Apple announced at WWDC 2026 today that its newly upgraded Siri AI feature will be available to users in beta form later this year, but users in the EU and mainland China will not be able to use this feature during the same time period. The company said that although Siri AI will be provided for free in new systems on each platform that will be released soon, on iOS and iPadOS, EU users will not be able to obtain this feature until Apple finds a solution that meets local regulatory requirements.
Apple said it had proposed multiple plans to EU regulators on how to launch Siri AI in EU compliance while supporting other virtual assistants, but none of them were accepted. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said the company is "deeply disappointed" that EU users will not be able to use Siri AI when they get the new system this year, and emphasized that Apple still hopes to introduce Siri AI to the EU market in the future, but it cannot yet give a timetable for opening this feature on iOS and iPadOS as the current regulatory stance remains unchanged.
With the official release of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 later this year, Apple will turn off Siri AI and a series of new features for iPhone and iPad platforms in the EU. This means EU users will lose access to the new conversation review app, enhanced visual intelligence capabilities, system-level writing aids, Siri Mode integrated into the iPhone camera app, and other Siri AI-related features announced at WWDC 2026.
In a supporting press release, Apple further explained that EU regulators, under the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), believe that Apple must provide virtually unrestricted device access to any AI systems and allow these systems to operate autonomously without continued user visibility and control. This includes reading and sending messages, making purchases, accessing files, and performing actions in any app. Citing the conclusions of security research, Apple pointed out that AI systems are at risk of being hijacked and may be used to steal personal data such as passwords and photos, or permanently modify files and account settings without user consent. Moreover, as AI capabilities increase, the frequency and scope of these risks are rapidly expanding.
In response to the above risks, Apple said it has designed a solution called "Trusted System Agent" as an intermediary layer to allow third-party virtual assistants to securely access the same system capabilities as Siri AI on EU devices. Apple also proposed an 18-month transition plan: while gradually deploying this new architecture, Siri AI will be launched in the EU first. However, Apple said that the European Commission rejected this plan and did not agree to any of its proposals.
Relevant restrictions not only affect end consumers, but also developers. App developers based in the EU will not be able to test or integrate new Siri AI features into iPhone and iPad apps in local markets. However, Apple also stated that Siri AI will still be available in macOS 27, visionOS 27 and watchOS 27 in the EU as planned, which means that EU users still have the opportunity to be the first to experience the new generation of Siri capabilities on devices such as Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.
In addition to the EU, Apple also confirmed that Siri AI will not be launched in the Chinese market during the testing phase this year as it is still communicating with Chinese regulators about compliance requirements. For Chinese users, this means that even if they upgrade to the latest system, it will be difficult to obtain the same Siri AI experience as in other regions in the short term.