Apple’s Long-Promised New Siri Is Finally Here, If You’re Willing to Beta Test iOS 27

Apple has been promising a smarter, more personal Siri for so long that it started to feel like a running joke. The assistant that was supposed to understand your life, dig through your apps, and actually get things done kept slipping - announced, delayed, quietly pushed to “next year.” Well, next year is here. The new Siri just made its public debut in the iOS 27 beta, and for the first time you can actually try the thing Apple has been talking about for what feels like forever.

There’s a catch, though. A few of them, actually. This isn’t a switch that flips on your iPhone tomorrow. You have to opt into a public beta, join a waitlist, own a fairly recent iPhone, and live in the right part of the world. The upside, though, is that once you get in, the new Siri is...actually really good. For Apple, that would be a first.

Wait, Siri can do what now?

The whole pitch of this version is “personal context.” In plain terms: Siri is finally supposed to understand the stuff that’s actually on your phone and act on it. Things like pulling a detail out of a text, finding a photo you can only vaguely describe, or handling a multi-step request without punting you to a web search. It’s the difference between an assistant that sets timers and one that actually assists. That’s the promise, anyway, and it’s the same promise Apple made a while back. The difference this time is that you can finally hold the company to it.

How to get it today

This part takes a few taps and a little patience. First, enroll your device in the Apple Beta Software Program, then head to Settings > General > Software Updates > Beta Updates and choose the iOS 27 Public Beta. Once your phone updates, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and tap “Try New Siri.” From there you join a waitlist that, based on how the developer beta went, tends to take a week or two to clear.

Once you’re in, you can talk to the new Siri the usual ways: say “Hey Siri” or just “Siri,” press and hold the side button, or open the new chatbot-style app if you’d rather type. It’s not an iPhone-only party, either: the beta is rolling out to Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch too.

The fine print (there’s a fair amount)

A few things to know before you get too excited. The full experience needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, so older phones are out. It’s a beta, which means bugs and rough edges come with the territory. Don’t put it on the phone you absolutely need to survive your workday. It’s English-only for now. And if you’re in the European Union, you’re out of luck at launch, thanks to the ongoing standoff between Apple and the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

Should you actually do this?

If you’ve got a recent iPhone, you’re comfortable running beta software, and you’ve been dying to find out whether Apple finally cracked the assistant problem, this is the moment. Go grab your spot in line. If you just want a Siri that works and you’d rather not babysit a beta, sit tight; the stable version will reach everyone with iOS 27 in September. Either way, the notable part is that after years of “coming soon,” the new Siri is a real thing you can use today. For an assistant that’s spent most of its life as a punchline, this is a huge deal.

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