Apple has opened the doors of its revamped voice assistant to a wider audience. With the release of the iOS 27 public beta, users worldwide can finally try the new Siri powered by artificial intelligence without installing a developer beta. This move marks a decisive step for Apple in the AI field, testing its assistant on an unprecedented scale.
Over 2.5 Billion Devices Ready for Testing
The public beta represents the first time Apple has made its Siri AI widely available beyond developers. With approximately 2.5 billion active devices worldwide, even a fraction of users installing the beta will constitute the largest test ever conducted for the redesigned assistant. This is Apple's answer to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other chatbots, but with deep integration into the operating system that few rivals can boast.
A More Capable Siri Integrated Across the System
The Siri update, announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, transforms the old voice assistant into an AI tool capable of accessing information on the user's device: emails, photos, messages, and even what appears on the screen. Responses are grounded in world knowledge, just like a modern chatbot. Integration is deep: you can activate it with 'Hey Siri' or by pressing the side button, but also by swiping down from the Dynamic Island. Additionally, it appears in Spotlight, the built-in search engine on the iPhone, making searches much more powerful.
Sponsored Protocol
The New Siri App and Multi-Platform Availability
For the first time, Siri has its own standalone app, an experience that may appeal to those accustomed to ChatGPT or Gemini. However, given the pervasive integration, the app might seem unnecessary. The new Siri is not limited to the iPhone: it arrives on iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay, AirPods, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. This extended ecosystem makes it a truly universal assistant.
The Secret Engine: Foundation Models and Private Cloud Compute
Under the hood, Siri AI leverages Apple Intelligence, with new Foundation Models that run on the device and utilize Private Cloud Compute. Apple built these models in collaboration with Google and its Gemini model, but it is not a simple rebranding. The models are specifically designed for Apple Silicon using proprietary data and distilling Gemini to create smaller, highly efficient models. Private Cloud Compute ensures that personal data is neither stored nor accessible to Apple, a crucial privacy point.
Sponsored Protocol
Early Tests and Beta Stability
In preliminary tests of the developer version, Siri AI showed remarkable capabilities: finding specific photos in the library, summarizing group messages, adding calendar appointments from a text message, looking up nutritional information on objects in the camera view, and answering questions that would normally require a web search. However, errors occurred: in some cases, Siri confused commands, such as searching for a contact instead of news. Despite this, this year's developer betas have been fairly stable, making the public beta safer to recommend. Of course, installing a beta should be approached with caution; if your device must run perfectly, it is better to wait for the official launch of iOS 27, expected in September.
Sponsored Protocol
For those curious to explore Siri AI's potential, Apple also offers innovative voice tools like those seen on Spotify. Furthermore, the comparison with Google's AI ecosystem, described in this article, shows how Apple focuses on an integrated approach. For more on mobile network vulnerabilities, see the report on Iran and SS7. Finally, for historical context, the ELIZA source code offers an interesting perspective on how chatbot technology has evolved.
