Apple's Siri AI upgrade limited to iPhone 16 Pro and newer models

Apple’s next-generation Siri AI upgrade — featuring personal context understanding, on-screen awareness, and cross-app actions — will only work on devices with at least an A17 Pro or M1 chip. That leaves out a huge chunk of the installed base: Bloomberg Intelligence estimates over half of existing iPhones won't support Apple Intelligence at launch. Eligible devices include the iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max, iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, and iPhone 16/16 Plus. iPads with M1 or later (including the latest iPad mini with A17 Pro) and all Apple silicon Macs make the cut, as do Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2, and SE 3 when paired with a supported iPhone. Apple Vision Pro is also compatible.

The new Siri is designed for everyday tasks rather than business productivity — it can, for example, pull up a restaurant recommendation from a text, retrieve a hotel confirmation from an email, or show recent trip photos. Apple’s senior VP Craig Federighi touted the integration of world knowledge, onscreen awareness, and personal context to enable natural app actions. However, the upgrade arrives amid challenges: a proposed $250 million class action settlement over Apple Intelligence marketing claims, and analyst skepticism. Barclays called the updates “evolutionary vs revolutionary” and flagged no killer app or clear monetization strategy. For Apple, the Siri AI device restriction effectively tests whether AI can drive iPhone upgrades and services revenue, while rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic face their own revenue justification questions.