In a shake-up aimed at revitalizing Apple’s aging Siri voice assistant, the iPhone giant brought in Mike Rockwell to lead a comprehensive overhaul now in progress, according to a new report. First, the former head of Vision Pro software continues revitalizing the Siri leadership team in the Vision Pro team’s image.
It’s time to break the habit of doing everything on your iPhone while overlooking what’s often a better alternative. Consider the Apple Watch pros: It’s a very capable little computer, and it’s right there on your wrist. Odds are you aren‘t taking advantage of half of what it can do for you.
Here are the simple tasks I used to do on my iPhone that are now easier because I do them on my Apple Watch. And all without needing any third-party software. The only apps required come preinstalled on every Apple Watch.
Apple’s release date for a much smarter version of Siri will reportedly come in the fall, according to sources inside the company. While that’s many months later than Apple originally hoped, it’s still far sooner than some people feared.
Perhaps a recent shakeup of the Siri management team is bearing fruit.
Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few helpful tricks Siri can do — besides setting timers and sending texts. Granted, there’s a lot of things Siri can’t do, especially with the recent news that the smarter, more capable Siri promised with Apple Intelligence and the total LLM-powered overhaul are both significantly delayed.
Nonetheless, after many hours of research, I have come across six neat things you can ask Siri you might find surprising or handy. Keep reading our list or watch our video.
Vocal Shortcuts let you control your phone by speaking a command out loud. Think “Hey Siri,” but for running your own custom actions from Apple’s Shortcuts app. (Here’s a quick rundown on Shortcuts, if you’re not familiar with this powerful tool.)
Using Vocal Shortcuts is a versatile way to automate tasks on your iPhone with the power of your voice alone. You don’t need to make space on your Home Screen for a Shortcuts widget, type anything into Spotlight or, god forbid, open the Shortcuts app.
You can create a Vocal Shortcut that opens an app you use often, like the Apple TV remote, for instant access with your voice.
You can even use this feature as a roundabout way to use “OK Google” — or whatever your favorite alternative voice assistant may be — instead of Siri.
Watch our quick video or keep reading.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Griffin goes deep on the M3 iPad Air and the M4 MacBook Air, which he recently reviewed from his unique perspective as a Mac mini fanatic. He loved them both, but which one rules the day? And can either of them come close to his desktop dynamo?
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
An Apple reorganization reportedly brings new management to the team struggling to develop an AI-enhanced version of Siri. Apple apparently tapped Mike Rockwell, an exec with one successful Apple product launch already under his belt, to shepherd the promised Siri upgrade.
Clearly, the goal is to accelerate a project that’s been significantly delayed — and has become a major embarrassment for Apple.
The head of the team developing the promised AI-enhanced Siri had to admit the recent decision to significantly delay the release gave Apple’s reputation a major black eye, according to a report published Friday.
Robby Walker, Apple’s senior director of Siri and information intelligence, reportedly called the delay “ugly” during a recent all-hands meeting with his team. He gave an update on how close Apple is to having the technology ready, but couldn’t promise when it will ship. At present, the “smarter” Siri reportedly still fails to work correctly a significant percentage of the time.
The launch of a device that will be the centerpiece of Apple’s next foray into smart home technology reportedly got put on hold. The delay in the launch of the wall-mounted iPad-like computer is a result of Apple’s problems finishing work on an AI-enhanced version of the Siri voice assistant, according to a reliable source.
Apple confirmed Friday that the smarter Siri promised at WWDC24 isn’t coming together as quickly as anticipated. After touting the minor Siri upgrades that already rolled out, a company statement ended on a depressing note.
“We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps,” said Apple spokeswoman Jacqueline Roy. “It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.”
This confirms multiple previous rumors indicating that users pining for a smarter Siri shouldn’t hold their breath.
Despite big promises, the Siri experience in iOS 18 is nowhere as good as it should be. An improved Siri reportedly will arrive with iOS 18.5 in May this year, one that is much smarter. However, don’t expect Siri to become like ChatGPT or Gemini until at least 2027.
Apple and other device makers should learn a crucial lesson from the failure of the canceled Humane Ai Pin: While voice control can play a role in new devices, it needs to be very limited. It’s simply not practical for people to talk to their computers except in special circumstances.
I hope the developers at Apple working on Siri and future versions of the HomePod took notes while Humane cratered.
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.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulls the plug on a secret AR glasses project. What does this mean for Vision Pro?
