Apple is preparing a major overhaul of Siri that will turn the voice assistant into a ChatGPT-style conversational app — while leaning heavily on privacy as a key differentiator.

According to reporting by Bloomberg, the new Siri experience in iOS 27 will include features such as persistent chat histories, AI-powered conversations and automatic deletion of stored chats.

The revamped Siri is expected to function more like competing AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude, with users able to interact through a dedicated standalone app and review previous conversations.

However, Apple is attempting to distinguish its approach through tighter privacy controls.

Users will reportedly be able to choose whether conversations are stored for 30 days, one year or indefinitely — similar to existing auto-delete features in the Messages app.

The move reflects Apple’s broader strategy of positioning privacy as a core part of its AI ecosystem, even as it races to catch up with rivals that have moved faster in generative AI.

The company has long argued that advanced AI systems should not require unrestricted access to user data. But that approach has also contributed to criticism that Siri and Apple Intelligence have fallen behind competing platforms in capability and sophistication.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is now increasingly relying on external technology — particularly Google’s Gemini infrastructure — to power parts of the new Siri experience, marking a significant shift for a company that has traditionally emphasised tightly controlled in-house systems.

The redesigned assistant is also expected to introduce a new “Search or Ask” mode and expanded chatbot-style interactions, bringing Siri closer to the interface and behaviour users have become familiar with on other AI platforms.

Despite the major redesign, Apple may still label the new Siri as a “beta” product when it launches — even after years of delays and internal development challenges.

The overhaul comes at a critical moment for Apple, as the company faces mounting pressure to demonstrate it can compete in the next generation of AI products without abandoning its long-standing privacy principles.

The strategy highlights a growing divide in the AI market:
whether users prioritise the most powerful systems available — or systems that place tighter limits on how personal data is stored and used.