Apple’s Siri is getting a major makeover. The voice assistant that has been part of iPhones for over a decade will become a standalone app for the first time, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
If this sounds odd, it’s because Siri has always worked differently from other AI assistants. You summon it with “Hey Siri” or a button press, ask your question, and it disappears. There’s never been a dedicated Siri app you could open and chat with like you would with ChatGPT or Google’s Bard.
That’s changing with iOS 27. Apple is testing a standalone Siri app alongside a new “Ask Siri” feature that will work across Apple’s apps. The goal is to make Siri more like the chatbots from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic that users can have ongoing conversations with.
This shift represents a significant change in Apple’s AI strategy. The company initially resisted the chatbot trend, preferring to keep Siri integrated into existing apps and services. But the success of conversational AI tools on other platforms has forced Apple’s hand.
The new Siri will work more like modern AI assistants. Users will be able to have continuous conversations through both text and voice, similar to ChatGPT or Claude. The assistant will also gain access to personal data including:
- Messages and emails
- Notes and documents
- App-specific information
- Web search results
- News content
These capabilities will let Siri complete more complex tasks within apps, answer questions using your personal context, and maintain conversations that feel more natural and helpful.
Apple plans to show off these new features at WWDC on June 8. The company has already confirmed the keynote will focus on “AI advancements” across Apple platforms, though it hasn’t shared specifics about what that means.
The timing makes sense for Apple. Google has integrated its Bard AI into Android phones, Samsung has added Galaxy AI to its devices, and ChatGPT apps have become incredibly popular. Apple’s current Siri feels dated by comparison, often struggling with basic requests that newer AI assistants handle easily.
This move also aligns with Apple’s broader push into AI. The company has been working on what it calls “Apple Intelligence” – a suite of AI features that will power everything from better photo editing to smarter writing assistance. A more capable Siri app fits naturally into this ecosystem.
iOS 27 is still in testing, so these features could change before release. But the direction is clear: Apple is finally ready to compete directly with the chatbot revolution that has transformed how people interact with AI assistants.
