EU iPhone and iPad owners should not expect Siri AI anytime soon. Apple has given no date, and the closest precedent points to a long wait.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman answered a reader question about the topic in the Q&A section of his Power On newsletter. He says a repeat of the delay Apple Intelligence faced in the region would be the absolute best-case scenario, and that he would not be surprised if European users wait considerably longer.
Apple Intelligence Took About Five Months to Reach the EU, and Gurman Calls That the Best Case
Apple launched Apple Intelligence on October 28, 2024, and EU iPhone and iPad owners got it with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. Gurman puts that arrival at the end of March 2025, a gap of about five months. Apple announced the EU plan in February 2025, described it as the first time EU users would have access to Apple Intelligence features, and named a target month. That is more than it has offered for Siri AI.
iOS 27 shipped on September 14 with Siri AI in beta, and Apple says it will not be available initially in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS. Features that rely on Siri AI are also unavailable there. A five-month gap from launch day would land in mid-February 2027.
Gurman Says Apple Is Using the Siri AI Gap to Pressure the European Commission
According to Gurman, Apple has been using the lack of Siri AI on iOS in the region to put pressure on the European Commission. The hope is that frustrated customers will push back against the EU’s regulatory approach.
He does not think Siri AI is compelling enough on its own to create that kind of groundswell. The delay is clearly frustrating European users, though, judging by the steady stream of messages he receives about the lack of support.
Apple says it is working to find a path forward that protects user privacy and security. Our earlier report covers where Siri AI is available in the EU, and Apple still has not given a date since Tim Cook’s meeting with the EU tech chief in July.
Apple’s restriction names iOS, iPadOS and watchOS. Gurman says the smart home hub, the new HomePod mini and the updated Apple TV will all have Siri AI at the core when Apple unveils them on October 13, and neither his newsletter nor Apple’s statement says how the restriction applies to those devices. The same question applies to Siri AI on HomePod.
Elsewhere, Siri AI is a beta in English, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish support due in October. The EU restriction covers iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only, and Mac and Apple Vision Pro owners in the EU already have Siri AI.
