iOS 27 brings Siri AI to supported iPhones, but users in the European Union will not get Apple’s rebuilt assistant when the update launches.
Apple says the delay is connected to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, with the company arguing that requirements surrounding interoperability with rival virtual assistants create privacy and security concerns it has not been able to resolve with regulators.
The Apple Post reported in June that Siri AI would miss the iOS 27 launch in the EU. The restriction applies to Siri AI on iPhone and iPad, while the watchOS 27 version also requires a paired iPhone with Siri AI and is therefore unavailable to EU users.
What Apple says went wrong
Apple says it spent months discussing potential solutions with EU regulators. According to the company, the DMA would require it to give competing virtual assistants access to capabilities and private information similar to Siri AI, including the ability to work across apps and act on information stored on a user’s device.
Apple proposed a system called Trusted System Agent, which it said could act as an intermediary and allow other assistants to access Siri-like capabilities while preserving additional safeguards. Apple also proposed gradually introducing that system over an 18-month period.
The company says the European Commission did not accept those proposals. In its June announcement, Apple said it currently has no timeline for bringing Siri AI to iPhone and iPad users in the EU.
What EU iPhone users are missing
The restriction covers more than Siri’s new conversational abilities. EU users on iOS 27 will also miss Siri AI features including the dedicated Siri app, expanded Visual Intelligence, integrated writing tools, Siri mode in Camera and other capabilities tied to the new assistant.
Siri AI is designed to understand personal context across messages, emails, photos and other information, respond to content currently displayed on screen, use broader web knowledge and carry out more actions across apps.
Importantly, the restriction does not mean Siri AI is unavailable on every Apple platform in the EU. Apple says users in the region can access Siri AI on macOS 27 and visionOS 27 when their device is set to a supported language.
The situation is also separate from hardware compatibility. Even an iPhone that technically supports Siri AI will not receive the feature on iOS 27 while used under the EU restrictions. iOS 27 itself remains available to compatible iPhones in the EU.
Apple says it will continue engaging with regulators in an effort to bring Siri AI to the region, but until an agreement is reached, one of iOS 27’s biggest new features will remain absent from iPhones and iPads across the bloc.
Apple has published a detailed explanation of its position on the EU delay.
