How to Get Siri AI in French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean or Portuguese: Devices, Setup and Limits

Apple's 27.2 software updates brought Siri AI to five more languages: French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish, joining English. Siri AI is Apple's rebuilt assistant, built on Apple Intelligence, and it is still labeled beta. Apple says Chinese (Traditional), Norwegian, Turkish and Vietnamese will follow by the end of 2026.

Getting it working is not just a matter of installing an update. Your device has to support Apple Intelligence, your device and Siri languages have to match, you need free storage, and there are regional and age restrictions. This guide covers each requirement, based on Apple's announcement, its Apple Intelligence page and its support documents as of October 30, 2026.

What Siri AI does differently

Apple describes Siri AI as more personal, capable and conversational than the old Siri. In Apple's words, it can:

• draw on personal context to find things across your messages, emails, photos and more;
• take systemwide app actions, such as drafting an email from scratch or editing and sharing a set of photos;
• use onscreen awareness to answer questions or act on what is on your screen;
• use broad world knowledge for up-to-date answers on virtually any topic.

These are Apple's claims for a beta feature. How well they work in each new language is exactly what to watch as people use it, since assistants often launch with better support in English than in other languages.

Step 1: check that your device supports Apple Intelligence

Siri AI requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled device. Apple's current list includes:

iPhone: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 and 17e, the iPhone 16 family including 16e, and iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

iPad: iPad Pro and iPad Air with M1 or later, and iPad mini with A17 Pro or later, which includes the new iPad mini with A20 Pro.

Mac: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini with M1 or later, Mac Studio with M1 Max or later, Mac Pro with M2 Ultra, MacBook Neo, and the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display.

Apple Vision Pro: M2 and later.

If your iPhone is an iPhone 15 or 15 Plus or older, it does not support Apple Intelligence, and so it cannot run Siri AI.

Step 2: update to 27.2

Siri AI in the new languages arrived with iOS 27.2, iPadOS 27.2, macOS 27.2, watchOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2. Install the update from your device's software update settings. Apple says the next generation of Apple Intelligence is automatically available as part of the operating system once you update, in supported languages and regions.

Step 3: make sure you have enough free storage

Apple Intelligence downloads its models to your device. Apple's support page lists:

• up to 14GB on iPhone Duo, iPhone 17 Pro models and later, iPhone Air, iPad models with M4 and later and at least 12GB of memory, Mac models with M3 and later and at least 12GB of memory, and Apple Vision Pro with M5;
• up to 8GB on other Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro models;
• up to 1.5GB on Apple Watch.

Apple adds that the space used can temporarily exceed these figures during and shortly after a software update, while new models download and old ones are removed. If your device is nearly full, clear space before updating.

Step 4: set the device language and Siri language to the same language

This is the step that trips people up. Apple says the device language and the Siri language must be set to the same supported language. If you change the Siri language, Apple Intelligence might become unavailable until the new Siri language has fully downloaded and matches the device language.

So, if you want Siri AI in Spanish, set both your device language and Siri's language to Spanish. If your phone is set to English but you speak to Siri in French, Siri AI will not run in French. Allow time for the language download on a Wi-Fi connection.

Step 5: understand the restrictions

The EU. Siri AI is currently unavailable in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS. Apple says it is working with the EU to find a path forward. Apple's statement does not list macOS in that restriction. Separately, Apple's support page says many other next-generation Apple Intelligence features, such as advanced photo editing and the reimagined Image Playground, are available to EU users on supported iPhone and iPad models.

China mainland. Apple says Apple Intelligence features do not currently work on supported devices bought in China mainland, or when you are in China mainland and your Apple Account country or region is also China mainland.

Age. Siri AI is not available to users under 13.

Daily limits. Features that use Apple's server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including Siri AI, the intelligent photo editing tools, Image Playground and the AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Apple says limits vary by feature, request complexity and system demand, and that expanded access will be available for a fee in the future. Apple's usage terms add that excessive or automated use can be throttled or suspended.

What about privacy?

Apple says Siri AI is more personal and powerful "without compromising users' privacy." Some Apple Intelligence features run on the device, and others rely on server-side models, which is why the daily limits apply to those features in particular. If privacy is a priority, review what Siri can access in your settings after setup, and remember that the personal context features work by drawing on your messages, emails and photos. Apple's usage terms also say it may investigate and act against uses that break the terms, so the service is not entirely hands-off.

Step 6: travel and multilingual households

Apple says Apple Intelligence keeps working when you travel to other regions. Feature availability can still vary by platform, language and region, so a feature you use at home may behave differently elsewhere.

In a household where people speak different languages, each person's device can be set to their own language. If you share an iPad, remember that the language has to match on that device for Siri AI to work, which may mean choosing one language.

Troubleshooting checklist

1. Is your device on Apple's list? If not, Siri AI will not appear.
2. Are you on version 27.2 or later?
3. Do you have enough free storage for the models?
4. Are your device language and Siri language identical, and has the Siri language finished downloading?
5. Are you in the EU on an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, or in China mainland? Siri AI is not available there for now.
6. Are you over 13, and have you hit a daily limit?

Is it worth upgrading a device for Siri AI?

If your current iPhone does not support Apple Intelligence, Siri AI alone is probably not a reason to buy a new phone while the feature is still in beta with daily limits and a paid tier planned. If you were already planning to upgrade, our iPhone Duo buying guide and iPad mini buying guide cover two of Apple's newest supported devices, and our Apple buying guide explains ways to pay less.

More from our Apple coverage, or see Apple Intelligence at Apple.

Editorial disclosure

SurfGirl may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. That does not affect our coverage. We have not tested the products discussed here; specifications and prices come from the companies' own pages, and hands-on impressions are attributed to the publications that reported them.

References

1. Apple. Siri AI is available in more languages starting today. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/siri-ai-is-available-in-more-languages-starting-today/
2. Apple. Apple Intelligence and Siri. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligence/
3. Apple Support. Get started with the next generation of Apple Intelligence. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://support.apple.com/en-us/121115
4. Apple Support. Apple Intelligence Usage Terms. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://support.apple.com/en-us/148587