Apple iOS 27 Siri App to Feature Auto-Deleting Chat History

Apple’s upcoming standalone Siri app will include an auto-delete function that clears chat histories after 30 days or one year, a move designed to bake privacy into the system’s architecture [2]. Users will also have the option to retain their conversations indefinitely, mirroring the retention settings currently found in the Messages app [2].

The new Siri, expected to debut with iOS 27 at WWDC in June, represents a significant overhaul for the assistant, which is now two years behind its original 2024 launch schedule [1]. The app will function as a chatbot similar to ChatGPT or Claude, allowing users to upload files, ask questions, and receive summaries with images and links [1]. It can be accessed via the side button, a wake word, or a new "Search or Ask" mode triggered by swiping down from the top of the screen [2].

Under the hood, Apple has replaced much of its own AI infrastructure with a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter model from Google’s Gemini, for which it pays roughly $1 billion annually [2]. This shift comes as Apple’s partnership with OpenAI has frayed due to disputes over expected subscription revenue [2]. To address regulatory pressure and competition, Apple is introducing a system called Extensions, which will allow users to route queries through rival models like Claude or Gemini, effectively demoting ChatGPT from a privileged partner to one of several options [2].

Despite the extensive development time, the new Siri may still launch as a beta, with internal test versions of iOS 27 including a toggle that allows users to opt out of the assistant entirely [2]. Apple’s reliance on Google’s infrastructure for this rollout creates a strategic tension, as the company continues to market privacy as its primary competitive differentiator while remaining vague about how the new Siri will be hosted at scale [2].

The auto-delete feature highlights a fundamental trade-off in Apple’s design: by defaulting to structured retention limits, the company can claim its assistant is built to forget, but it also limits the AI’s ability to learn from past user preferences in the way competing models do [2]. Whether users prioritize this privacy-first approach over the long-term personalization offered by rivals remains the central question as Apple prepares for what may be CEO Tim Cook’s final major product launch [2].