There's a good chance you have at least one AI chatbot app on your iPhone, be it ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity. Soon though you'll have to make room for another one – only this time it will appear all on its own with Apple's next major software update.
That's right, Siri is set to become a chatbot app.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is already testing the standalone app and plans to release it as part of iOS 27. Previously, it was thought that Siri would not get a standalone chatbot app, but Apple's plans have apparently changed.
Siri's app will support both text and voice-based conversations, just like your average large-language model. It will reportedly display either a list or grid of past conversations, with options to favorite chats, search through them, and initiate new ones.
It will also search the web with visually rich results, evaluate uploaded documents, and the personal assistant will still be integrated into Apple devices. Apple plans to replace the current Spotlight Search functionality with Siri integration, and it will have more access to your data to provide you with more relevant prompts.
Expect new animations on activating Siri via your device's side button, along with Dynamic Island integration. When processing a request, Siri will expand into a larger translucent results panel, where you can carry on the conversation. There may also be integrations with other apps via a new Ask Siri button.
Apple originally planned this enhanced Siri functionality for iOS 18, but it never happened because Apple lacked the technology. Since then, Apple has negotiated a deal with Google to use its frontier Gemini models to power Siri under the hood, so at least in iOS 27, Siri will be able to answer your questions with more contextual awareness. It'll be able to do more in and between apps, and it'll see what's happening on your screen – if you allow it. More importantly perhaps, Google won't get to see your data, with user privacy apparently baked into the partnership agreement.
Expect a preview of the new enhanced Siri coming with iOS 27 and macOS 27 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, beginning Monday, June 8.
