Siri’s second act: Apple is reinventing its legacy assistant into an AI Chatbot

Strategic pivot abandons 'command' logic for full conversational fluency powered by Google Gemini.

In what is being described as the most radical overhaul in the product’s 15-year history, Apple is preparing to retire the current Siri interface in favor of a deeply integrated AI chatbot. Internally code-named "Campos," the new Siri will transition from a reactive voice assistant into a proactive, system-wide agent capable of complex reasoning, image generation, and multi-turn conversations similar to ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

The news, first reported by Bloomberg on January 21, 2026, follows a multi-year collaboration deal with Google to use their Gemini models as the foundational "brain" for Apple's next generation of software.

Siri but not Siri

The "Campos" project represents a fundamental shift in Apple’s AI strategy. While the name "Siri" will likely remain for branding, the underlying technology and user experience are being rebuilt from the ground up.

• Text & voice parity: Unlike the current Siri, which prioritizes voice, the new version is designed as a hybrid chatbot. Users can type or speak to it interchangeably, with a persistent chat history that maintains context across sessions.

• On-screen awareness: One of the marquee features is the ability to "see" what is on your screen. You could ask Siri to "send the address in this email to my realtor," and it will extract the data and perform the action across apps.

• Deep app control: Apple is opening up its core apps, including Mail, Photos, Music, and Xcode, to the chatbot. This allows for complex commands like "find the photo of my dog at the beach, crop it into a square, and email it to my mom."

• Privacy cloud compute: To maintain its privacy stance while using Google’s models, Apple will route complex requests through its Private Cloud Compute (PCC), ensuring that even as the AI gets smarter, your personal data remains inaccessible to both Apple and Google.

The two-phase rollout

Apple is managing expectations by splitting the upgrade into two distinct releases across 2026.

Phase 1 is the Personalization Bridge slated for Spring 2026. The update will be rolled out for iOS 26.4 first and will feature improved personalization, continuous conversation support, and redesigned health app integration.

Phase 2 is the full release slated for September 2026. It will be available for up to iOS 27 and will feature a full Chatbot Interface, image generation, file analysis, and deep system-level app automation.

The Google partnership

The decision to use Google Gemini (specifically a version comparable to Gemini 3) to power the revamped Siri marks a significant turning point. It suggests that Apple, despite its massive R&D budget, has determined that partnering with an established LLM leader is the fastest way to close the "intelligence gap" that has plagued Siri for years.

The "Campos" update will be officially unveiled at WWDC 2026 in June, where Apple is expected to showcase how the chatbot serves as the new "connective tissue" for the entire Apple ecosystem, potentially replacing Spotlight as the primary way users find information on their devices.