Apple releases iOS 27 with rebuilt Siri AI powered by Google Gemini

Apple has released iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate, introducing a completely rebuilt Siri AI assistant powered by Google's Gemini models and Apple's AFM 3 architecture. The overhauled assistant can analyze on-screen context, draft messages, and access personal data via Private Cloud Compute. While early testers report significant usability improvements, some note persistent context-retrieval errors. Due to regulatory hurdles, the flagship AI features are excluded from the EU and China at launch.

iOS 27 software release

• ▪iOS 27 is compatible with iPhone 11 or later and iPhone SE (second generation) or later, while macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible only with Apple Silicon Macs
• ▪Apple released iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and iPadOS 27 on September 14, 2026, featuring a rebuilt Siri AI assistant

Siri rebuilt on Gemini

• ▪Siri AI is powered by Apple-developed models, including the 3-billion-parameter AFM 3 Core and the 20-billion-parameter AFM 3 Core Advanced
• ▪Apple's rebuilt Siri AI assistant is built on Google's Gemini models, breaking from its previous architecture of extended knowledge and ChatGPT integration
• ▪The rebuilt Siri AI assistant runs partly on-device and partly through Private Cloud Compute, which Apple states does not store or make personal data accessible

Multimodal assistant capabilities

• ▪The Camera app in iOS 27 integrates Siri access, allowing users to ask questions about objects visible in the viewfinder
• ▪The rebuilt Siri AI assistant features a dedicated app that allows users to return to previous chats and syncs chat histories over iCloud
• ▪The rebuilt Siri AI assistant can understand personal context from messages, emails, and photos, read on-screen content, and perform system-wide app actions

Early user testing results

• ▪TechCrunch editor Ivan Mehta reported that Siri AI successfully handled complex, multistep directions and on-screen context, despite some early developer build hiccups
• ▪MacStories editor Federico Viticci reported that Siri AI repeatedly failed to answer questions about personal context despite the information being present in his messages

EU regional exclusion

• ▪Siri AI will not launch in China at first due to open regulatory requirements
• ▪Siri AI and its associated features will not be available in the European Union on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS at launch

Debatable claims

• ▪Apple is justified in withholding Siri AI from the European Union at launch
• ▪Apple should build its own AI models rather than relying on Google Gemini
• ▪Siri AI's access to personal messages and photos poses an unacceptable privacy risk