Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri, is on the verge of a massive update. This upgrade is driven by advances in artificial intelligence (AI). However, users will have to wait a bit longer than initially anticipated to experience this new era.
A New Era for Siri
The current version of Siri still performs its functions, but it hasn’t seen significant progress in a while. The advancements in generative AI over the past few years have shown new possibilities and raised expectations. Many users are now looking for a more fluid and intuitive Siri.
This aspiration started to take shape at the 2024 WWDC, where Apple introduced Apple Intelligence. One of its key features was a redesigned Siri, capable of interpreting requests based not only on voice commands but also on what’s displayed on the screen and how the iPhone is used. This was supposed to be a major transformation for Siri.
Delay and Uncertainty
However, this transformation has been put on hold. In March, Apple admitted that these new features wouldn’t be ready before 2026. And during this week’s developer conference, there were no updates on this front.
In a subsequent interview, Craig Federighi clarified that while they have a functional version, they chose not to release it because it doesn’t meet Apple’s acceptable reliability standards:
Releasing something that doesn’t meet our quality standards would be disappointing. We made the decision we thought was best, and I’d make it again.
New Timeline: Spring 2026?
Although there’s no official communication, Bloomberg reported that Apple has internally set spring 2026 as the target for the new Siri. According to sources, the company plans to launch it alongside iOS 26.4, an update that usually arrives in March.
This calendar, however, is far from definitive. Sources insist that everything depends on the development progress over the coming weeks. If progress is solid, it’s possible that Apple might introduce a preliminary version with the new iPhone this fall. But for now, there are no final decisions.
The new Siri isn’t just a superficial update; internally, the transformation has been profound. One of the biggest challenges was making two architectures coexist: the classic Siri system, which still manages basic tasks like timers, and the new AI engine, which will handle more advanced features.
The redesign involved changes in the organizational chart. John Giannandrea, previously in charge of Siri, lost control of consumer products. The project is now under the leadership of Mike Rockwell, creator of Vision Pro, and Craig Federighi. Rockwell currently leads the development of Siri LLM, the internal system that will support the new features.