri bar where you type a question, accepts both text and voice, and syncs conversation history through iCloud across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.

Apple is also spreading Siri deeper into the ecosystem, including Spotlight on macOS, so the assistant reaches more places than the old voice prompt did.

App Intents Replaces SiriKit, and the Clock Is Ticking

Developers face a required migration to stay visible to Siri.

›App Intents, introduced in 2022, becomes the sole integration path for Siri features.
›SiriKit, in use since 2016, received a formal deprecation notice with a window of about two to three years to migrate.
›Apps without App Intents support become functionally invisible to the new Siri's cross-app actions.
›Per-intent privacy manifests let developers declare whether an interaction stays on-device or routes to the cloud.
›Reported early partners include Uber, Amazon, YouTube, WhatsApp, and AllTrails.

Foundation Models Lets Developers Swap AI Providers

A new framework gives app makers a choice of underlying model.

Apple introduced a Foundation Models framework with a LanguageModel protocol, a Swift interface that lets developers change AI providers without rewriting app code. A team can prototype on Apple's on-device model, then route harder queries to Google Gemini or Anthropic Claude by updating a package dependency.

For businesses building on Apple platforms, this lowers lock-in to any single model and lets cost, privacy, and quality drive the choice per task. The on-device option keeps sensitive work local, while heavier reasoning can reach a cloud model when needed.

Availability, Privacy Claims, and Regional Gaps

Timing and limits matter for planning.

›Developer betas of iOS 27 became available right after the June 8 keynote.
›Public betas are expected around mid-July 2026, with the final release planned for September 2026 alongside the next iPhone lineup.
›Apple says user data serves only the immediate request and stays inaccessible to Apple or third parties.
›At launch the new Siri AI is reported as unavailable in the European Union and China due to regulatory restrictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What model powers the new Siri?

The heaviest cloud reasoning runs on a custom Google Gemini model reported at roughly 1.2 trillion parameters. Simpler requests stay on Apple's own on-device models, and moderate ones use Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers.

Is Apple paying Google for this?

Bloomberg and MacRumors report Apple pays Google about $1 billion per year for the custom model behind Siri's cloud features. Apple did not state this figure on stage; it comes from press reporting.

When will I get the new Siri?

Developer betas of iOS 27 arrived right after the June 8 keynote, public betas are expected around mid-July 2026, and the final release is planned for September 2026 with the next iPhones.

What does App Intents mean for app developers?

App Intents is now the required way to connect an app to Siri. SiriKit, used since 2016, is being phased out over about two to three years, and apps without App Intents support stay invisible to the new Siri's cross-app actions.

Will the new Siri be available everywhere?

Not at launch. Reports indicate the new Siri AI is unavailable in the European Union and China when iOS 27 ships, due to regulatory restrictions in those regions.

Apple's WWDC 2026 Siri overhaul pairs a conversational, action-taking assistant with a custom Google model and a required developer framework, signaling a shift in how Apple builds and partners on AI. For businesses on Apple platforms, the App Intents requirement and the multi-provider Foundation Models framework are the changes worth planning around.