Apple's new iOS 27 has been released to the public, featuring significant performance upgrades and a major redesign of Siri. The latest iteration of Siri transforms the virtual assistant into a conversational AI, similar to chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. Apple developed this upgrade in partnership with Google, utilizing semi-custom AI models. The enhanced Siri is integrated into the operating system, allowing it access to emails, messages, and other content stored on the device.

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Despite this overhaul, users will not have immediate access to Siri AI upon updating to iOS 27. To use the feature, they must manually enable it and join a waitlist. Users must ensure their devices are on iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 by checking for updates in Settings. To enable Siri AI, they should navigate to Settings, then Siri, and select ‘Try Siri AI (Beta).’ Users may need to change their language setting to English (United States) to see the option. Support for additional languages, including French and Spanish, is expected to be available by October 2026.

Not all devices running iOS 27 support Siri AI. The feature is limited to newer models, excluding older devices below the iPhone 15 Pro series and non-Pro iPhone 15 models, as well as iPads that do not have an M1 processor or later.

Users in China or any European Union country cannot sign up for the Siri AI waitlist due to regulatory restrictions. The European Commission requires equal access for rival AI companies to system data, while Apple contends that sharing this data could compromise user privacy. Apple asserts that its Private Cloud Compute system is designed to provide secure AI assistance without compromising data integrity.

The waitlist is intended to manage demand due to the advanced processing capabilities that Siri AI requires. Many tasks rely on cloud servers for processing, which could become overwhelmed if millions of users enable the feature simultaneously. Limiting initial access helps maintain performance stability for current users. Some users have reported gaining access within a day of joining the waitlist, although wait times may vary.

As users wait for access, their devices may display "Optimizing Search and Siri," indicating that Siri is building a personal context database in the background. This process is most efficient while devices are charging and connected to Wi-Fi. Apple has indicated that future enhancements to AI usage limits will be available through paid iCloud+ plans, although specific details are yet to be announced.