Apple's New Siri Is Finally Live. It Also Comes With a Daily Limit Apple Won't Put a Number On
Apple first showed the rebuilt assistant at WWDC in June, with Craig Federighi calling it 'a dramatically more capable and conversational assistant designed to help users find information and get things done throughout the day,' per Apple's own newsroom post. Three months later, it's actually shipping, just not to everyone, and not without strings.
The headline technical decision was who builds the brain behind it. Apple picked Google's Gemini over building its own frontier model or partnering with OpenAI or Anthropic, both of which it reportedly considered, according to Bloomberg's original reporting on the deal.
1.2T
parameters in the custom Gemini model handling Siri AI's hardest requests
eight times the 150-billion-parameter model that previously powered Apple Intelligence in the cloud, per Bloomberg.
~$1B/yr
what Apple is reportedly paying Google for it
a Bloomberg estimate; neither company has confirmed the exact terms of the multi-year deal, per Bloomberg.
Sept 14, 2026
when the public beta actually opened, three months after the WWDC unveiling
with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27, per Apple's newsroom.
1 of 6
languages available at launch, out of those promised
English only; French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish are due in October, per Technobezz.
How a Siri AI request actually gets answered
| Tier | Handles | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|
| On-device | Simple requests, quick lookups, app actions | Apple's own on-device models, for speed and privacy. |
| Private Cloud Compute | Mid-level, more context-heavy tasks | Apple's own models, on Apple-controlled servers. |
| Gemini (cloud) | The heaviest, most open-ended requests | Google's custom 1.2T-parameter model, routed only when the first two tiers aren't enough. |
The catch nobody can quantify yet
Apple has confirmed that Siri AI, along with a few other server-side Apple Intelligence features, carries a daily usage limit, but the company won't say what the number actually is, per AppleInsider. The limit reportedly varies by feature, request complexity, and system demand, so a quick question and a long multi-step request don't necessarily cost the same share of whatever the allowance is.
Apple has also said expanded access will eventually be available for a fee, without naming a price, plan, or date, per MacRumors. There's already a precedent for what that could look like: some Apple Intelligence features, like AI-written descriptions for HomeKit Secure Video footage, are already restricted to iCloud+ plans of 2TB or more, which starts at $9.99 a month.
How to actually try it
- 1Update to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, or the matching watchOS/visionOS 27 release.
- 2Set Siri's language to English. It's the only language the beta supports right now; five more are due in October.
- 3Join the waitlist if you're prompted. Apple is staggering access during the beta rather than turning it on for everyone at once.
- 4Expect Siri AI to feel more limited partway through a heavy-use day. That's the undisclosed daily cap, not a bug.
Is the new Siri AI free?
The public beta is available at no extra cost right now, but Apple has confirmed a daily usage limit exists and says expanded access will cost extra once out of beta, without naming a price.
What AI model actually powers the new Siri?
A mix of Apple's own on-device and Private Cloud Compute models for most requests, with a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter Google Gemini model handling the heaviest queries.
Why is the EU excluded from the Siri AI beta?
Apple has cited regulatory constraints in excluding the EU, along with China, from this first rollout.
When do other languages get Siri AI?
French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish are due in October 2026, according to Apple's own rollout schedule.
How much is Apple paying Google for this?
Bloomberg has reported an estimated $1 billion a year, though neither company has confirmed the exact terms of the multi-year deal.
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