At WWDC 2026 on Monday, Apple acknowledged that Siri has not met user expectations and introduced an overhauled, AI-powered version of its voice assistant.
The updated Siri, now called Siri AI, sits inside the Dynamic Island and can be accessed by swiping, pressing the side button, or using the familiar “Hey Siri” command. The bigger change is how it responds once activated.
It can now handle multi-step requests that pull context from Messages, Photos, and Calendar, and carry that context across follow-up questions without restarting the interaction.
In one demo, a presenter asked about a dessert mentioned at an event. Siri AI found the reference in a Messages thread, built a watch-party menu around it, drafted a message, and offered to send or edit it.
The request moved across multiple apps without the user re-entering any context. Tasks that previously required switching between apps are now handled in a single flow.
Apple is also introducing a dedicated Siri app that stores past sessions and lets users continue conversations across devices.
Everything syncs through iCloud, so a conversation started on iPhone can be picked up on Mac or iPad.
The app is also coming to watchOS, a detail that will matter most for users who don’t always have their phone nearby.
On the Mac, Siri AI is now integrated into Spotlight and appears in right-click context menus across files and windows.
On Vision Pro, the assistant includes a 3D visualization that can be placed anywhere in the user’s space. The voice output has also been updated, with a more expressive engine and adjustable voice settings during setup.
Apple showed two demos highlighting chained requests. In one, a presenter asked about a Suki Waterhouse concert, learned that entry requires a lottery, and set a reminder for when it opens.
In another, the assistant identified a landmark in a photo, pulled up directions, then surfaced photos from a previous trip to the same location and added one to a shared album on request.
The tasks themselves are not new. What’s changed is that Siri AI can move through them in sequence while retaining context, without requiring the user to repeat instructions at each step.
