Apple’s latest model Apple Watches, the Series 9 and Ultra 2, finally bring Siri where it should be–on your watch (called on device) instead of on the cloud! That means Siri is both faster and more secure.
With the introduction of on-device processing, Siri also gets access to your health and activity data (from the Apple Health app) and keeps that data private on your watch.
This is all thanks to Apple’s newest S9 chip’s four-core Neural Engine used on both the Ultra 2 and Series 9 models.
With these latest models, you won’t need an internet connection to use Siri for requests that don’t need information from the internet. And consequently, Siri isn’t slowed down.
So, there are no more bandwidth issues when asking Siri to start a timer, outdoor walk or run, check your heart rate, daily step count, or even get info from connected smart devices like your glucose or blood pressure monitors.
With Siri working on your watch instead of the cloud, requests are fast even when you’re away from your iPhone or not connected to cellular/WiFi.
Related reading
- Using Apple Watch and Siri to check your health and fitness stats and a lot more!
- Apple’s new Satellite Roadside Assistance feature keeps drivers safe on the road
- Your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch is a powerful healthcare companion. Interview with Dr. Tommy Korn (post WWDC insight series)
Use on-device Siri to log your health data 
With Siri using your watch to process data, you can also ask Siri to do things like log that you took your medications and supplements at a specific time, note your most recent weight, or that you started your period for cycle tracking.
And because you use Siri, you don’t need to open your apps to log this health information–Siri does it for you. We love how easy it is to stay on track using Siri to log this important health information.
We see this feature as a game changer for a lot of people and their loved ones who keep track of health conditions and, in particular, medication adherence.
You can also ask Siri about information from smart devices that sync to Apple Health–such as your recent blood pressure reading or blood glucose numbers from a smart CGM monitor. On-device processing keeps that personal and private health information secure.
Siri on-device requests for health data are available on Apple Watch Series 9+ or Ultra 2+ and, unfortunately, are not available for earlier Apple Watch models.
