[Colorado-Talk] Upcoming great news For Apples Siri users who are visually impaired

[Derek Selbo]

Subject: Important Update: Siri Overhaul with Google Gemini AI
Hi fellow low vision and blind Siri users,
As many of you know, Siri’s performance has been beyondfrustrating for several years. I have an exciting update regarding a complete restructuring of Siri through a new partnership between Apple and Google.
The Big Change
Starting in 2026, Siri will be powered by Google Gemini AI. This "foundational brain" overhaul aims to fix the misunderstandings and errors we frequently face with Siri voice dictation and complex tasks.

Key Improvements
 * Better Reasoning: Siri will handle multi-step requests (e.g., booking a hotel and adding it to your calendar in one go).
 * On-Screen Awareness: Improved ability for Siri to understand what is happening on your screen and also any requests that you have made of it.
 * Privacy: Apple will use "Private Cloud Compute" to ensure your personal data remains private and is not accessible to Google.
Compatibility and Timeline
To use these features directly through Siri, you will need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer (including the iPhone 16 and 17 series) or a Mac/iPad with an M1 chip or later.
 * Spring 2026 (iOS 26.4): "Siri 2.0" launches with improved app control and reliability.
 * September 2026 (iOS 27): A fully conversational AI experience will be released.
Note for Older Devices:
If you have a standard iPhone 15 or older, you cannot run this new Siri system. However, you can still download the Google Gemini app from the App Store to access the same AI intelligence, though it won't be integrated directly into Siri. Unfortunately, those that do not have the hardware capable of taking advantage of this upcoming major, improvement to the iPhone will still be burdened by the current and passed Siri problems and it's inefficiencies. I hope you find this helpful as we look forward to a more reliable voice assistant!
 
Best regards,

Derek Selbo