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THE USEFUL TECH
🔍 THE USEFUL FIND · MONDAY DISCOVERY · ISSUE #010
👋 HEY, IT'S RAJA
iOS 27 has been out for a week, and the question all over the Apple forums is some version of "I updated, so where is the new Siri?" Installing iOS 27 does not enable Siri AI. You have to ask Apple for it, and then wait to be let in.
So this issue does two jobs. First, how to get on the list. Then, 7 things to ask Siri AI once you are in, because a blank Siri app is not much use if you do not know what it can do.
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🔍 How to switch on Siri AI
Open Settings.
Tap Siri.
Tap Try Siri AI (Beta).
Follow the prompts.
Wait times run from a few minutes to several days. You get a notification when Apple approves you, and the new Siri app appears on your Home Screen at the same moment. If you used Siri AI during the beta, you still have to join again.
It needs an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 or later. It works in English for now, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish arriving in October. It is not available in the EU or China.
✏️ A correction from last Wednesday. I wrote that paid expanded access to Siri AI was reported for 2027. Apple's own words at the event were that increased access comes with most iCloud+ plans. Siri AI has daily limits on its heavier requests, and the way to raise them is the iCloud+ plan you may already pay for, not a separate subscription.
🔍 7 things Siri AI can do on your iPhone
Old Siri set timers. This one can read your phone, view your screen, and complete tasks within other apps.
#1 Find something buried in Messages or Mail
Ask for it the way you remember it, not the way it was filed. "What was the restaurant my cousin recommended last month?" Siri searches your messages, emails, photos, and notes and brings the answer back, so you no longer need to remember which app it arrived in or who sent it.
#2 Work out when to leave for the airport
Ask "What time should I leave to pick them up?" and Siri finds the flight details in Mail or Calendar and works from those. The flight number, airline and arrival time can stay out of your head.
#3 Find photos by describing them
"Find the photos from our Goa trip." "Show me the picture of the rental agreement." Describe what you remember and Siri works out what you mean, without you knowing a date, an album name or a filename.
#4 Ask about whatever is on your screen
Siri can now see what you are looking at. On your cricket team's fixtures page, ask it to find the upcoming home games and add them to your calendar. On a company's website, ask who funds it and who its competitors are. It reads images and PDFs too, so you no longer need to screenshot something to ask about it.
#5 Point it at a photo someone sent you
A friend sends a picture of something they cooked. Ask Siri what it is and how to make it, then ask it to add the ingredients to your shopping list in Reminders. One conversation, three apps, no copying and pasting.
#6 Turn one request into a finished job
This is the biggest difference from the old Siri. It can look up a delivery conversation and draft the return request, write an email from scratch, edit a set of photos and share them, or send a text through WhatsApp. The request goes in as one sentence and comes out as a finished action.
#7 Keep the conversation going
You can ask a follow-up without starting over. Ask about a weekend in Pondicherry, then ask about things to do there, then the weather, and Siri keeps track of what you were talking about. It also answers general questions directly instead of sending you to a list of web links.
💡 Pro tip: Siri's personal context works best with Apple's own apps. One Engadget reviewer could only see delivery updates after switching from Gmail to Apple's Mail app. If Siri cannot find something you know is on your phone, check which app it lives in.
📱 Platform: iPhone 15 Pro or newer
📍 Switch it on: Settings → Siri → Try Siri AI (Beta)
🌍 Language: English now, five more in October
📊 Limits: daily caps on heavier requests, raised by most iCloud+ plans
7 ideas down, 100 to go
The Siri AI Prompt Pack is 100 prompts written for iOS 27, so you are never staring at an empty Siri app wondering what to ask. It covers finding things, planning, writing, photos, and working across apps. It is $19, and buyers get free updates as Apple adds languages and features.
Want to try before you buy? The Siri AI Daily Ten is free: ten prompts to use this week.
Join the waitlist today, even if you do not plan to use it yet. The wait starts when you sign up, not when you decide you want it.
On Wednesday, a full walkthrough for building your own iPhone app with Claude, without writing a line of code.
Keep it useful,
Raja · The Useful Tech
P.S. Enjoyed this? Forward it to a friend who loves their Apple gear a little too much.