Apple's much-awaited upgrade for Siri is now indefinitely delayed until at least next year, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Apple insider Mark Gurman.
Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence at WWDC in June 2024, where it teased a new Siri that would be much smarter than the current version of the digital assistant. Siri's upgrade would enable users to interact with the digital assistant on a more personal level, as Siri would have deeper access to a device with cross-app integration, control over apps, and more knowledge about the user. Moreover, Siri would work similarly to ChatGPT and be able to engage with users through natural language, fulfill multiple requests, remember past sentences in conversations, etc.
In fact, that is exactly what Apple was planning for the iPhone 16 line-up, with the company running ads such as this one where it stated the new and improved Siri will have a richer language understanding. Apple has since removed a TV advertisement for the AI-infused Siri from its YouTube channel, deciding to private the video which featured Last of Us TV show star Bella Ramsey. Reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman are now stating Apple plans on rolling out the AI injection into Siri "in the coming year".
Now removed iPhone 16 Pro Apple Intelligence ad
This delay highlights Apple's struggles with the integration of AI into its digital assistant and a complete overshoot of its marketing for its current generation of devices, especially since the majority of them are touted to be Apple Intelligence-ready. In fact, Apple has been selling customers on the idea of Apple Intelligence-ready devices for the past six months, yet these devices lack the main Apple Intelligence feature - a reinvigorated Siri that can compete with other AI services such as ChatGPT in terms of functionality.
So, when will we get the new Siri? Apple has been promising its customers for the past six months. According to Gurman, Apple's internal testing indicates the current situation with an AI-infused Siri isn't good, with Apple's software chief Craig Federighi and other executives saying the features aren't working properly or as advertised during their personal testing. The new Siri is now delayed until next year, which means it will be released during iOS 19.
However, the situation may be more dire than that as Gurman writes in his recent PowerOn newsletter that his contacts within Apple informed him the interface users are expecting with the new Siri may not arrive publicly until iOS 20, which would mean sometime in 2027.