What iOS 27's new Siri can do, where it works and what it will cost

In brief

Apple's new, AI-powered Siri arrived with iOS 27 on 14 September, and it comes with conditions. It is labelled a beta and will stay that way even after the rest of iOS 27 leaves testing. It only speaks English for now. It is not available on iPhones in the European Union or in mainland China, and it needs a recent iPhone. Apple has also said that usage limits are coming, and that "increased access" will cost extra.

Here is what the new Siri does, whether your phone gets it, and what else changed in September for anyone thinking about a new iPhone.

What the new Siri does

Apple describes a "redesigned Siri, with new models and a System Orchestrator". In practice, that means:

• You can type to it as well as talk to it. It keeps a history of your conversations, so you can come back to one.
• It handles follow-up questions and multi-step requests, rather than treating every question as new.
• It can draw on "personal context", in Apple's phrase, to tailor answers to you.
• It works with the camera. A new Visual Intelligence mode in the Camera app is for asking about what the camera sees.

Apple says Siri will "retain its separate beta designation after those operating systems leave testing". Treat it as a preview: it will change, and some features may be limited or withdrawn.

Will my iPhone get it?

iOS 27 itself runs on the iPhone 11 and later, and on the second-generation iPhone SE and later. The new Siri is more demanding. It needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, or an iPad with an M1 chip or later. Macworld reports that "the most advanced capabilities need iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone Air". Users must be at least 13.

If your iPhone can run iOS 27 but not the new Siri, you still get much of the rest of the update. That includes new parental controls such as "Ask to Browse", which lets children request permission to visit a website.

Where it works

• Language. English only at launch. French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish are due in October.
• European Union. Not available on iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. It is available on Mac and Vision Pro. ByteNib could not find Apple's stated reason for the exclusion.
• China. Not available in mainland China at launch.

What it will cost

For now, nothing beyond the phone. Apple's fine print, reported by MacRumors, says three things.

• "In the future, Apple will implement usage limits on these and other Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features."
• The limits "may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors".
• "Increased access to such features will be available for a fee."

Apple has not said what the limits will be, what extra access will cost or how it will be billed. At its June developer conference, it said higher tiers of its iCloud+ storage subscription would include expanded access. That puts Siri into a pattern spreading across AI products: a free allowance first, then paid extra access.

Is Siri now powered by Google?

Accounts differ. Engadget reports that Apple worked with Google to use Gemini models to train the models behind the new Siri. Earlier reports suggested Gemini would answer requests directly. Apple's own description is "new models and a System Orchestrator", and ByteNib is not going beyond that.

Should you update?

Yes, for security reasons as much as for Siri. Apple's 14 September releases fixed a long list of security problems. If you would rather wait for iOS 27 to settle, Apple also released iOS 26.7 with security fixes for people staying on the current version. ByteNib's September updates checklist covers your other devices too.

The other September change: older iPhones cost more

Apple usually cuts the price of older models when new ones arrive. This year it raised them. US starting prices went up by $100 each: the iPhone 16 to $799, the iPhone 17e to $699, the iPhone 17 to $899 and the iPhone Air to $1,099. The reason Apple gave is chief executive Tim Cook's statement in June that it "is no longer able to absorb the increased cost of memory and storage chips".

The new models followed the same direction. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299, which MacRumors counts as a $100 rise. Both went on sale on 18 September. Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, starts at $1,999, and $3,199 with 2TB of storage. Pre-orders open on 16 October and it goes on sale on 23 October.

If you were waiting for last year's iPhone to get cheaper, it has not. If the Duo tempts you, wait for independent reviews: nobody outside Apple has tested its hinge and screen over months of use.

Sources and scope

This piece is ByteNib editorial guidance for general readers. Siri's features are from AppleInsider. The beta status, availability and age limit are from AppleInsider and Macworld, and the usage-limit wording from MacRumors. Device support is from MacRumors and Macworld. The Gemini account is from Engadget.

Prices are US prices from Apple's store and MacRumors, and prices elsewhere differ. ByteNib has not tested the new Siri or the iPhone Duo.

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