In 2026, Siri will be the smart assistant you always wanted. Apple is working on a Siri chatbot that can do much more than answer simple questions.
Siri will be completely different in 2026: a chatbot on your iPhone and iPad
Apple seems to finally give Siri the upgrade we’ve been waiting for for years in 2026. And those are not a handful of new commands or a slightly better voice, but an improved Siri that you can really use as a conversation partner. According to the latest rumors, this version of Siri will come to your iPhone and iPad in iOS 27. But what else can you expect from this ChatGPT-like Siri?
According to the latest reports, the plan consists of two steps. First, Siri gets a good dose of extra personalization in iOS 26.4, after which Apple makes the big leap to a truly improved Siri in iOS 27. Apple then plans to show off the new features at WWDC in June 2026, with an eventual release around September.
You can do this with the new Siri in 2026
And what can you do with this new Siri? Well, quite a lot. You are somewhat reminded of the popular chatbots such as ChatGPT, but with an Apple sauce. For example, Siri can search the internet for you, create texts and other content, provide summaries, analyze files and even generate images.
The interesting part is mainly in the integration with your iPhone and iPad. Siri can use your personal data on your device to complete tasks, retrieve information from emails and view your screen. Siri can, for example, help you adjust settings, search smarter for things on your device, and work more conveniently in apps.
Speaking of apps, according to usually reliable Apple expert Mark Gurman, the new version of Siri will not be released as a separate app in 2026. Siri will work at a system level, just like the assistant does now. You probably activate it in the same way.
The big question is how Apple will implement conversation history. Users expect a conversation history, a place to read back and the ability to send files or photos with their conversations. That doesn’t quite fit with Siri’s current implementation. So Apple has to come up with something new, or give Siri a more app-like interface.
Apple with Google: Siri with Gemini
Things are just as exciting under the hood. Apple will collaborate with Google for this Siri, with Gemini forming the basis. It would be a modified variant that comes close to Gemini 3 in terms of power. Apple is considering carrying out part of the processing on Google servers.
This is striking, because Apple has focused hard on privacy and the use of its own cloud in recent years. At the same time, it also makes sense, because a chatbot of this size requires an absurd amount of computing power.
Free… or not?
And then the question remains whether this will be available for free or not. Nothing definitive is known about this yet. According to reports, Apple pays Google approximately $1 billion per year for access to the models. So it probably won’t be completely free. Perhaps there will be a free basic version and a paid ‘Pro’ version. Or everything becomes part of a larger bundle. Just a little more patience!
Do you want to know more about new features coming to your iPhone or iPad? Or want to know immediately when the new version of Siri will be available in 2026? Then sign up for our newsletter and you will always stay informed!
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