The quiet displacement of OpenAI
In iOS 26, Siri could transfer a query to ChatGPT with a visible handoff — the user explicitly saw they were passing to an external service. With iOS 27, the mechanism changes substantially. TechRadar summarizes it precisely: Siri AI no longer hands queries off to third-party AI providers like ChatGPT — at least not in the old handoff sense — because Siri AI is now powered by Google's Gemini models. The response comes directly from within Apple's assistant, without interface interruption.
What remains of ChatGPT and Claude
The iOS 27 'Search or Ask' panel, accessible with a swipe from the center of the screen, retains the ability to direct complex queries to third-party chatbots — Claude, Gemini as a separate app, potentially ChatGPT. But this is an explicit user choice, not the default behavior. The default position is now Siri AI with Gemini underneath. Tom's Guide notes that this architecture, the result of the Apple-Google deal announced in early 2026, redraws the map of power relationships in iPhone AI.
Implications for European users
The change has a particularly bitter flavor for EU users: Siri AI will not be available on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 in Europe at launch, due to the Digital Markets Act. This means EU users will continue using the old Siri — with possible handoff to ChatGPT — while users in other markets access the new integrated architecture. A bifurcation in user experience that is hard to explain to someone who bought the same hardware.