iOS 27, Siri 2.0 and Apple AI: What to Expect at WWDC 2026

TL;DR: Apple holds WWDC 2026 from June 8 to June 12. The keynote on Monday, June 8 is expected to preview iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27. The headline announcement: a rebuilt Siri with chatbot-style interface, on-screen awareness, and Google Gemini integration. Apple also plans to let users swap in third-party AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) via a new Extensions system. A standalone Siri app is reportedly in the works.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference returns June 8-12, 2026. The keynote opens the event on Monday morning. As always, the conference previews the next generation of Apple software. In 2026, the spotlight is firmly on Apple’s AI strategy — the area where the company has spent two years playing catch-up with Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

This is the final WWDC of the Tim Cook era. That context matters: the announcements previewed on June 8 will define the next iPhone cycle and shape how 2.5 billion active Apple devices handle AI tasks for the rest of the decade.

1. The headline: Siri 2.0 finally ships #

The biggest story of WWDC 2026 is the long-delayed Siri overhaul Apple first previewed in June 2024. That original announcement promised a more conversational, context-aware, and personalized Siri. The features were delayed, then delayed again, leading to a $250 million class-action settlement over false advertising. iPhone owners in the U.S. became eligible for payouts between $25 and $95.

At WWDC 2026, Apple is expected to deliver what was promised two years ago. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has published multiple detailed reports based on internal Apple materials. The new Siri will:

Move to the Dynamic Island. Instead of a full-screen animation, Siri’s interface will appear in the black pill-shaped area at the top of the iPhone. The mode is designed for quick voice queries and short results.
Add a swipe-down text mode. A new gesture — swiping down from the top center of the screen — opens a “Search or Ask” field for silent, typed interactions. The current system requires double-tapping the bottom edge.
Present rich text cards. Results for people, places, weather, sports scores, and personal data (notes, messages, emails, calendar) will appear in formatted cards that pop out of the Dynamic Island.
Use Google’s Gemini under the hood. Apple’s rebuilt AI model is built on Google’s Gemini technology. The two companies reportedly signed a multi-year deal in January 2026, valued at roughly $1 billion per year for a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter model.
Understand on-screen content. Siri can act on what is currently displayed, including scheduling around existing appointments, drafting emails with calendar data, and answering questions about a webpage or document.

The new Siri is also expected to incorporate the personal-context features Apple demoed in 2024: recalling past conversations, surfacing recommendations, and executing cross-app actions.

2. A standalone Siri app #

Beyond the Dynamic Island interface, Apple is reportedly preparing a dedicated Siri app for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. The app would compete directly with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. It will surface chat history, accept text and voice input, and allow users to upload documents and photos.

The Siri app is a strategic shift. Today, ChatGPT lives inside Siri as a fallback for world-knowledge queries. With a standalone Siri app, Apple is moving the assistant from a feature into a product — one that ships on 2.5 billion devices.

3. The Extensions system: pick your AI #

In addition to its own Siri and Gemini-powered search, iOS 27 will let users route queries to third-party AI models through a new Extensions framework. Confirmed or expected integrations include:

OpenAI ChatGPT — already integrated since iOS 18.2, will remain available.
Anthropic Claude — reportedly in testing for Siri and Apple Intelligence features.
Google Gemini — already powering Apple’s underlying intelligence, also available as a user-selectable model.

Apple is also testing Image Playground, Writing Tools, and Siri shortcuts with third-party models. The strategic message: AI in iOS becomes a layer, not a single product.

4. iOS 27 beyond Siri #

While Siri is the centerpiece, iOS 27 includes a number of smaller additions:

AI photo editing. New “Enhance,” “Extend,” and “Reframe” tools in the Photos app, matching the AI editing features Android phones have shipped for two years.
Image Playground upgrades. Improved image quality and a new feature for generating custom phone wallpapers with AI.
Writing Tools. Better grammar feedback beyond basic spellcheck, including syntax suggestions.
Custom app shortcuts. Users will reportedly be able to create shortcuts using natural-language prompts.
Wallet upgrades. A new “Create a Pass” feature that scans photos of movie tickets, gym memberships, and similar items to generate digital passes.
Camera and Visual Intelligence integration. A new Siri mode in the Camera app will let users snap a photo and analyze it via a third-party AI agent, or run a Google reverse image search. The feature replaces today’s Visual Intelligence flow.
Parallel View. A landscape split-screen mode for iPhone, possibly related to the rumored iPhone Fold.
Weather app. A new “Conditions” panel with detailed information on wind, rain, and other metrics.

5. Device compatibility #

A recent leak from a Weibo leaker suggests iOS 27 will drop support for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and the second-generation iPhone SE. Apple Intelligence — including the new Siri — is expected to require an iPhone 15 Pro or later. This is consistent with the current A17 Pro and A18 hardware requirement for Apple Intelligence.

6. The other platforms #

WWDC 2026 will preview updates across Apple’s full lineup:

iPadOS 27 — shares most iOS 27 features, with stage manager and external display refinements.
macOS 27 — reportedly a “slight redesign” focused on fixing readability issues in the Liquid Glass interface introduced in macOS 26. Transparency and shadow effects are being adjusted.
watchOS 27 — typical fitness and watch-face updates. Details thin.
tvOS 27 — minor refinements; tvOS is rarely a focal point.
visionOS 27 — expected to add new Persona features and developer tools ahead of a rumored lower-cost Vision Pro.

7. Hardware: what we don’t expect #

WWDC is a software event. iPhone 18, the iPhone Fold, and MacBook Ultra announcements are expected in September at the earliest, not in June. Some of the iOS 27 features (Parallel View, advanced Camera AI) are laying groundwork for future devices, but Apple will not announce them at WWDC.

8. Background: how Apple got here #

The new Siri is the resolution of a two-year strategic crisis. In 2024, Apple announced Siri improvements it could not deliver. The delay triggered the class-action lawsuit, eroded analyst confidence, and forced the company into the Google Gemini deal that defines iOS 27’s intelligence layer. Internally, Apple’s AI team has been restructured multiple times since 2023. The June 8 keynote is the public test of whether those efforts are sufficient.

The competitive context is unforgiving. ChatGPT reports 900 million weekly active users. Google’s Gemini is integrated into Android, Workspace, and the Chrome browser. Anthropic’s Claude has gained traction in the enterprise. Apple’s answer is not to outbuild these models, but to outdistribute them — putting AI on more devices, in more languages, than any competitor can match.

9. Bottom line #

WWDC 2026 will be judged on three things:

Whether the new Siri feels meaningfully smarter than the 2024 version Apple previewed.
Whether the Extensions system actually lets users swap AI models in real-world conditions.
Whether developers get the tools they need to integrate Apple Intelligence into their apps before the September release.

The keynote is Monday, June 8. iOS 27 will ship in September alongside the iPhone 18.