Amid reports that Apple might further delay the release of its AI-powered Siri, the company says it remains on track to launch the smarter voice assistant this year. That’s the same stance Apple maintained previously.
Multiple rumors suggested Apple would debut the smarter Siri with iOS 26.4 this spring. But a recent report suggests that won’t happen.
Apple says new Siri is still on track for 2026 release
Since at least late last year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple will unveil the new Siri in spring 2025 alongside iOS 26.4. In January, Apple partnered with Google to use Gemini to power Siri, adding fuel to that rumored timeline.
But earlier this week, Gurman said the Siri experience in iOS 26.4 internal builds is plagued with problems. The lack of reliability forced Apple to reconsider the timing of the new Siri’s rollout.
To clear the air, Apple told CNBC’s Steve Kovach that it is “still on track to launch in 2026.” Technically, Apple is sticking to its promised timeline, even though it’s a broad one.
According to Gurman, the AI-powered Siri does not reliably respond to user queries in Apple’s internal testing. The company also faces problems getting Siri to work with App Intents. This is an important capability, as it would allow the virtual assistant to control apps on the iPhone.
The never-ending wait for a smarter Siri
Due to the delay, we could see the Gemini-powered Siri arrive in May with iOS 26.5. But again, the company might push back this timeline. Apple might decide to unveil the new Siri with the ability to take actions across apps as part of iOS 27 this summer at WWDC26. That would make iOS 26.5 a relatively minor update.
Apple first previewed the smarter Siri at WWDC2024 as part of Apple Intelligence. Now, 20 months later, the company still has little to show, as it continues to delay the rollout of the AI-upgraded assistant. Meanwhile, Apple Intelligence falls further behind the competition.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
