Skip to content
Editorial standardsAdvertise
MeridiansIndependent reporting, reviews and buying advice
LIVE
Tech/News

iOS 27 Arrives With a Rebuilt Siri — But Not in the EU

Apple's new Siri AI ships today with undisclosed daily usage limits and a future paid tier. The European Union isn't getting it at all, over an unresolved dispute about data access.

Meridians Tech Desk

Published 14 September 2026 · Updated 14 September 2026 · 4 min read

iOS 27 Arrives With a Rebuilt Siri — But Not in the EUTech
Photo: Photo by Brett Jordan / Pexels (Pexels License — free to use, no attribution legally required (credited above as good practice).)

The short answer

  • iOS 27 began rolling out September 14, 2026 to iPhone 11 and later; the rebuilt Siri AI assistant requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer and works only in English at launch.
  • Siri AI and several other Apple Intelligence features carry daily usage caps. Apple has not disclosed the specific limits, saying only that they vary by feature, demand, and system policy.
  • Apple confirmed a future paid tier for expanded access to these features but has not announced pricing or said whether it will be a standalone charge or bundled into iCloud+.
  • Siri AI will not launch in the European Union: Apple says EU regulators rejected its proposed alternative for complying with the Digital Markets Act's data-access rules.

Apple's annual iPhone software update, iOS 27, started rolling out today to compatible iPhones. The headline change is a rebuilt Siri, now a standalone app called Siri AI with a ChatGPT-style conversational interface. It ships with usage limits Apple won't specify, a paid tier Apple won't price, and a hard block in one entire region: the European Union.

What's actually new

Siri AI is a dedicated app that syncs conversation history across a user's Apple devices through iCloud, so a conversation can continue from iPhone to iPad to Mac. Apple says it offers "on-screen awareness" and can draw on personal device data to answer questions. It requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, and at launch it works only in English. The update is compatible with iPhone 11 and later overall; Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features are the narrower, newer-hardware slice of that.

Usage caps with no published numbers

Siri AI, along with Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and Apple's cloud AI models, are all subject to daily usage limits. Apple's own language: "limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors," and a capped feature "will become available again after a time out period." Apple has confirmed that "increased access to such features will be available for a fee," but has not said what that fee will be or whether it will be sold on its own or folded into an existing iCloud+ subscription tier.

Why the EU isn't getting it

In a June 2026 statement, Apple said "EU regulators did not accept any of Apple's proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while safely supporting other virtual assistants." Apple's account is that the European Commission's reading of the Digital Markets Act would require giving any third-party virtual assistant direct access to a user's private data and the ability to control other installed apps, immediately upon Siri AI's release. Apple proposed a "Trusted System Agent" to mediate that access, paired with an 18-month phased rollout; Apple says the Commission did not agree to it. iOS 27 ships in the EU today without Siri AI as a result.

Other changes in iOS 27

  • Photos app: new "Extend" and "Reframe" AI editing tools, photorealistic image generation in Image Playground
  • "iPhone Handoff": the same phone number can now be used across two iPhones at once; carrier support required, and T-Mobile will charge $5/month for it
  • Apple Cash bill-splitting via Wallet, Messages, or the Camera app, using AI receipt recognition — U.S. only at launch
  • Find My: custom-duration location sharing with a set expiration time
  • CarPlay: new developer APIs for video apps, usable only while the vehicle is parked
  • "Liquid Glass" interface refinements Apple describes as more uniform refraction and improved contrast

For most users, iOS 27 is available now under Settings > General > Software Update. Anyone relying on Siri for anything more than timers and reminders should expect the new assistant to occasionally throttle itself — and, if they're in the EU, not to see it at all.

Sources

Every factual claim above is traceable to these documents. Check them — that is why they are here.

About this byline

Meridians Tech Desk is an editorial desk at Meridians, not an individual. A desk byline means the article was produced and fact-checked to that desk's published standards. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy.

Sponsored

Paid placement · not editorial

Related reading

The Meridians Brief

One considered email a week

What changed, what it costs you, and what to do about it — from the Meridians desks. No sponsored picks disguised as recommendations.

Sign-up opens with our launch issue. Nothing is sent or stored yet.