iOS 27 beta 4 released with major Siri AI upgrade

Apple has released iOS 27 beta 4, which includes a major upgrade to Siri’s artificial intelligence capabilities. The update is now available for developers and public beta testers, allowing them to try the new AI-powered Siri features before the official public release.

Users who install the beta can test a significantly improved Siri that leverages on-device AI to better understand context and handle complex requests. The upgrade is designed to make Siri more conversational and capable of performing multi-step tasks without needing repeated prompts. This affects all iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users, as the AI improvements also extend to iPadOS 27 and watchOS 27 betas.

The new Siri AI represents a major step forward for Apple’s voice assistant, which has lagged behind competitors like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa in natural language processing. By processing more requests on-device, Apple aims to improve privacy while also making Siri faster and more responsive. The beta includes features such as the ability to ask Siri to summarize articles, compose messages, and control apps with more nuanced commands.

Specific details from the release include that iOS 27 beta 4 is the fourth developer beta and the second public beta of the operating system. Apple has also released beta 4 for iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and other platforms. The final version of iOS 27 is expected to launch in the fall alongside new iPhone models.

For users who have installed the public beta and find it unstable, Forbes notes that it is possible to downgrade to iOS 26, though the process requires a computer and may erase data. CNET compared the new Siri AI on Apple Watch against the old Siri and found the difference to be significant, with the AI version handling complex queries much more effectively.

Looking ahead, Apple is expected to continue refining Siri’s AI capabilities through additional beta releases before the official launch. The company is also likely to introduce new Siri features for third-party developers at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference.