Apple Event 2026: How to Watch Live Today as Siri AI Takes Centre Stage

Apple’s biggest launch of the year takes place today, Wednesday 9 September, with new iPhones expected alongside another major test of the company’s growing artificial intelligence ambitions.

The “Surprise and shine” Apple Event begins at 6pm in the UK, and viewers can watch the entire presentation online for free.

New CEO John Ternus will lead his first major Apple product event after succeeding Tim Cook, with attention expected to fall on the company’s first foldable iPhone and new high end iPhone models.

For AI watchers, however, the more interesting question is what Apple reveals about Siri AI and Apple Intelligence as it tries to strengthen its position against Google and OpenAI. 

Siri AI could be the announcement to watch

Apple unveiled its rebuilt Siri AI at WWDC in June, promising an assistant capable of understanding personal context, recognising information on screen and performing actions across apps.

Siri now forms part of a much wider Apple Intelligence system designed to run AI both directly on Apple devices and through the company’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. 

The Google connection is particularly significant. Apple says its latest Apple Foundation Models were custom built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models, while still operating as part of Apple’s own AI architecture across its devices and cloud systems. 

That makes today’s event another opportunity for Apple to show how its AI plans fit with the hardware millions of people already use. Siri AI is becoming an important test for the company, particularly as rivals continue pushing increasingly capable assistants and AI services directly to consumers. 

What else could Apple announce?

Apple is expected to reveal new iPhone Pro models alongside its first foldable iPhone, potentially giving the iPhone its biggest physical redesign in years. New Apple Watch hardware is also expected, although Apple traditionally keeps the exact product list under wraps until the presentation begins. 

The foldable may attract the biggest immediate headlines, but Apple’s AI strategy could have much longer term consequences. The question is no longer simply what a new iPhone can do, but how much of the everyday experience Apple can hand over to Siri and Apple Intelligence.

What time is the Apple Event 2026?

Apple has confirmed that “Surprise and shine” starts at 10am Pacific Time, which is 6pm BST in the UK. The event begins at 1pm Eastern Time and 7pm Central European Summer Time, while viewers in parts of Asia and Australasia will need to watch during the early hours of Thursday 10 September. 

Anyone in the UK wanting to watch live therefore needs to be ready for 6pm tonight. Apple has not given a fixed running time for the presentation, so viewers should allow plenty of time if they want to see every announcement.

Where can you watch the Apple Event live?

Apple will stream the event free through Apple.com, the Apple TV app and YouTube Live. No Apple TV+ subscription is required to watch the presentation through the Apple TV app, and the event will also be available through Apple’s official event pages. 

With a possible foldable iPhone competing for attention alongside the next stage of Siri AI and Apple Intelligence, tonight’s presentation could tell us far more than what Apple wants people to buy next.

It could also offer the clearest indication yet of how the company intends to make AI a bigger part of the devices people use every day.