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple just appointed seasoned executive Kim Vorrath to spearhead improvements to its artificial intelligence capabilities and Siri virtual assistant, signaling renewed focus on competing with AI leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic, according to a new report Friday.
Apple recently agreed to pay $95 million to settle a Siri class action lawsuit alleging privacy violations. The company is now restating the voice assistant’s commitment to user privacy through an article on its newsroom.
Apple reassures users that it never used Siri data to build marketing profiles or sold it to anyone. Instead, it is always developing new ways to make Siri more privacy-friendly.
Apple agreed to a $95 million settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging privacy violations by its Siri voice assistant, according to a new report. The lawsuit, filed in Oakland, California federal court, claims that Apple’s virtual assistant recorded users’ private conversations without consent and shared this information with advertisers.
So, should a federal judge approve the settlement, millions of Apple device users could see small payouts (most likely less than $20 per device, given the vast number of devices running Siri).
Imagine a Siri capable of opening your preferred email client on your iPhone and sending an important email seamlessly. Picture an Apple-branded smart home hub, elegantly wall-mounted in your kitchen, equipped with Apple Intelligence for instant access to smart home controls and a conversational voice assistant. Envision an iPhone just 6mm thin, standing out for its ultra-sleek, stylish design.
All of this could turn into a reality in 2025, with Apple already working on these devices and services for launch next year.
It can be hard figuring out what advice will actually save your iPhone battery life and what’s basically tech superstition. What settings can you easily change that make the biggest impact without ruining your phone?
Low Power Mode is the obvious setting, a single switch that pulls all kinds of levers behind the scenes. Turning down your brightness as far as you can is another easy trick. But how about quitting apps? Does it make any difference? What about the always-on display? Should you turn it off?
Here are the 10 things you can do to save iPhone battery life — and help your iPhone battery thrive over the long term, too.
iOS 18.2 drops a huge number of new features onto the iPhone. The second major iOS 18 update, available now, expands the capabilities of Apple Intelligence — and adds plenty of goodies for everyone else, too.
Keep reading or watch our video on the new features awaiting iPhone owners in iOS 18.2.
After the disappointing launch of its Ai Pin wearable device, San Francisco-based tech company Humane shifts its focus to CosmOS. It’s a new AI-powered operating system that promises to revolutionize how users rely on artificial intelligence to interact with their smart devices, including Apple’s. The Humane AI Pin struggled to deliver on its promises, prompting the company to pivot toward software-driven innovation.
That might remind folks of Steve Jobs’ long-ago move from Apple to NeXT, which ended up dropping hardware entirely and focusing on software.
Humane demonstrated CosmOS running across multiple platforms including car entertainment systems, smart speakers, TVs and smartphones in a new video Wednesday. The system aims to provide functionality similar to AI assistants like Siri, but appears more advanced, enabling complex, context-aware interactions across various devices.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With a slightly smarter Siri on the way in iOS 18.4, a new rumor indicates Apple might actually fix Siri once and for all … in 2026! We discuss the “LLM Siri” that supposedly will catch up with ChatGPT and other chatty competitors. As Apple refines its AI capabilities, companies like Buyback Boss are also innovating in tech resale and trade-in solutions. Find out more about the latest updates.
But the question remains: Can Apple really afford to wait that long to make its AI assistant less of a laughingstock?
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple plans to further improve Siri with iOS 19 in 2025 by using advanced next-generation large language models (LLMs).
Thanks to the new LLMs powering Siri, the voice assistant should become much more conversational.
You can now enjoy Apple Music Classical on the road per new updates Apple made Tuesday in version 2.1 of the app. It added CarPlay and Siri support to the service, in addition to other minor improvements to raise the quality level.
“Hey, Siri, crank up Brahms’ Sonata for Piano and Violin in G Major, and rip the knob off,” is something you could try saying as you drive around. But will the silence remain?
Apple Intelligence brings the long-awaited new Siri … but not quite yet. The Siri improvements so far include extensive knowledge of Apple products, integration with ChatGPT, a brand-new design and the ability to text Siri your questions rather than speaking them aloud.
The even-more-powerful Siri that will be able to see your screen and take actions on your behalf inside apps has been delayed to iOS 19 — with a fully conversational LLM-powered Siri likely another year further.
But there are quite a few neat things you can try out now, if you’re willing to board the Apple Intelligence train. Here’s what the new Siri can do.