What's actually new in Siri in iOS 18.1? The Apple Intelligence upgrades explained

Apple The intelligence has arrived and you can now install it on compatible devices by updating to iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 or macOS Sequoia 15.1. As an Apple Intelligence expert, I live and breathe all things Apple AI, so this week, with the official launch of the new software, my iPhone is pinging like crazy with messages from friends and family. They all have the same question in mind: What’s going on with Siri? Wasn’t it meant to be super smart?

You see, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the launch of Apple Intelligence, but unfortunately, unless you consume all the media related to Apple AI, you can’t possibly know the ins and outs of Apple’s confusing launch schedule. Siri will indeed be super smart – but not yet, and not for a while. Instead, Siri’s iOS 18.1 upgrades are more superficial, focusing on a beautiful new redesign and minor quality of life improvements. So what’s actually new in Siri in iOS 18.1? Let’s find out.

A completely new look

A Mac, iPad and iPhone with the new Siri — (Image credit: Apple)

Siri got a complete redesign in iOS 18.1 and it’s fantastic. The Siri colors pop out from the edges of your device and a purple hue takes over the entire screen. This new design is a modern approach, allowing you to interact with your iPhone while speaking to the voice assistant. On Mac, you can place the Siri window anywhere on your desktop, so you can complete tasks while still interacting with your smart assistant. This is a huge change for Siri, as the assistant used to uselessly interrupt whatever you were doing on your device for a few seconds while it took over your screen. Now the redesign feels fresh, and it will look right at home once Siri gains on-screen functionality later next year.

While testing Siri in iOS 18.1, I enjoyed how the new design lets me browse, scroll, and type while interacting with the voice assistant. It’s a great update, and one that will only improve further once Siri’s Apple Intelligence powers become available.

Siri trips you

While Siri isn’t as smart as Apple promises its voice assistant will arrive in iOS 18.4 next year, iOS 18.1 has more resilient capabilities for handling requests. This means you can stumble while asking a question or change your mind mid-sentence, and Siri should be able to understand your request.

We’ve seen similar improvements over the years with voice assistants like Gemini, but it’s really nice to see this upgrade coming to Siri. I’m the kind of person who always gets confused when I ask a voice assistant to set an alarm, and I’ve been burned in the past with waking up at 1 a.m. when I accidentally said the wrong thing. However, those days are now over, as Siri’s ability to understand errors and instantly change outcomes means you can correct yourself whenever you want – a game-changer.

Type to Siri

An iPhone on a teal background with Siri

(Image credit: Apple)

You can now choose between talking to Siri and typing directly to Siri. The way you activate Siri with your voice hasn’t changed: just press and hold the power button on your device or say “Hey Siri.” For Type to Siri, however, Apple has added a new way to activate the voice assistant, by double-tapping the bottom bar on your device. When you do this, you get a beautiful new user interface with a keyboard, where you can type whatever you want to ask the voice assistant, and in return receive a text message response.

Type-to-Siri is great for those times when you don’t want others to hear what you’re asking Apple’s voice assistant, and while accessibility features existed in iOS 17 to enable a similar experience, it lets you choose between multiple entries without having to type into settings.

Your personal Genius Bar

Siri’s latest major improvement in iOS 18.1 is the ability to answer thousands of Apple-related questions in seconds. The voice assistant has access to Apple support documentation and Apple Intelligence, so you get the answers you need. Even if you don’t know the name of a feature, Siri can determine what it is based on the description you provide. As someone who worked at Apple’s Genius Bar, I can guarantee that this will prove to be an invaluable resource, and it’s one that I was happy to have access to when troubleshooting device issues. Think of this new Siri feature as your own personal Genius Bar, right from the comfort of your smartphone.

The best is yet to come

iOS 18.1 brings a fantastic overhaul to Siri, but Apple’s voice assistant is still missing some of the best Apple Intelligence features. In iOS 18.2, Siri will win ChatGPT integration, allowing you to ask more complex questions and get immediate answers Open AI‘s AI chatbot.

Next year, Siri will gain more on-screen awareness and personal context, effectively turning the voice assistant into the Apple Intelligence core on your device. You can use Siri as an even better personal assistant by asking questions about the information you see on your device.

Powered by Apple Intelligence, Siri is a massive overhaul of Apple’s voice assistant, which often felt underpowered despite now being more than 10 years old. That said, things are looking bright, and while it can be confusing to figure out what exactly is new with each Apple Intelligence update, Siri will evolve into a whole new perspective over the next year. I’m curious to see what the future holds for Siri – and until then, enjoy a brand new design.