Siri may soon learn a new trick: forgetting.
Apple is reportedly developing a dedicated Siri app with settings that would let users decide how long their AI conversations are saved, according to reports citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The retention controls could become part of Apple’s privacy-focused AI pitch as the company prepares to show new software at WWDC 2026 in June.
That gives Apple a useful contrast in the AI assistant race: while rivals lean on memory to personalize responses, Apple may try to make limited memory feel like a feature rather than a weakness.
Apple may give Siri a standalone app
Apple’s Siri overhaul could include a standalone app with a chatbot-style experience and controls for managing conversation history. TechCrunch cited Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said Apple plans to make privacy a central theme when it previews the next version of Siri.
In the Settings panel for the new Siri app, “users will be able to choose to keep conversations for 30 days, one year, or forever,” Gurman said, according to MacRumors.
That approach would resemble an existing Messages setting and could give users a clearer way to manage AI chat history on Apple devices. It also gives Apple a familiar privacy message as it tries to show that Siri can compete more directly with AI assistants from OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and others.
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Privacy could become Apple’s AI differentiator
The reported feature comes as AI assistants increasingly rely on memory, user history, and personalization to improve responses. That can make chatbots more useful, but it also raises questions for consumers and businesses about what information is stored, how long it remains available, and how it may be used.
Engadget reported that Apple may also let users decide whether Siri opens to a grid of prior conversations or starts a new chat. That setting would give users another way to control how much past context appears when they use the app.
Gurman said Apple will impose tighter limits on AI memory than some competitors do. “Most leading AI chatbots today rely heavily on histories and memory systems to personalize responses and improve future interactions,” he said, according to MacRumors.
For IT leaders, the controls could matter if Siri becomes more conversational and more deeply tied to iOS. Organizations may need to evaluate whether AI conversation history, app context, and retention settings align with existing mobile device management, privacy, and data governance policies.
Google Gemini may power the new Siri
Apple’s enhanced Siri app will reportedly use Google Gemini models, though Apple is not expected to highlight that partnership. Doing so could complicate its privacy message, given Google’s long-running association with advertising and user data.
Apple has not publicly confirmed the reported auto-deleting chat feature. The company is expected to preview major software updates at WWDC 2026, which begins June 8.
If the reports are accurate, Apple’s next Siri push will not only be about making the assistant smarter. It will also test whether privacy controls can be a competitive advantage in AI, even if stricter retention limits reduce how much an assistant can remember over time.
Read more about what Apple is expected to preview at WWDC 2026, including iOS 27, a smarter Siri, broader AI model options, and macOS 27 design updates.