New Siri AI Will Only Run on Recent Apple Devices

Apple’s new Siri AI will work only on newer Apple devices with recent Apple silicon, meaning many older iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches will miss out. The rebuilt assistant was announced as part of Apple’s next Apple Intelligence push, but access depends heavily on the chip inside your device.

The new Siri AI is designed to be far more capable than the older voice assistant. It can search across messages, emails, and photos, understand personal context inside apps, look at what is currently on screen, and use the web when it needs fresh information. Apple is also adding a dedicated Siri app that keeps conversations organized and synced through iCloud.

That sounds like a major upgrade, but Apple is making it clear that the feature needs enough processing power to run properly. As a result, the compatibility list starts with newer iPhones and Apple silicon Macs.

iPhone 15 Pro and newer models support Siri AI

On iPhone, the new Siri AI requires an A17 Pro chip or newer. That means the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are supported, but the regular iPhone 15 is not.

The iPhone 16 lineup is supported, including the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, and 16e. The iPhone 17 lineup is also supported, including the iPhone 17, 17e, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air.

This cut off may frustrate some buyers, especially those with a regular iPhone 15, but Apple appears to be drawing the line around chips capable of handling newer AI features.

iPads and Macs need Apple silicon

For iPad, Siri AI works on any iPad Pro or iPad Air with an M1 chip or newer. The iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip is also included.

Mac support is broader because Apple has already moved the lineup to Apple silicon. MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini models qualify starting with the M1 chip. Mac Studio support starts with M1 Max, while Mac Pro support starts with the M2 Ultra.

The Apple Vision Pro is also supported as long as it has M2 silicon or newer. Apple’s MacBook Neo also makes the list because it uses the A18 Pro chip.

Apple Watch support depends on a nearby iPhone

Apple Watch support is more limited and depends on pairing. Apple Watch Series 9 or newer, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or newer, and Apple Watch SE 3 can use Siri AI when connected to a nearby supported iPhone.

That means the watch is not treated as a fully independent Siri AI device. It still needs help from a compatible iPhone, which makes sense given the smaller hardware and tighter power limits on wearables.

Siri AI will use a waitlist during beta rollout

Installing the iOS 27 developer beta will not automatically unlock the new Siri AI. Apple is putting the feature behind an opt in waitlist inside Settings under Apple Intelligence.

That means users will need to join the queue and wait for approval before the rebuilt assistant becomes available. Apple used a similar phased rollout when Apple Intelligence first arrived, likely to control server demand and improve reliability during early access.

This also means some supported devices may not get immediate access on day one, even if they meet the hardware requirements.

Older Apple devices will keep the old Siri experience

The new Siri AI marks a major step forward for Apple’s assistant, but the compatibility list also shows how aggressively Apple is tying AI features to newer chips. Devices without enough local processing power will continue using the older Siri experience.

For users with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, an M1 based iPad or Mac, or a recent Apple Watch paired to a supported iPhone, the upgrade should bring a more useful assistant that can understand context across apps and content.

For everyone else, the message is simple. Your device may still receive software updates, but the biggest Siri AI features are reserved for newer Apple hardware.