Cupertino: Apple has unveiled a major upgrade to its voice assistant Siri, marking its biggest attempt in years to modernize the tool and close the gap with fast-moving competitors in the smart assistant space.
The update was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, where the company introduced a more conversational version of Siri that can understand context better, remember earlier interactions, and pull information directly from what is displayed on a user’s screen.
Apple said that the revamped assistant will also be able to search across messages and emails, helping users quickly retrieve details such as addresses or references that were never formally saved.
A new dedicated app will store past interactions, allowing users to revisit previous queries across iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
The company has faced pressure as rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have rapidly advanced their own assistants, offering tools that can handle more complex, multi-step tasks.
Apple’s approach, however, remains more focused on integrating helpful features into daily device use rather than building fully autonomous systems.
Apple software chief Craig Federighi suggested the company is prioritizing usefulness over hype, arguing that technology should serve users in practical ways rather than chase complexity for its own sake.
Analysts described the update as meaningful but not revolutionary, noting that it strengthens Siri’s capabilities but may not immediately shift the competitive balance in the AI-driven assistant market.
Apple also emphasized privacy protections, stating that much of the processing will happen directly on devices or within its secure cloud systems. However, features that require screen awareness have raised questions about how much user activity the assistant will need to access.
Alongside Siri improvements, Apple announced new child safety tools, expanded messaging protections that blur sensitive images by default, and added smart features to its Safari browser, including alerts for product availability.
The company also confirmed that some features will not launch immediately in the European Union or China due to regulatory considerations.
Despite the updates, Apple shares slipped slightly after the announcement as investors weighed the company’s progress in the competitive race for smarter digital assistants.
