Apple launches new version of digital assistant Siri AI

According to Apple, developer testing begins immediately, while a public beta is scheduled for next month ahead of a broader rollout later in 2026.

Apple has revealed Siri AI, a new version of its digital assistant, alongside the next generation of Apple Intelligence as part of its upcoming software releases, which include iOS 27.

The company disclosed the innovation in a post on its website on Monday as part of the outcome of its Worldwide Developers Conference 2026 held in California, saying developer testing would begin immediately.

A public beta, that is a pre-release version of a software, is scheduled for next month ahead of a broader rollout later this year.

“The new features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com,” Apple said.

Siri AI is expected to bring new artificial intelligence capabilities, enhanced parental controls and a range of performance improvements across Apple’s product ecosystem.

The software releases will also introduce new parental-control tools designed to help families create safer digital experiences for children, Apple stated.

The software enables parents to create child accounts with age-appropriate protections, approve new contacts, manage access to websites and apps, and set daily time allowances for categories such as entertainment, games and social media.

A feature called ‘Communication Safety’ will help to block violent and graphic content shared with children, Apple noted.

“Apple products are an essential part of people’s lives, and this year we’re bringing powerful new capabilities to empower our users in even more ways,” said Craig Federighi, the company Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, said during the announcement.

Features

According to Apple, Siri AI is deeply integrated across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro.

The assistant can understand the content displayed on a user’s screen, search across messages, emails and photos using personal context, perform actions across apps and access up-to-date information from the web to generate responses.

Apple also unveiled a dedicated Siri app that allows users to revisit previous conversations or start new ones, while privately synchronising conversation history across devices through iCloud.

The company said apps on the iPhone and iPad can launch up to 30 per cent faster, photos can load up to 70 per cent faster after being taken, and AirDrop transfers can be up to 80 per cent faster.

Search functionality in Spotlight, Photos and Mail has also been rebuilt to boost reliability and efficiency, it added.

Apple’s Liquid Glass design language is expected to enable users to modify the appearance of the interface from ultra-clear to fully tinted through a new settings control.

Additional features announced include support for perimenopause and menopause tracking in the Health app, custom EQ settings for AirPods, enhanced Flyover experiences in Apple Maps and full-resolution cross-platform sharing through iCloud Shared Albums.