Apple to unveil new Siri at WWDC 2026 with dedicated app, new 'Ask Siri' button and a whole new look

Apple is preparing to unveil the long-awaited update to Siri at WWDC in June this year, with plans that include launching it as a standalone app as well as giving it a new design.

People familiar with Apple's plans have been speaking to Mark Gurman over at Bloomberg and suggesting Apple will employ a "chatbot-like experience" for Siri alongside a "fresh look" that will be revealed on June 8.

That fresh look could involve replacing the glowing border effect introduced in iOS 18 with one of a few different options Gurman says are currently being tested. One of which involves putting Siri at the top of the screen and utilizing a Dynamic Island approach with a pill-shaped indicator alongside a glowing Siri icon. When the request is fulfilled, the pill expands into a Liquid Glass panel to display results.

What's more, after struggling to gain a foothold with Apple Intelligence since launching it 2024, Apple wants to coalesce its AI efforts around the new Siri. Therefore, Gurman says Apple will be revealing a new "Ask Siri" feature that will run across Apple's products and turn the assistant into a "systemwide AI agent with deep integration across applications."

According to Gurman's sources, Siri will be able to control features inside iPhones and Macs alike and action requests through access to users' personal data contained inside calendar and messaging apps. Once implemented, users will see an "Ask Siri" toggle appear in menus across the app ecosystem where they can ask the AI for more context about whatever is on-screen. For example, they could highlight text in an email or message and ask Siri to perform an action with it, like adding to a calendar event or searching for more context.

Finally, with a more conversational approach — whether by voice or text — Apple is hoping Siri will start to match what can be offered by Google's Gemini or OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The Siri app

Although the Siri app is currently being developed and could be teased at WWDC 2026 this year, Gurman stops short of giving a fixed release date. He suggests it will come to the iPhone, iPad and Mac "later this year."

"The app’s main interface will display prior conversations in either a list or a grid of rounded rectangles with text previews. Users can pin favorite chats, save older conversations, search across interactions and start new chats via a prominent plus button," Gurman wrote.

It seems to me like a supercharged version of Apple's Messages app and there will reportedly be the option to upload attachments as well as toggle between voice and text input.

When could it be ready?

Apple, unfortunately, doesn't have the best track record when it comes to delivering on its AI promises. This long-awaited Siri 2.0 was first announced two years ago with a promise it would arrive in spring 2025. That ended up getting delayed until spring 2026, with many involved now believing it won't materialize until the fall.

It's likely we could see a lot of announcements and feature teases of what's to come with Siri during the summer at WWDC, but the final product doesn't arrive until iOS 27 in the fall.

Is Apple too late to the game? Or will the company's gigantic install base mean that Siri's next generation — when it finally does arrive — will displace the likes of Gemini, Claude and ChatGPT for Apple users? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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