Apple Standalone Siri App in Development, Reportedly Coming With Chatbot Interface To Rival Google Gemini

Mumbai, March 25: Apple is reportedly developing a significant overhaul for its virtual assistant, Siri, which could include the launch of a dedicated standalone application featuring a chatbot-like interface. According to reports from Bloomberg, the tech giant is testing this new format to make Siri a more capable, systemwide AI assistant ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026. The shift signals a strategic move to transform Siri from a basic voice command tool into a sophisticated conversational partner integrated across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac ecosystems.

The primary reason for this transition is Apple’s need to compete with rapidly evolving AI platforms such as Google Gemini and Perplexity. By introducing a dedicated app, Apple aims to offer users a centralised hub for text-based AI interactions, document analysis, and historical conversation tracking, features that have become standard in modern generative AI tools but are currently fragmented within the standard Siri experience. Apple CEO Tim Cook Hails Sydney Opera House iPad Art Projection by Australian Artists (Watch Video).

Siri Enhanced Contextual Intelligence and App Integration

The upgraded Siri is expected to move beyond simple triggers to handle complex tasks by accessing personal data across emails, messages, and notes. This deep integration would allow the assistant to perform cross-app actions, such as retrieving a specific detail from a message and drafting an email response based on that context.

Apple is also focusing on improving information delivery. The new system is designed to provide better summaries from Apple News and more structured answers from the web, incorporating bullet points and images. This evolution aims to make the assistant more useful for productivity and everyday problem-solving rather than just executing hardware-level commands like setting alarms or timers.

Apple Siri Standalone App Features and Reliability Hurdles

The reported standalone app is expected to introduce a "chat-first" interface, allowing users to switch seamlessly between voice and text inputs. Early testing suggests the app will support the uploading of photos and documents for analysis, bringing Siri closer to the functionality of dedicated AI assistants. A "history" feature would also enable users to view past interactions and resume previous conversations.

However, the rollout of these advanced features has faced internal challenges. Reports indicate that performance and reliability issues have caused repeated delays. While Apple initially intended to launch these updates within the iOS 26 cycle, the timeline may now shift toward iOS 27. To bolster its intelligence capabilities in the interim, Apple has reportedly partnered with Google to integrate a customised version of Gemini AI into its ecosystem.

Strategic Shift in User Interaction

While Siri will remain accessible through traditional methods like voice activation and the power button, the creation of a standalone app represents a fundamental shift in Apple's AI strategy. It acknowledges that users increasingly prefer text-based conversational interfaces for complex queries and data analysis. Apple iPhone Fold New Leaks Suggest Dual-Layer Glass, Zero-Crease Display.

The upcoming WWDC 2026 is expected to be the platform where Apple outlines its broader "Apple Intelligence" roadmap. This strategy focuses on keeping data processing on-device where possible to maintain privacy while leveraging cloud partnerships for more resource-intensive generative tasks.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 25, 2026 12:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).