In summary:
- Macworld reports that iOS 27 will bring a comprehensive Siri overhaul, including multitasking capabilities, LLM integration for natural conversations, and a dedicated Siri app.
- The update addresses current limitations by enabling multiple simultaneous commands, expanding third-party AI integration beyond ChatGPT to include Google Gemini, and improving personalization features.
- Siri will be integrated directly into the Dynamic Island with enhanced context memory, transforming it into a more intelligent chatbot-like assistant.
For over a decade, Siri has been able to perform some basic tasks on iOS, like checking the weather, playing music, pulling data from Wikipedia, and so on. While it works for this sort of use case, the virtual assistant’s comprehension skills can be limited, pushing you to utter simple, carefully-constructed phrases.
Although rival voice assistants suffered from similar constraints once upon a time, they’ve long since moved on. On Android, for example, Google Gemini has gained agentic capabilities, allowing users to control their devices using natural language. This exposes the widening gap between the two platforms and further highlights Siri’s frustrating flaws. Fortunately, that’s all about to change, as iOS 27 is said to give Siri a complete overhaul, from the ground up.
Here are the major new capabilities iOS 27 is reported to bring.
Chat memory
On iOS 27, Siri will likely be powered by a large language model (LLM), allowing it to engage in more complex conversations using natural phrasing. Instead of thinking twice before picking your words, you should be able to speak organically and it’ll supposedly understand you just fine. The upgrade would also grow its world knowledge, limiting the need to piggyback on ChatGPT or redirect you to generic web results when inquiring about certain matters.
The LLM boost should make Siri more conversational and unlock a longer context window. If so, the chatbot would remember previous queries and base its later responses accordingly. In fact, it could be equipped with a long-term memory that recalls details from past sessions—not just the ongoing one. This would make Siri more personal and helpful, similar to how ChatGPT and Gemini currently adapt to and evolve with their unique users.
Foundry
Multiple tasks at once
If you’re a Siri power user, you’re likely aware of how linear the assistant can be. You must feed it individual commands using simple words; bundling multiple requests into a single prompt will confuse its little brain. Siri will end up executing only one of the mentioned actions, a completely unrelated task, or nothing at all. If the rumors turn out to be accurate, iOS 27’s Siri could finally resolve that, adding support for multitasking. In this case, you’d be able to ask it to set an alarm, shuffle a playlist, and turn on the lights in one go.
A dedicated app
Given that the new Siri is expected to operate more like a chatbot, maintain previous chats, and introduce more advanced tools, its current ephemeral interface will no longer be sufficient. For this reason, iOS 27 may introduce a dedicated Siri app that users can access from the Home Screen. It would house conversation history, potential personalization options, and other features—similar to how existent chatbot apps work. Right now, any accidental tap could dismiss and permanently wipe a Siri conversation due to the popup’s fragile nature. That won’t be satisfactory when the dialogues get longer and more complex.
Foundry
Resourceful resort
The standalone Siri app may not be the only design change coming with iOS 27. Apple will allegedly bake it right into the Dynamic Island, taking advantage of the extra space. This update would particularly make sense on the iPhone 18 Pro, which will reportedly fit more content in the Dynamic Island due to the smaller cutout. With this tweak, users will be able to see more of the background on-screen elements, as the Siri popup’s position will shift to the top.
Foundry
Third-party AI extensions
With iOS 18.2, Apple included an optional ChatGPT extension to Siri, allowing users to upload images or send more complex queries to ChatGPT if it was more than Siri could handle. iOS 27 will likely expand the list of supported Siri extensions to include Gemini for those who prefer Google’s technology. Claude, Perplexity, and others could potentially follow, too. By supporting more AI models, those unhappy with Siri’s raw abilities will be able to utilize their (free or paid) third-party chatbot accounts across the system.
App awareness
Beyond the rumored upgrades, iOS 27 will add the Siri features Apple previewed two years ago but failed to deliver. These include a major expansion of the App Intents framework so Siri can perform functions inside third-party apps. It’s unclear how Apple’s implementation will compare to that of Google Gemini on Android, but it’s a welcome addition that will make Siri more useful. Siri will also gain the ability to analyze what is on your screen at the moment for context.
Personal context
The other feature Apple previewed with iOS 18 is Siri’s ability to pull personal data from installed apps. If it comes to fruition, you’ll be able to ask Siri when a certain personal will happen, for example, and it will scan your texts, emails, and other relevant data sources to find the correct answer. In a way, Siri will know everything about your digital life at all times.
Author: Mahmoud Itani, Contributor, Macworld
For a decade, Mahmoud has rigorously evaluated Apple hardware and software. His current technological arsenal features an iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, MacBook Air M2, iPad Air M1, AirPods Pro 2, AirTag, Apple TV 4K 3, and HomePod Mini stereo pair. Outside of work, you’ll likely find him jogging at a park, swimming in open water, brainstorming at a coffeehouse, composing poetry on a rooftop, or merely lost in nature.