Apple is set to unveil a completely rebuilt Siri at WWDC 2026, powered by Google’s Gemini foundational models, after the digital assistant suffered two years of delays, accuracy problems, and sluggish performance that left consumers disappointed. The company will hold its keynote presentation on June 8, 2026, introducing an overhauled version of Siri and a wave of new AI capabilities across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27. However, it is important to note that while Apple will announce these features at WWDC, the full rollout may not happen until September 2026 with the iPhone 18 launch.
Siri AI Struggles and Apple’s Long Delay Problem
The revamped Siri takes centre stage at WWDC 2026 because Apple’s AI assistant has been a major frustration for over a decade. Apple demoed a smarter Siri with “Apple Intelligence” in iOS 18, only to delay it indefinitely due to internal technical hurdles.
Internal struggles forced Apple to abandon its original hybrid approach and rebuild Siri on a new LLM-first architecture, essentially starting from scratch. Bloomberg reports that the revamped Siri voice assistant was pushed back from the March iOS 24.6 update to a later date in 2026, potentially in May, September, or beyond.
The new Siri was reportedly too sluggish, struggled with intricate commands, and did not integrate well with Apple’s AI models or services like ChatGPT. Sources within Apple revealed that internal tests still showed Siri was not performing adequately as of early 2026, with lag time, data access concerns, and accuracy issues holding up the advanced version. The new Siri may be labelled as beta internally, suggesting a slow rollout rather than immediate availability to all users.
Data Access and Privacy Concerns Delayed Siri
Data access challenges played a significant role in delays. Bloomberg indicated that Apple scaled back its plans for Siri to analyse more personal data, such as sifting through old text messages to locate a shared song or podcast. While this feature may be introduced later, it is currently on hold—possibly due to consumer worries regarding AI privacy.
Siri’s abruptness also caused problems. Bloomberg’s contacts reported that Siri malfunctioned when given rapid or complicated commands, often interrupting users before they finished speaking and necessitating a complete restart. These accuracy and performance issues meant the assistant couldn’t handle multi-step tasks reliably.
After several delays since the enhanced Siri announcement for 2024, Apple gave a broad timeline for the launch, expecting it to be part of iOS 26.4, slated for release in 2026. However, internal tests revealed the problem was deeper than anticipated, requiring a full rebuild rather than incremental updates.
Siri Revamp Lead Left for OpenAI Before WWDC
The leadership turmoil surrounding Siri’s development further delayed progress. The Apple Siri revamp left OpenAI a week before WWDC 2026, signalling internal struggles and potential strategic shifts in Apple’s AI direction. This departure suggests the company faced significant challenges in delivering a competitive AI assistant on schedule.
The leadership change came as Apple prepared to announce its rebuild of Siri into an LLM-based assistant that behaves much more like a ChatGPT-style chatbot. This move toward a conversational, back-and-forth AI capable of searching the web and acting on screen content represented a near full rebuild rather than a simple upgrade.
Gemini Powers Redesigned Siri and Apple Intelligence
At WWDC 2026, Apple will officially confirm that Siri is now powered by Gemini, Google’s latest AI engine, following a multiyear alliance announced in January 2026. Apple and Google disclosed this partnership as far back as January, making it one of the most publicised AI collaborations in tech history.
The Gemini foundational models will power a revamped Siri and the overall Apple Intelligence experience, making Siri much smarter and more conversational. However, Apple will not offer a Gemini-branded interface on the iPhone. Instead, Gemini’s foundational models will support a redesigned Siri and the broader Apple Intelligence ecosystem. It is worth noting that much of the Gemini model is hosted on Google servers, which presents privacy concerns for Apple, though the company is expected to address this during the keynote.
Beyond enhanced intelligence powered by Gemini, the new Siri is expected to take the shape of a standalone chatbot application, similar to other contemporary AI chatbots—an initiative Apple should have pursued long ago. This represents a near full rebuild: an LLM-based assistant that can hold a real back-and-forth, search the web, act on what’s on users’ screens, and reach into their files, messages, and calendar.
iOS 27 Features: AI Writing Tools and Natural Language Shortcuts
Apple is expected to launch iOS 27 alongside the iPhone 18 series later in September 2026, with Apple Intelligence features including Gemini support. Leaked iOS 27 features hint at deeper AI integration, smarter Siri tools, automated shortcuts, and possible Google Gemini support.
Among the leaked features are AI-powered grammar correction tools, natural language shortcut creation, and AI-generated wallpapers. One major addition for iOS 27 is an upgraded Writing Tools experience, with Apple reportedly introducing a “Write with Siri” button directly above the keyboard.
Users may also see a “Help Me Write” option whenever Siri is activated inside a text field, with the new writing system including grammar correction and sentence suggestions similar to Grammarly. Suggested edits may appear in a translucent interface that slides up from the bottom of the display.
Apple is also said to improve text generation and rewriting features across apps. The Shortcuts app will let users describe actions using natural language, such as typing commands like “send my daily work summary to my team at 9 AM” to automatically create the shortcut.
Third-Party AI Models and Extensions Framework in iOS 27
Apple is preparing to expand its AI strategy by allowing users to choose from multiple third-party AI models across its software ecosystem, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Users will be able to select external AI models for tasks such as generating and editing text and images, working across Apple Intelligence features beyond Siri. This means Apple will end OpenAI’s exclusive arrangement and allow users to choose between ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and other models.
Apple is introducing a new framework called “Extensions” in iOS 27, designed to integrate generative AI capabilities from installed apps directly into system features. This system enables AI models that offer support through their App Store apps to plug into Apple Intelligence features like Siri, Writing Tools, and Image Playground.
Companies like Google (Gemini) and Anthropic (Claude) could integrate their models, allowing users to select them for Siri responses, Writing Tools for text generation and editing, and Image Playground for image creation. Users may also see different voices depending on the AI model handling a request—queries handled by Apple’s own AI may use one Siri voice, while responses from third-party AI models like Claude may use a different voice.
What to Expect at WWDC 2026 Keynote
The most anticipated announcement is a major AI upgrade to Siri, transforming it into a more conversational assistant capable of understanding context, handling multi-step tasks, and interacting more naturally across apps and services. The revamped Siri will leverage Google’s Gemini technology to enhance its capabilities.
Apple is expected to unveil a completely rebuilt Siri powered by AI, featuring personal context, onscreen awareness, deeper app integration, chatbot capabilities, Dynamic Island integration, and support for ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. This represents Apple’s biggest Siri upgrade in years as it looks to catch up with rivals such as Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and Samsung’s Galaxy AI. Internally called “Campo,” the new Siri is meant to act less like a voice remote and more like an actual assistant.
At the heart of Apple’s plans is a redesigned Siri expected to move beyond simple voice commands and become a more capable AI assistant. The new Siri could gain the ability to understand what’s on a user’s screen, pull information from emails, notes, calendars, and contacts, and perform actions across apps.
iOS 27 may also focus on performance, battery life, and reliability improvements alongside AI features. AI writing tools and enhanced Siri capabilities will be the biggest WWDC 2026 announcements, marking Apple’s formal entry into the AI assistant race after years of delays and technical struggles
