Apple Unveils iOS 27 and Siri AI in Tim Cook’s Final WWDC Keynote

The company’s strategy for the new Siri involves integrating Google’s Gemini models to handle more complex, conversational tasks. The assistant will now live in a standalone app while maintaining cross-app functionality. Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, emphasized that Apple’s approach remains privacy-centric, asserting that user data is processed only to fulfill specific requests and is subject to external verification.

Beyond Siri, the iOS 27 update introduces significant AI-driven features across the ecosystem. Safari now includes automated tab management, while the Phone app gains the ability to pull context from Mail and Messages during active calls. In a move to broaden the reach of its latest software, Apple confirmed that iOS 27 will be compatible with devices dating back to the iPhone 11, touting performance gains such as 80 percent faster AirDrop transfers and improved CPU scheduling for multitasking.

Creative and administrative tools also received major overhauls. The Photos app now features generative AI for spatial reframing and image extension, and the Shortcuts app allows users to build automation scripts via natural language prompts. Additionally, Apple introduced a systemwide AI dictation tool and expanded the Health app to include perimenopause and menopause tracking. The conference concluded with a reflective farewell from Tim Cook, who praised the company’s teams for their role in shaping the last decade of Apple’s product evolution.