I tried Siri AI, and so far it actually works

Overview

Apple's rebuilt Siri AI, shown at WWDC 2026, finally works for everyday multistep tasks, according to a hands-on test by The Verge. The new assistant adds a batch of events from an email or a messy flyer to your calendar in one shot, builds shopping lists, sets reminders, and answers practical questions by reading your own email, messages, and calendar. The Verge's writer tried each scenario and confirmed it worked, while noting the feature set still trails what Google's Gemini has done on Android for two years. The upgrade runs partly on a custom Google Gemini model hosted on Apple's privacy servers.

Key Takeaways

The new Siri AI handles real multistep requests, such as pulling a list of soccer games or spirit week days from an email or flyer and dropping them onto your calendar in one action.
It reads your personal context, including email, messages, and calendar, to answer practical questions like when to leave for the airport, then sets reminders and builds lists from that information.
Siri gained on-screen awareness, so it can answer questions about whatever is currently displayed and take actions across apps without you switching screens.
There is now a standalone Siri app for back-and-forth chat, with conversation history that syncs across your Apple devices through iCloud.
Apple licensed a custom version of Google's Gemini model to help run Siri's planning and summarizing, hosted on Apple's own Private Cloud Compute servers to keep data private.
The Verge's writer tested the scenarios firsthand and confirmed they worked, while noting the capabilities are basic for an AI assistant in 2026 compared with Gemini on Android.

Stats & Key Facts

#The custom Gemini model reportedly carries about 1.2 trillion parameters, roughly eight times the size of Apple's existing 150 billion parameter cloud models.
#Apple is reported to pay an estimated 1 billion dollars per year to Google for the Gemini licensing.
#Apple supports the new Siri AI features across more than 2 billion active devices worldwide.
#The rollout covers six operating systems renamed to version 27: iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27.
#Apple lists support for 15 languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
#This is Apple's second attempt at an AI-driven Siri after the first rebuilt version stumbled at launch.

I tried Siri AI, and so far it actually works

Calendar, Lists, and Reminders From a Messy Email or Flyer

The headline win is the chore parents wanted most.

›Siri AI reads an email or a poorly formatted flyer and adds a full list of events, such as soccer games or spirit week theme days, to your calendar in a single request.
›It assembles a shopping list for a hardware store run from a plain-language conversation.
›It sets reminders tied to context, such as a note to lay down compost in a flower bed.
›The writer tested each of these and saw them work, rather than relying on Apple's demo claims.

Reading Your Own Email, Messages, and Calendar for Context

The assistant draws on your personal information to give answers that fit your day.

The new Siri pulls from your email, messages, and calendar to make recommendations and answer practical questions. The example The Verge highlights is asking when to leave for the airport and getting an answer that accounts for your actual flight and schedule.

Apple describes this as personal context understanding that searches across your apps. Siri can find details from past activity, build a simple itinerary, and surface the right information without you digging through several apps yourself.

On-Screen Awareness and Actions Across Apps

Siri now understands what is on your display and acts on it.

›Siri can answer questions about the content currently on your screen without you switching to another app.
›It performs systemwide actions inside apps, so a request flows into a real task rather than stopping at an answer.
›Apple's examples include identifying an object in a photo and suggesting nutritional information about a food item.
›It draws on broad world knowledge from the web when your personal data does not hold the answer.

A Standalone Siri App With Chat History

Siri is no longer only a voice prompt; it has its own home.

Apple added a dedicated Siri app you can open to chat back and forth, much like a typed AI assistant. You can reference past conversations rather than starting fresh each time.

Conversation history syncs across your Apple devices through iCloud, so a thread you start on an iPhone is available on an iPad or Mac. This makes Siri feel more like a continuous assistant and less like a one-off command box.

Why Siri Feels Like Gemini, and the Privacy Setup

The new behavior traces back to a deal with Google.

Apple licensed a custom version of Google's Gemini model to help run Siri's planning and summarizing functions. Reports put the custom model at roughly 1.2 trillion parameters, with Apple paying an estimated 1 billion dollars a year for the arrangement.

Apple says the Gemini-backed work runs on its own Private Cloud Compute servers rather than Google's cloud, which is how it keeps the privacy promises it markets. Apple also stresses that its own foundation models contain none of Google's consumer Gemini assistant, even though Gemini helps power parts of the new Siri behind the scenes.

Honest Limits: Impressive for Apple, Basic for 2026

The reviewer's praise comes with a clear caveat.

›The Verge calls this a basic feature set for an AI assistant in 2026, since Gemini has done similar things on Android for about two years.
›The first iteration feels like Gemini circa 2025, in the writer's words, rather than the newest frontier behavior.
›Apple is on its second try after the first AI-imbued Siri stumbled at launch, so trust is still being rebuilt.
›Real-world reliability over time, not a polished demo, will decide whether everyday users keep using it.

Rollout, Devices, and Availability

The features arrive in stages across Apple's newest hardware.

The upgrade ships inside Apple's renamed version 27 software, covering iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27. Developer testing begins right after the announcement, with a public beta following in the weeks after and a broad release later in the year.

Support is limited to newer hardware, including iPhone 16 and later plus the iPhone 15 Pro line, recent iPads and Macs with Apple silicon, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Watch Series 9 and later. Apple lists 15 supported languages and notes regional limits, with some European Union and China availability delayed or restricted at launch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the single most useful thing the new Siri AI can do?

It reads an email or a messy flyer and adds a whole list of events, such as a season of soccer games, to your calendar in one request. The Verge highlights this as the chore parents wanted most from AI.

Does Siri AI use my private email and messages?

Yes. Siri draws on your email, messages, and calendar to give context-aware answers, such as when to leave for the airport. Apple says this processing runs on its Private Cloud Compute servers to protect privacy.

Is the new Siri powered by Google?

Partly. Apple licensed a custom version of Google's Gemini model to help run Siri's planning and summarizing, and reports estimate Apple pays around 1 billion dollars a year for it. Apple runs that model on its own servers and says its foundation models contain none of Google's consumer Gemini assistant.

How does this Siri compare with other AI assistants?

The Verge says it works well for Apple but offers a basic feature set for 2026, since Google's Gemini has done similar tasks on Android for about two years. The writer compared the first version to Gemini circa 2025.

Which devices and software get the new Siri AI?

It arrives in Apple's version 27 software across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro, but only on newer hardware like iPhone 16 and later or the iPhone 15 Pro line. Developer testing starts first, followed by a public beta and a broader release.

After a rocky first attempt, Apple's rebuilt Siri AI handles the everyday multistep tasks people kept asking for, even if it lands as a solid catch-up rather than a leap ahead. The real test is whether it stays reliable once it reaches millions of users this year.