This marks the dawn of a new era for Siri.
These aren’t my words; they’re apples.
But what does this signify? How is Siri evolving?
Here are all the ways iOS 18 will enhance Siri using Apple Intelligence.
New Methods to Activate Siri in iOS 18
In iOS 18, you can start typing in Siri anytime by double-tapping the bottom of your iPhone or iPad where the Home indicator is. This makes it convenient to make Siri requests when speaking out loud isn’t ideal.
If you prefer to use voice commands, you can still activate Siri by holding the iPhone’s side button or using Siri’s voice prompt. However, Siri will now appear on the screen differently. The floating Siri orb is gone; instead, Siri will show as a glowing light around the edges of your screen.
All the New Capabilities of Siri in iOS 18
Leveraging ChatGPT’s Intelligence
It might seem odd to start with this, but it’s significant.
In iOS 18, Apple isn’t claiming that Siri will suddenly match ChatGPT in face-to-face questioning. But it doesn’t need to because Siri will fully integrate ChatGPT’s intelligence.
For Apple, Siri specializes in personal knowledge, while ChatGPT provides world knowledge. Both are valuable in different contexts. So in iOS 18, Apple aims to offer the best of both.
When you ask Siri something in iOS 18, and ChatGPT is expected to have a great answer, Siri will provide that ChatGPT response. You need to give initial permission, but once granted, the process should be smooth.
Here’s an example from my colleague Zac:
Imagine you’ve received a houseplant as a gift. You take a photo of it with your iPhone, ask Siri about the type of plant, and learn how to care for it. With your permission, such tasks will use ChatGPT.
Integrating ChatGPT into Siri should significantly enhance Siri’s usefulness. You won’t need a ChatGPT account but will benefit from the extensive knowledge that OpenAI’s tool offers.
Function Like a True Personal Assistant
Apple has always marketed Siri as a personal assistant, but until iOS 18, it couldn’t truly understand your life in a personalized way. However, with Apple Intelligence, Siri can now act as a real assistant in several key aspects.
You can reference other information, and Siri will understand what you’re talking about.
When you speak to Siri in iOS 18, you can refer to a message you received, a song you listened to, an email in your inbox, or other personal items, and Siri will know exactly what you mean. Like a real assistant.
Practical examples: Bring up that article about Malibu from my Reading List, or Send Josh the photos from Saturday’s party.
You can stumble over your words, and Siri won’t get confused.
Siri is more forgiving of normal, everyday language variations in iOS 18. Does a real assistant ever misunderstand you when you correct yourself or change your mind mid-sentence? Neither will Siri.
Practical examples: Siri, really call, FaceTime my mom, or Set a reminder for no wait, set an alarm for 5 minutes. Actually, make it 10.
You can make requests that assume the context of previous requests.
Normal human conversations are filled with context. You talk about one thing and can refer to it later without confusion. Siri often loses this context after a few seconds. That’s changing in iOS 18, where Siri can save context from one request to the next.
Practical examples: Turn on the bedroom light, then Oh and dim it to 50%.
More New Siri Powers in iOS 18
Here are some other key new abilities coming to Siri:
Screen awareness: Siri will understand what you’re looking at while making a request, allowing it to act on various details on the screen, such as phone numbers, addresses, links, media content, and more.
Cross-app actions: Currently, actions between apps are usually done using the Split Sheet or drag and drop. But in iOS 18, Siri will be able to perform cross-app actions without needing to open those apps separately.
Expertise on Apple products: Siri will now be an expert in all things Apple, providing answers to any questions about your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or new features in OS updates.
When Will the New Siri Be Available on Your Devices?
When iOS 18 launches this fall, Apple Intelligence will come with it to compatible devices, but in a beta form. This means the new Siri will also be labeled beta, giving Apple a cushion for any issues that need to be resolved over time.
It’s important to note that Siri won’t have all these capabilities immediately. Some new powers will be available in the first version of iOS 18, while others will be rolled out progressively over the coming year. For instance, Siri’s on-screen awareness and the ability to perform new app actions will come later.
Raising the New Siri
Apple isn’t holding back in promoting the new Siri. They describe this as a Taylor Swift-style new era for the digital assistant, highlighting not just new features but superpowers.
From the company’s website:
Siri draws on Apple Intelligence for all-new superpowers. Siri will assist you like never before.
We can’t judge these claims until iOS 18 launches and new Siri features arrive over the next year. But if Apple delivers on its promises, we might finally get the intelligent and capable digital assistant we’ve been waiting for.
What are you excited about with the new Siri? Share in the comments.
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