What does the new Siri change for using AI on Apple devices?

At its WWDC developer conference on June 8, Apple introduced Siri AI, a rebuilt Siri that runs on a new generation of Apple Intelligence, the company's set of AI features. Apple describes it as more conversational and far more capable than the Siri people know: you can ask a follow-up question, have it find something buried in your personal data, or ask about whatever is on your screen.

For anyone who already uses ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini on a phone, the change is less about new abilities than about where they live. Instead of opening a separate app and pasting things in, the assistant is built into the system and can reach your own information directly. That is convenient, and it is also why the privacy settings matter more than before.

What changes

Apple's announcement describes three kinds of knowledge working together:

Beyond answers, Siri AI can take actions across apps, such as drafting an email or editing and sharing photos. Other additions include:

• A Siri app that keeps your conversations and syncs them across your devices through iCloud.
• Visual Intelligence on iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, plus a Siri mode in the iPhone Camera app for asking about what is in front of you.
• Writing tools that draft text from a description, and, in Mail and Messages, can match the tone you usually use with each person.
• New ways to start it: a swipe down from the Dynamic Island on iPhone, and built into Spotlight and right-click menus on iPad and Mac.

Where the AI runs

Apple says Siri AI uses its next-generation Apple Foundation Models, which run partly on the device and partly on Private Cloud Compute, Apple's own servers for heavier requests. Apple states that personal data sent there is not kept and cannot be reached by Apple or anyone else, a claim it says outside experts can check. Some core parts, including the search index of your content, work entirely on the device.

In January, Apple and Google announced that Apple's next foundation models would build on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology, while Apple Intelligence would keep running on Apple's own devices and on Private Cloud Compute. Apple's WWDC announcement does not go into how Gemini is used in Siri AI.

Who gets it, and when

• Now: developer testing in the betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, visionOS 27 and macOS 27; watchOS 27 follows in a later beta.
• Later this year: a beta for everyday users in English on supported devices, with more languages to come.
• Devices: the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models and later, iPads and Macs with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, and recent Apple Watch models paired with a supported iPhone.
• Not at first: in the EU on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch (Mac and Vision Pro users there can use it), and in China.

How do you control what it can access?

Apple's announcement does not describe the settings for Siri AI, and menu names in a beta can change. But the controls Apple documents for Siri in current software cover the same questions, and they are worth setting now. The paths below are from Apple's Siri, Dictation & Privacy page for released iPhone software.

Per app: what Siri can use and learn from.

1. Open Settings > Siri > Apps.
2. Choose an app, such as Mail or a banking app.
3. To keep Siri from working with that app, turn off Use with Siri Requests.
4. Turn off Learn from this App if you do not want that app's information used to personalize Siri.

Location. In Settings, open Privacy & Security, then Location Services, then Siri, and choose Never to stop your location being sent with requests.

History. Go to Settings > Siri > Siri & Dictation History and tap Delete Siri & Dictation History to clear stored transcripts.

Recordings and review. Apple says it stores transcripts of Siri requests and may review a small portion of them, linked to a random identifier that changes rather than to your Apple Account. Your audio is kept only when you have chosen to share it through Improve Siri and Dictation, an option that also means more data is collected and reviewed, so check whether it is on.

Syncing. To keep Siri personalization off iCloud, tap your name at the top of Settings, then iCloud, then See All under Saved to iCloud, and turn off Siri. Note that Apple says the new Siri app uses iCloud to sync your conversation history, so look for its option when the update arrives.

Switching it off entirely. Under Screen Time in Settings, the Content & Privacy Restrictions section has an Allowed Apps & Features list where Siri and Dictation can be turned off altogether.

When the Siri AI beta reaches your device, repeat the exercise. Look for new settings covering personal context, the Siri app's history and onscreen awareness, and apply the same rule: give it access to the apps where its help is worth more to you than the privacy cost, and nothing else.