Apple might push back the launch of a new AI-powered version of Siri after running into unexpected problems during development.
Rather than releasing the upgraded voice assistant in April, Apple might delay the smarter Siri several months or more. Some reports suggest that Apple is adjusting its broader AI strategy, which could also impact other anticipated releases, such as spring loading Mac updates. Read more about the latest developments here.
In the meantime, users looking for a Siri picture of how the AI assistant is evolving can check out the latest updates on its development here.
Making Siri smarter
Much of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference last June focused on AI features dubbed Apple Intelligence. The company promised “the start of a new era for Siri,” with the digital assistant set to receive a range of AI-powered improvements. These were always scheduled to debut in 2025, and were expected to arrive with iOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4 when they launch in April. But maybe not.
“Apple Inc.’s long-promised overhaul for the Siri digital assistant is facing engineering problems and software bugs, threatening to postpone or limit its release,” Bloomberg reported late Friday, citing unnamed sources inside the company.
A WWDC24 demo about the AI-enhanced Siri pulling information from multiple apps to answer questions wowed attendees. Previously, the voice assistant could manage commands like “turn on the kitchen light.” But last June, Apple showed that the future AI version of Siri could handle something complicated like “send the photos from the cookout on Saturday to Malia.”
However, enabling advanced features like these reportedly is proving more challenging than expected, and such commands don’t yet work consistently.
Apple might delay AI-infused Siri to iOS 18.5
“Apple is considering delaying or limiting at least some of the overhaul until iOS 18.5, which will be released as early as May,” Bloomberg reported.
Just so there’s no confusion, Apple never promised that the AI-enhanced Siri would be part of iOS 18.4. However, information leaking from the company indicated that was the plan. Publicly, the company remains vague, just saying the new features will come out in 2025.
But Apple has faced criticism for at least a year over its slow rollout of artificial intelligence features. The company needs to release the smarter version of Siri as soon as possible … as long as it works, of course.
We expect the first beta of iOS 18.4 soon — maybe even next week. It could offer the first look at the AI-enhanced Siri. Or not.
