There's been a lot of hype around Apple's big AI Siri upgrade, especially considering it's approaching two years overdue. Apple originally announced a slew of AI-powered features for the assistant back in 2024, then repeatedly delayed rolling them out due to development issues. Yet despite that, rumor has it that Apple's ambitions for Siri have only grown, and now include a standalone app. And now, know a lot more about Apple plans, in part because we might know what interacting with the new Siri will look like.
On Thursday, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman published a lengthy report detailing a number of upcoming Apple features and changes expected to be announced at WWDC 2026. That isn't so unusual: Gurman has reported on Apple leaks and rumors for years, and is one of the industry's main sources on in-the-works Apple features. However, what makes this report a bit different is that it contains images of Apple's new Siri upgrade. To be clear, these are not leaked photos from iOS 27; rather, Bloomberg artists created these renders based on information Gurman has gathered about the new Siri interface. As such, these images might not be exact matches for what Apple has in store, but assuming the intel is reliable, they could be pretty close. If you're curious, you can see the images in Bloomberg's report, but what's more interesting is what the Siri overhaul means for the company.
Siri is changing a lot this year
One of the first functions demoed in the illustrations is the new Siri bubble that lives in the Dynamic Island. Siri will launch from there when you activate it with the press of your Side button, or with a "Hey Siri," but there's also a new way to access the assistant: pull down from the top edge of your screen. The idea is, you can swipe down from wherever you are in iOS to ask Siri (or ChatGPT) whatever you want—perhaps about what you're looking at on the screen. I don't use generative AI tools much, but if Apple is going to implement them directly in its OS, this is the way to go: unobtrusive but accessible.
It makes a lot of sense to use the Dynamic Island as a way to call up an AI assistant at any time. With iOS 18 and iOS 26, Apple Intelligence lets you double-tap on the Home bar to pull up Siri. Bloomberg says Apple is testing adding Claude and Gemini as model options as well. (While you can currently choose to use ChatGPT, the new Siri is partly powered by Gemini.)
Speaking of other models, based on Bloomberg's renders, the new Siri app looks remarkably like other chatbots on the market—think ChatGPT, as viewed through the lens of Apple's design language (i.e. Liquid Glass). You can use the search box at the bottom to ask Siri questions and upload attachments to aid in your requests. In one render, the user asks about the whereabouts of Apple's headquarters. Siri gives a detailed answer, citing Wikipedia and two other unnamed sources. In another, the user asks about tech news, including the most important stories of the day; Siri answers with a quick summary, along with a handful of links to the stories it mentions. Finally, there's a quick question: "Who is number 77 on the Lakers?" Siri answers "Luka Cončić," and includes a large image. As for previous conversations, you'll find these in a series of summarized "boxes," rather than the usual list of text-based previews other chatbots use. These results could contain rich text cards and/or pull information from your personal apps.
Finally, the renders also offer a glimpse of how Apple might integrate Siri into the Camera app. According to the image provided, Apple is placing the new Siri option between "Photo" and "Portrait." There's a Siri logo in the shutter button when in this new mode, replacing the existing Visual Intelligence option, which lets you send your photos through either a third-party agent or a Google image search.
What do you think so far?
Will people actually care about the new Siri?
Should the leaks and rumors hold, Siri is in for a major upgrade this year. The bot should be smarter, and more capable: You'll be able to ask it to tell you when you're available before making appointments, and task it with writing your emails, texts, or even notes, tapping into info from the web or stored on your iPhone. It should also be more accessible, ever ready to answer your questions when you pull down from the top of your screen. In short, based on Gurman's reporting, it seems like Siri is going to be much closer to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude than it's ever been.
Whether or not users are actually going to adopt these new features is another story. While chatbot use is off the charts and ChatGPT has become a household name, I'm not sure Apple users are looking for yet another AI experience. Integrated AI features are one thing—if Siri can help users find information across their apps and services, that's great—but my guess is that most people aren't eager to talk to yet another chatbot. I'm not sure many ChatGPT users will switch in full to the standalone Siri app just because it's there. And Google users will likely stick with Gemini, if only because it's baked into all their apps.
I think that's the key with AI adoption: the less friction, the better. The new Siri's best shot at mass adoption is if people like how the features integrate with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. Barring that, they may choose to ignore it, either sticking with their AI platform of choice or eschewing AI altogether. We'll have to see how things play out once Apple officially announces its iOS 27 plans at WWDC in June.
