Siri can now dig through your emails, messages, and photos

Apple and other tech companies have been racing to add more AI features to phones in 2024. On June 10, Apple said Siri will gain the ability to use personal context from emails, messages, files, and photos on supported devices. The update puts a more capable Siri at the center of Apple Intelligence, the company’s new AI system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Apple expands Siri’s reach across personal data

Apple announced the change on June 10 during its WWDC keynote, where it introduced Apple Intelligence and said Siri can now look across a user’s personal information to help answer questions and complete tasks. The company said Siri will be able to find details in Mail, Messages, and Photos, including information like a flight number from a message or a recommendation sent in a text.

Apple also said Siri can understand what is on a user’s screen and act on it across apps. In Apple’s examples, Siri could locate a driver’s license number from a photo or pull a file someone shared in a conversation. The company confirmed these features are tied to Apple Intelligence, which is available on supported devices including iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Macs and iPads with M1 chips or later.

What’s confirmed in the US, and what is still limited

For people in the US, the rollout starts in stages. Apple said the first Apple Intelligence features will arrive in beta this fall in US English, which confirms initial availability for American users before broader language support expands in later updates.

What is not yet fully known is the complete feature timing for every Apple device and region. Apple has not released a full device-by-device public schedule beyond its supported hardware list, and it has not said that every Siri personal-context feature will launch on the same day. The company did confirm the system requires Apple Intelligence-compatible hardware, which leaves many older iPhones outside the initial rollout in the US.

Why Apple is doing this and what users should expect

Apple said the goal is to make Siri more useful by giving it access to relevant personal context while keeping privacy protections in place. According to the company, many requests will be handled on device, and more complex processing can run through Private Cloud Compute, a system Apple introduced on June 10 to process data without storing it or making it accessible to Apple.

For customers, that means Siri is moving beyond timers, weather, and basic commands into more detailed help with daily information already stored on Apple devices. Apple said users will be able to ask questions like when a family member’s flight lands or which podcast someone recommended in a text. The company stated the first set of Apple Intelligence features will begin rolling out in beta this fall, with more capabilities coming over the following year.