Apple has delayed its planned Siri enhancements, pushing back features announced last June. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that Siri’s new abilities—like accessing personal data to answer questions and controlling apps more precisely—won’t arrive until next year. Initially targeted for the iOS 18.4 update in April, these upgrades are stalled due to persistent bugs.
Engineers Struggle with Bug Fixes
Gurman noted that Apple engineers have struggled to resolve issues, with some insiders suggesting the features might require a complete rebuild. This could delay the release until 2026, aligning with a next-generation Siri rollout. Bloomberg highlighted last month that the enhancements were already slipping to at least iOS 18.5 in May, but the latest setbacks indicate an even longer wait.
Internal Concerns Over Performance
Inside Apple, software chief Craig Federighi and other leaders expressed frustration over the features’ poor performance during personal testing, according to unnamed sources.
The company unveiled these capabilities at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last June as part of the Apple Intelligence platform. This year’s WWDC, however, will skip major AI reveals and focus on expanding Apple Intelligence across apps.
Apple’s AI Progress Under Scrutiny
The delay raises questions about Apple’s AI progress. Plans to make Siri more conversational, similar to ChatGPT, are also impacted. Only foundational work for this upgrade is expected by 2026 with iOS 19, while the full user interface may not debut until iOS 20 in 2027, the sources said. Some in Apple’s AI division even fear the current features could be scrapped entirely.
Gruber Confirms Delay with Apple Statement
John Gruber of Daring Fireball added that Apple acknowledged the setback. Apple spokeswoman Jacqueline Roy told Gruber,
Siri helps users find what they need and get things done quickly. In the past six months, we’ve made Siri more conversational, added features like type to Siri and product knowledge, and integrated ChatGPT. But delivering a more personalized Siri, with awareness of your context and app actions, will take longer than expected. We anticipate rolling these out next year.
Timeline Shifts to iOS 19 and macOS 16
Gruber explained that this moves the “more personalized Siri” to iOS 19 and macOS 16, part of Apple’s next OS cycle starting at WWDC 2025. He noted the features—tied to “App Intents” for accessing personal app data—missed the iOS 18.4 betas and won’t appear in iOS 18.5 or 18.6 either.
Despite recent Siri improvements in iOS 18 and macOS 15 Sequoia, the bigger leap forward remains delayed.
Apple’s AI Challenges Persist
Apple promised a major Siri upgrade with smarter, personalized features, but internal struggles have delayed this to next year.
As one of the few tech giants, alongside Google, able to deliver such AI advancements, this setback highlights Apple’s challenges in keeping up with cutting-edge AI.
While the delay may slow future innovations, Apple is focused on perfecting these features, managing expectations without firm timelines, even if it means a longer wait for users.