Apple Opens Siri AI Waitlist on iOS 27 Beta for iPhone 15 Pro and Later

Q: Apple's new Siri AI requires the latest hardware. Is your expensive new iPhone already being left behind?

Yes—many recent iPhones are already excluded from Apple’s headline AI upgrade, and even some supported models miss the best features. Apple’s new Siri AI, powered by Apple Intelligence, works on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and the iPhone 17 line. If you bought an iPhone 14 Pro or any older model, you can install iOS 27, but you will not get Siri AI or Apple Intelligence at all. That is the clearest case of a premium phone being left behind. There is also a second tier of support. Apple says some of the most advanced on-device features, including more expressive Siri voices and higher-end dictation tied to its most powerful local AI model, require newer hardware still—such as the iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone Air. That means even an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro may run the new Siri, but not every top-end capability. Apple’s rationale is technical: these features depend on newer chips and more memory for on-device AI processing. But for consumers, the practical message is that “Apple Intelligence-ready” does not mean full access to every Apple AI feature. There are other limits. Siri AI is currently available only through the iOS 27 developer beta and a waitlist, launches later this year in beta, starts in English, and will not be available at launch on iPhone and iPad in the EU. So whether your expensive iPhone is “left behind” depends on both model and region—but for many users, the answer is already yes.

3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jun 10

Apple began letting users sign up to test Siri AI, but access currently requires the iOS 27 developer beta on an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16, or later model.
A free Apple Developer account is now enough to install the beta, removing the old $99 annual membership requirement; users then join the waitlist through Settings under Apple Intelligence and Siri.
Siri AI is positioned as a broader Apple Intelligence upgrade, with more conversational responses, personal-context awareness, on-screen understanding, and the ability to act across apps.
Apple has not said how long the waitlist will take, only that Siri AI will arrive in beta later this year; a public iOS 27 beta is expected in July and a wider release this fall.
The rollout is limited at launch: Apple said Siri AI will start in English and will not initially be available on iPhone and iPad in the EU.