At WWDC 2026, Apple unveiled a major overhaul of Siri AI-now a standalone assistant app that supports multi-turn conversations, personalized voice settings, and runs on Google’s Gemini technology. This marks the first full reboot of Siri since its debut, aiming to catch up with rivals in conversational AI.
- Siri AI launches as a dedicated app with full conversational support
- Powered by Google Gemini through a licensing deal signed early 2026
- Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over previous AI feature promises
Key improvements in Siri AI’s overhaul
Unlike the old Siri that handled mostly one-off commands, the new Siri AI can engage in multi-turn dialogues, understanding context across the conversation. It comes as a separate app that integrates deeply with a user’s personal data – calendar events, emails, and various apps on the device – to provide more relevant and personalized responses.
Enhanced voice generation and recognition models power more natural interactions, including options to customize the assistant’s voice.
Apple stressed privacy: all processing happens locally on the device or via a secure cloud service. No data is stored long term; information is used solely to fulfill the current request, and independent auditors are allowed to verify Apple’s compliance with these privacy promises.
Delayed rollout and $250 million class-action lawsuit settlement
Apple’s Siri AI reboot arrived two years after it was first announced at WWDC 2024, where the company laid out an ambitious plan to bring advanced AI to its assistant. The rollout stalled repeatedly, with Apple admitting in March 2025 that development was taking longer than expected. Meanwhile, users and investors grew frustrated over unmet promises.
In response, Apple agreed to a $250 million settlement over a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of misleading consumers about the availability and capabilities of its AI features under the ”Apple Intelligence” branding.
Apple’s deal with Google, signed in early 2026, licenses Gemini-Google’s advanced AI language model-allowing Apple to skip building its own large language models from scratch and focus on integrating AI into user-facing products and features. This partnership is a significant shift, given Apple’s usual preference for in-house development.
This move puts Apple more directly in competition with tech giants like Google and Microsoft, who have developed their own AI platforms, as well as with Apple’s ecosystem rivals such as Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana, which emphasize robust multi-turn dialogue and personalized AI capabilities.
Looking ahead, it will be important to see how Apple leverages Gemini’s capabilities across its product lineup. Siri AI’s new conversational skills are expected to expand smoothly beyond iPhones to Macs, HomePods, and possibly AR devices. The success of Siri AI will hinge not only on voice quality but also on how well Apple can turn raw AI power into genuinely helpful, privacy-conscious user experiences.