The time for Siri to shine is now.Credit: Apple
Earlier this week, Apple launched the first public beta of iOS 27. With it comes the new, smarter Siri, which is now both a standalone app, and a set of features embedded into various apps across the operating system.
The new Siri truly is smarter, but the name confusion (Siri is now called Siri AI) as well as the fact that some features are baked into other Apple apps can make things overwhelming for users. Let’s check out which new Siri AI features are truly worth trying out.
Before we start, one caveat: Almost none of these features are available in China and Europe due to issues with regulators. While it appears that the problems in China have been resolved, Apple still doesn’t have a timeline for Siri AI launch in Europe.
Also, for instruction on how to install the public beta and get your hands on the new features, Mashable’s published a guide.
Siri, the app
For the longest time (since 2011 actually, when Siri was first introduced) Apple refused to give Siri a proper body. The idea is that it’s the invisible helper, the voice you interact with, but not something you want to tap and chat with.
Then came the OpenAI ChatGPT era, and everything changed. It took Apple a few years, but the company relented, and with iOS 27, the company launched Siri as a standalone app.
So what’s the experience like? Well, think ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. You start the app, and you’re welcomed by a grid of your previous convos with Siri. Start a new one, either by voice or by typing, and Siri will answer. Since this is a smarter Siri, you needn’t be afraid of asking something more complex than “what’s the weather like tomorrow.” And it’s not just general purpose queries such as “will the yellow cards in the World Cup semifinal carry over to the final” — you can also ask personal questions, including mentioning the content from your past emails, notes, and events.
Visual Intelligence
This is, indeed, a traditional cricket ball.Credit: Apple
This is a really useful one, because it ties to the way you use your iPhone in ways that weren’t possible before. Say you’re on YouTube, and a video showing a moment from a famous TV show pops up; the problem is, you just can’t remember the show’s name. No problem; invoke Siri by long-pressing the side button on your phone, and ask it about the content you’re watching on the display right now. Pretty cool, right?
You can do that in various contexts; whatever’s on your screen at the moment, Siri can tell you something about it.
Same goes for the stuff that’s in front of you, in real life. The new Siri mode in the Camera app lets you point your lens at anything and get Siri to provide some information on what you’re seeing.
Image Playground
This feature has been here before but it’s been…well, maybe not a complete joke, but definitely a cartoon version of the real thing; that is, the only type of images it could generate were cartoon-looking ones.
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With Siri AI, this has changed. You can now get realistic photos such as futuristic cityscapes and beautiful landscapes, or combos such as a bear dancing on a massive block of cheese.
Even better, once an image has been generated, you can tweak it with additional prompt. If you want a sign saying CHEESE above that image you’ve just created, tell Siri to add it and it’ll show up in the next iteration.
It’s not the most advanced AI-based image generation out there, but it does the job and for many users, it’ll be the quickest and most convenient option.
Photo editing
The image is good, I just need more space around the subject.Credit: Apple
Open a photo, tap the edit button, and you’ll see an option on the bottom right called Tools. Tap that, and you’ll see three options. The Clean Up lets you tap or circle an unwanted object to make it disappear. That feature already existed (it might work a little better now), but the other two are new.
Extend will use Siri AI to make the picture bigger. Pinch to zoom out, and the AI will analyze the photo and add more stuff at the edges to make the photo larger. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it does feel a little magical.
The other new option is Reframe, which lets you change the perspective of the photo after you’ve taken it. Don’t expect miracles here (I’d only use this on photos that desperately need it) but again, when it does work it’s pretty cool.
Writing with Siri
Siri AI is now baked into various writing and communication tools across iOS. For example, in the Notes app, just above the keyboard, you’ll see an option called “Write with Siri.” Tap that, and write by using a prompt instead of actually entering text.
This can be pretty powerful. Let’s say you want to sum up an entire trip itinerary, or write a movie plot (without spoilers!), but you don’t actually want to type all that. Well, instead, just tell Siri what you want and it’ll generate the text for you.
You can also highlight a chunk of text and tell Siri to generate an image that relates to it, or use it to solve math problems.
Smarter Calendar and Reminders entries
Sometimes you’ll need to tap on things and provide additional context, but the new Calendar is way better than before.Credit: Apple
Siri is baked into Apple’s Calendar app, too, allowing for natural language recognition. For example, you can create a new event and describe what you want to do (dinner with wife at Joe’s tomorrow at 7 p.m.), and the Calendar app will automagically recognize the right people from your Contacts, and create the event at the right time.
Same goes for Reminders, which is an app I feel I should use more but it just never clicked for me. Once again, describe what you need to be reminded of, and details such as location, time, and date will be picked up automatically.
Shortcuts that you’ll actually want to use
Let’s face it: Shortcuts is the best iOS feature that almost no one uses, simply because the idea of turning a chain of events/commands into a single command sounds too intimidating for a lot of people.
Now, thanks to Siri AI, you can just describe the shortcut and have it created automatically. To access this feature, open Shortcuts, tap New Shortcut, and describe what you want the Shortcut to do. Want the iPhone to audibly tell you that it’s been charged to 90 percent? Just type that down into the Shortcuts app, and you’re done.
Want to get started? Here’s how to get try the Siri AI beta.
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He’s got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
