Siri AI arrives at WWDC 2026: new conversational capabilities across all devices, visual intelligence, assisted writing
During the Apple keynote, Siri AI was introduced, a completely rewritten version of the personal assistant powered by Apple Intelligence. Access remains unchanged, via the voice command "Hey, Siri," the side button, or the dedicated key, but the capabilities have been significantly expanded.
The new assistant integrates personal context understanding, app actions, screen awareness, image interpretation, and access to a vast general knowledge base. During demonstrations, Siri AI identified the location of a photo taken along the Santa Cruz coast, retrieved an address sent via message even though the user had not saved it, and selected photos taken during a family outing, filtering only those with specific people to add them directly to a shared album.
Ongoing Conversations and New Dedicated App
One of the key innovations is the conversational shift: Siri AI allows for articulate exchanges, with detailed responses and the ability to revisit previous discussions. A demo showcased the planning of a watch party for the Brazil-Morocco World Cup match: Siri suggested iconic dishes from both countries, retrieved a dish mentioned by the user's daughter from a recent message, assembled an original menu with playful names, and finally sent everything to the chat group along with the evening's schedule.
To keep track of these conversations, Apple introduced a new Siri app available on all devices. The history is privately synchronized via iCloud, allowing users to start a session on their iPhone and continue it on their iPad or Mac.
Integrations on Mac, iOS, watchOS, and visionOS
On macOS, Siri AI is directly integrated into Spotlight: typing a question, the system automatically recognizes the query and starts a conversation. Contextual menus are also available with Control-click on files or text to directly query the selected content. In one demo, Siri compared three quotes for a prefabricated structure, presented the results in a table, and drafted an email to the chosen supplier by autonomously extracting the name and address of the recipient from the files.
On iOS, swiping down from the Dynamic Island accesses the new conversational interface, with the option to type instead of speaking. Updates extend to CarPlay, AirPods, and watchOS, also accessible from the new app grid on Apple Watch. On visionOS, Siri AI is represented by a three-dimensional view that can be positioned in space: on Vision Pro, there's no need to say "Hey, Siri," just look at the assistant and start speaking.
For devices that support the more advanced on-device model, Apple introduces a new more expressive voice experience, with customizable tone and pace. A system dictation update also arrives with claimed improvements in accuracy, punctuation, and capitalization, integrated directly into the keyboard and available system-wide.
Visual Intelligence: From the Camera to the User's Surroundings
On iPhone, visual intelligence comes directly in the camera app via a new Siri Mode. By pressing the shutter button, Siri analyzes what the camera sees and provides a contextual response. Swiping down reveals in-depth details and the possibility of follow-up questions. Images and conversations are saved in the Siri app for later consultation. Apple clarified that deep understanding of images relies on Apple Foundation models running on private cloud compute, with the stated aim of protecting privacy.
The Siri Mode also suggests contextual actions in real-time: aiming the iPhone at a dish provides nutritional information; framing a restaurant bill allows users to select their orders and split the amount via Apple Cash.
On macOS, visual intelligence is accessible with a dedicated keyboard shortcut: select an item on the screen and query Siri directly via text. This function also allows users to act on what is displayed, for example, adding multiple calendar events in one action while viewing a program.
On iPad, visual intelligence is integrated into the screenshot experience and allows querying Siri about the visible content on the screen, performing visual searches, and taking actions.
The feature also arrives on visionOS, where Siri recognizes objects simply by looking at them. An example was shown where Siri, combining general knowledge and the user's personal context, answered a question about a physical object in the surrounding environment.
Writing with Siri and Automatic System Correction
Writing tools become accessible practically anywhere text is typed. Users can describe in natural language a document to be created and receive a draft generated by Siri. In Mail and Messages, Siri can adapt the tone and style of writing based on the user's communication habits with a particular contact: if short, direct paragraphs are typically sent to their manager, Siri will replicate that style in the drafts.
It is also possible to select already written text and ask Siri for feedback, receiving suggestions for improvement. Additionally, Apple Intelligence introduces automatic spell-checking at the system level, active while typing without requiring extra steps and available in most third-party apps.