iOS 27: How Apple Brought Siri Back to Life with Gemini's Help

For many years, a large number of iPhone owners limited their use of the voice assistant «Siri» to simple tasks such as setting an alarm or a kitchen timer. However, the new operating system iOS 27 appears to have changed this equation, as the assistant has become capable of executing complex requests and understanding what appears on the screen, prompting many to rediscover it after having abandoned it entirely.

The New Siri: A Qualitative Leap Powered by Gemini Models

More than two years ago, Apple announced its «Apple Intelligence» initiative and teased an advanced version of Siri, but it was repeatedly delayed. Today, the company is finally rolling out this update, and the new assistant is built on Google's Gemini models, making it far smarter than its predecessor, which relied on a troubled integration with ChatGPT. It also received a new logo and updated transition animations.

In practical use, Siri has become capable of answering complex mathematical questions about matches, lineups, and results, and of executing multi-step instructions. For example, you can ask it to search for hidden features in the system and add them to a specific note, and it performs the task efficiently.

Understanding Context and Accessing Your Data

One of its most notable strengths is Siri's ability to extract context from your files, messages, and email. You could, for instance, ask it to find a conversation related to a delivery order and then draft a message to return the product. It can also read the text displayed on the screen aloud, or search for a startup's funding information and its competitors while browsing its website.

As for its integration with the Camera app, it allows you to ask questions about objects visible in the camera lens; you can photograph a restaurant menu and ask about the best dishes, or photograph a bag of coffee and inquire about the best way to prepare it.

Programming Through Natural Language

Apple introduced «programming by description» features within the new system, most notably creating shortcuts via natural language. You simply describe what you want in a simple sentence such as «Show me today's tasks every morning at eight o'clock» or «Convert the image to JPEG format», and the system creates the shortcut automatically, with the ability to refine it later with additional steps.

You can now also create custom alerts in the Safari browser to track changes on a specific page, such as a change in a product's price or an update to a privacy policy.

Practical Improvements That Enrich Daily Use

The update is not limited to Siri, but includes a set of small improvements with a big impact:

• Unified Clipboard: allows you to copy links, images, video, and text and paste them easily between apps via a shortcut button on the keyboard.
• New tools in the Photos app: such as «Reframe» and «Expand», in addition to a tangible improvement in the cleanup tool, which now leaves fewer traces when removing elements.
• Smart suggestions: when messages arrive containing information about appointments or places, the system suggests adding them to the calendar or notes.
• Automatic password changes: the «Passwords» app can log into websites and change passwords on your behalf.

Greater Customization and More Stable Connectivity

Apple responded to user criticism regarding the appearance of the «Liquid Glass» interface, enabling fine control over its degree of transparency instead of settling for preset options. It also added a smart network switching feature, which automatically transfers the connection from Wi-Fi to mobile data when a problem occurs, preventing internet disruption during important work.

Conclusion

iOS 27 represents a genuine turning point for Siri after years of stagnation, restoring the confidence of many users in an assistant they had abandoned. And with its anticipated integration with third-party apps, the system's ability to achieve seamless interaction between Siri and applications remains the most important test in the upcoming phase.

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