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| Leaked iOS 27 renders suggest Apple's new Siri will offer ChatGPT-style conversations, Google Gemini integration, and advanced AI features ahead of WWDC 2026. |
Apple has been promising a smarter Siri for three years. In seven days, they finally have to deliver.
WWDC 2026 kicks off June 8 — and for the first time in a long time, the biggest story isn't a new iPhone or a faster chip. It's Siri. Specifically, a completely rebuilt Siri that Apple is positioning as a direct competitor to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
Except here's the twist nobody saw coming: the "new Siri" is secretly powered by Google.
The Leak That Gutted Apple's Big Surprise
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman — the most reliable Apple insider in the business — dropped detailed leaked renders of iOS 27's new Siri just days before WWDC. Not vague descriptions. Actual re-created screenshots based on real sources inside Apple.
And what they showed was striking. The new Siri looks almost identical to ChatGPT.
- A standalone Siri app — dark interface, conversation history, text field at the bottom, microphone for voice, paperclip for file attachments
- A "Search or Ask" bar built into the Dynamic Island — swipe down from the top of your screen and a full AI search panel appears
- Back-and-forth conversations — not one-shot commands, but actual multi-turn dialogue with memory of what you said earlier
- On-screen awareness — Siri can see what's on your display and respond to it
If that sounds familiar, it's because you've seen this interface before. On your ChatGPT app.
The Google Deal Nobody's Talking About Enough
Here's the part that should raise eyebrows for anyone paying attention.
Back in January 2026, Apple and Google quietly announced that the next generation of Apple's AI would be built on a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter Google Gemini model. Apple is reportedly paying Google around $1 billion per year for this.
Let that sink in. Apple — a company that has spent decades building proprietary everything — is paying its biggest search rival a billion dollars a year to power the AI assistant that ships on every iPhone.
Why? Because Apple's internal AI development fell behind, and they needed a shortcut. The same way they once turned to OpenAI when Apple Intelligence launched with ChatGPT integration in 2024, they've now gone to Google for something bigger and more deeply embedded.
Apple insists user data stays private — Gemini model weights run inside Apple's infrastructure, not on Google's servers. But the dependency is real, and it's significant.
Why This Actually Matters for Your iPhone
Right now, Siri is the assistant you use when you don't want to think too hard. Ask it to set a timer, play a song, call your mom. Anything beyond that and it falls apart.
The new Siri is supposed to be different. Here's what iOS 27 is expected to unlock:
1. It'll Actually Remember Context
Today's Siri forgets what you said five seconds ago. The iOS 27 version is designed for back-and-forth conversations — you can ask a follow-up, change your request mid-sentence, or refer back to something you said earlier. It sounds basic because it is. ChatGPT has done this for years. But for 2.5 billion Apple device users, this will feel like a completely new product.
2. You Can Choose Your AI — ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
This is the bombshell feature buried in the leaks. iOS 27 is introducing an Extensions framework — essentially an AI marketplace inside Siri. Instead of being locked into one AI provider, you'll be able to long-press the search bar and swap between Google Gemini, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Anthropic's Claude.
OpenAI had an exclusive deal with Apple since iOS 18.2 in December 2024. That exclusivity is over. ChatGPT becomes just one option among several — and based on internal testing, Google Gemini is now the default engine powering the core experience.
3. Siri Gets Eyes
The new Camera app integration gives Siri what the tech world calls "visual intelligence." Point your camera at something and ask Siri about it. A restaurant, a product, a document, a plant. This is similar to what Google Lens has done for years — but baked directly into the iPhone camera at the OS level, not a separate app.
4. It Lives in the Dynamic Island
The Dynamic Island — that black pill at the top of iPhone 14 Pro and newer — becomes Siri's new home. A thin glowing ring appears around it when you invoke Siri, and the "Search or Ask" panel drops down directly from it. It's a slicker interaction than the current glowing orb that takes over your whole screen.
The Numbers That Make This a Big Deal
ChatGPT currently has around 900 million weekly active users. That's an enormous number — the fastest-growing consumer app in history.
Apple's install base is 2.5 billion active devices.
When Siri gets a real AI upgrade and it ships as the default on every iPhone this September, Apple doesn't need people to download anything. It's already there. That's the distribution advantage no AI startup can compete with — and it's why this WWDC is being watched more closely by OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic than almost any Apple event in recent memory.
The Elephant in the Room: Apple Has Promised This Before
It would be irresponsible to write this article without acknowledging the obvious: Apple has promised a smarter Siri before. Multiple times.
At WWDC 2024, Apple announced "Apple Intelligence" with new Siri features. Those features were then delayed in March 2025. Some still haven't fully arrived. Apple even settled a $250 million class-action lawsuit earlier this year over its unfulfilled Siri AI promises.
So yes — the leaks look promising. The ambition is real. But Apple has a credibility problem here that won't go away until actual users have iOS 27 on their phones in September and the new Siri actually works as described.
Live demos at WWDC are scripted. Real-world use is not.
What to Watch For at WWDC on June 8
If you tune in to the keynote at 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, here are the specific things worth paying attention to:
- Does the Siri demo go off-script? In 2024, Apple's live Siri demos were carefully controlled. Watch for whether they do anything spontaneous this time.
- How does Apple explain the Google deal? Publicly partnering with Google — your biggest search rival and a company the DOJ is actively investigating for antitrust violations — is awkward. Expect careful language.
- Which iPhones get full features? Not every iPhone will get every new Siri capability. The cutoff is likely iPhone 15 Pro and newer due to on-device AI processing requirements. If you're on an older device, some of this may not apply to you.
- When does the developer beta drop? Historically it's the same day as the keynote. Developers will start finding things Apple didn't mention within 48 hours.
The Bottom Line
Apple's new Siri is either going to be the moment the company catches up to where AI actually is in 2026 — or it's going to be another carefully marketed demo that underdelivers by November.
What's clear right now is that the pressure is real. Apple paid $1 billion a year to Google because they had to. They're scrapping ChatGPT's exclusivity because users wanted more options. They're building a standalone app that looks exactly like what competitors shipped two years ago.
None of that sounds like a company that's leading. It sounds like a company that's catching up — fast, with enormous resources, and with 2.5 billion devices to distribute whatever they build.
WWDC is June 8 at 10 a.m. Pacific. Watch it live on Apple's YouTube channel. And come back here after — we'll break down everything Apple actually announced, not just what they promised.
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