Apple may have finally fixed its most embarrassing software

Apple's new Siri in iOS 27, powered by Google's Gemini models, shows significant improvement in understanding context and retrieving personal data, though it still struggles with accents and Health app access. The update could finally make Siri competitive with other AI assistants.

Apple https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-losing-grip-tech-supply-chain-tsmc-nvidia-foxconn-2026-1 has a habit of showing up late https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-siri-ai-delay-rare-move-2025-3 to the tech party and still being the best-dressed. It might do it again with the new Siri https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-new-siri-ai-chatbot-app-wwdc-2026-6 in iOS 27 this fall. Right now, Siri is bad — and that's not a harsh take. Ali https://www.businessinsider.com/author/alistair-barr?follow-me has ChatGPT pinned to his iPhone's home screen. I have Gemini in a prime spot for quick access to a genuinely useful AI assistant. These are the habits Apple is up against. But I'm using Gemini less after a few days of test-driving the first iOS 27 beta and years of dunking on Siri. It turns out Siri's new intelligence is based on Gemini models https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-google-gemini-to-power-siri-ai-capabilities-2026-1 . One nice update is that Siri AI as Apple calls it indexes your phone to capture details from texts, emails, notes, and calendar events. I got answers to queries like "when's my next personal training session?" and "by when do I have to cancel the hotel reservation for a refund?" Siri could fish out the answers to my somewhat vague prompts. It's convenient to have a dedicated Siri app, too. I find its responses less flattering and more concise than those of other LLMs. At long last, Siri impressively draws on real-world knowledge. While watching the Knicks parade https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-knicks-parade-office-view-perk-2026-6 , I showed Siri a photo and played dumb. It knew exactly what was happening and why. It also gave me helpful commuting tips when I asked, pulling from relevant local news sources. Siri is not yet excellent. It still sometimes misunderstands my non-American accent Gemini usually doesn't . And I can't get Siri to answer activity-related questions because it needs access to my Health app it has access . This is, of course, a first beta experience. But my hunch is that come this fall, when the masses get access, Siri will be at least better than bad. Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/tech-memo .