Apple has introduced a redesigned Siri settings panel in macOS 27 Golden Gate, adding detailed controls and limiting quick switches, signalling a shift towards greater privacy and customisation at the expense of simplicity.
Apple has replaced the short-lived Apple Intelligence and Siri settings panel in macOS 27 Golden Gate with a dedicated Siri pane, and the change is more than cosmetic. According to Geeksmodo, the new layout uses a different icon and appears only when the language is set to English (United States); other English variants, including English (Canada), still show the older icon and Tahoe-era options. Apple has said language support will broaden later, but for now the new interface is tightly limited at launch.
The most notable shift is the removal of the master switches that previously sat at the top of the pane. Users can no longer turn off Apple Intelligence wholesale, and disabling Siri now requires scrolling to the bottom, opening a warning screen and confirming the red Turn Off Siri button. Geeksmodo notes that Apple’s own wording says some Visual Intelligence functions will continue, albeit with reduced capability, even after Siri is switched off. Other Apple Intelligence tools, including Writing Tools, Image Playground and Shortcuts, still work.
The new Siri app settings are also more granular. macOS 27 lets users choose whether the app opens to recent conversations or a new conversation, decide how long conversations are kept, and set a preview length of none or one to five lines. Apple has removed the old Delete Siri & Dictation History button, although history can still be deleted manually inside the Siri app. The Requests control has replaced the earlier listening menu, while Responses is now reduced to spoken or silent output only.
Several related options have been moved or renamed as part of the redesign. Siri Suggestions & Privacy has become App Access, and Apple has added further controls for users who connect Siri to ChatGPT. The Automatic Visual Look Up switch also remains in the same general area. One change that may frustrate power users is that macOS 27 no longer offers a visible way to customise the dedicated Siri keyboard shortcut, even though the Spotlight shortcut can still be changed elsewhere in System Settings. Apple still allows Siri conversation syncing through iCloud, with a Sync this Mac toggle, and the Keep Conversations setting applies across devices rather than only locally.
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