Apple's new Siri runs on Gemini, but not in the EU yet

Apple has shipped iOS 27 with a rebuilt Siri, and the models behind it are built on Google's Gemini. In the same week, Google released Gemini 3.8 Live and Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking, its most advanced voice models so far. If you are weighing up which AI assistant to rely on, both launches matter, and where you live decides part of the answer.

What the new Siri AI can do

Siri AI is out now as a beta, in English only, across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27. French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish are due in October. On an iPhone you switch it on in Settings, under Siri, with the "Try Siri AI (Beta)" link.

According to Apple, it understands personal context from your messages, emails and photos, reads what is on screen, and pulls information from the web. It can draft emails and edit or share photos through app actions across the system. Apple's own example is finding a family recipe someone sent in Messages and moving the ingredients into Reminders. Outside Apple's apps it works with WhatsApp and Audible, with Outlook, Notability and Tripsy to follow. The models run partly on the device and partly on Apple's Private Cloud Compute, and Apple says personal data is neither stored nor made accessible to the company.

Early verdicts are good, with real complaints

TechCrunch's Ivan Mehta says he uses Siri again for multi-step requests and questions about what is on screen, though early builds filed notes in the wrong place. Dan Moren at Six Colors reports everyday wins but still sees misunderstandings, hallucinations and writing help that pushes itself forward. Federico Viticci at MacStories is more critical: he praises how it reads the screen, but says it repeatedly failed to answer questions about personal context that was sitting in his messages, and some answers were out of date.

Two practical limits are worth knowing before you plan around it. Some server-side features have daily usage limits, and Apple says expanded access will cost money later.

Not in the EU or China at launch

Siri AI, and every feature built on it, will not be available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS at first. Apple says it is working on a path that protects users' privacy and security. It also will not launch in China while regulatory requirements remain open. Apple has not given a date for either region, so if you are in the EU, the new Siri is not something to factor into a decision today.

Gemini 3.8 Live, available now

Google's new Live models are rolling out through the Gemini app, Google Workspace and the Gemini API. They take in visual input in near real time, switch automatically between 97 languages mid-conversation, and run tools and API calls in the background while the conversation carries on. The Extended Thinking version reasons while it speaks, and Google says it took first place on Artificial Analysis' Speech to Speech Quality Index with a score of 82.6. In Workspace you can try it in Docs Live, Gmail Live and Keep Live.

How to choose right now

If you use an iPhone outside the EU and China, Siri AI's advantage is that it lives inside the operating system, so it can work with your apps, settings and device features rather than only answer questions. Try the beta, but check its answers about your own messages and schedule, which is where reviewers found it weakest.

If you are in the EU, work mostly in Google Workspace, or need voice conversations in many languages, Gemini Live is the one you can use today. For a wider look at assistants and the tools built on them, see our AI productivity tool reviews.