After facing significant delays, Apple's ambitious overhaul of its Siri voice assistant, powered by generative artificial intelligence, is reportedly back on track and could be just months away from reaching users. The long-awaited update, first revealed over eighteen months ago, is now expected to arrive with a future iOS update, potentially as soon as the first half of this year.
Three Pillars of the Siri Transformation
During its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2024, Apple detailed a trio of major enhancements for Siri under its Apple Intelligence initiative. These upgrades represent a fundamental shift in how the assistant will interact with users and their devices.
The first key improvement is personal context understanding. This will allow Siri to access and comprehend information stored across a user's iPhone, eliminating the need for users to remember exactly where a specific note, message, or file is saved.
The second major leap is on-screen awareness. With this capability, Siri will be able to recognise content currently displayed on the screen. This means users can issue commands related to what they are viewing without having to provide lengthy, detailed explanations to the assistant.
The third and perhaps most impactful feature is app action execution. Siri will gain the ability to perform tasks directly within applications. This move away from simple voice commands to actual task completion means users won't have to manually open apps for straightforward actions, streamlining everyday phone use.
Engineering Hurdles and the New Timeline
Originally, these sophisticated features were slated for release with iOS 18.4. However, the project hit a major roadblock. Apple encountered technical limitations with Siri's existing core architecture, which was not designed to handle the complex demands of generative AI.
This challenge prompted a strategic decision: to rebuild Siri from the ground up. The company is now constructing a new foundation for the assistant based on large language model (LLM) technology, similar to the systems that power modern chatbots. This engineering overhaul is the primary reason for the delay.
According to a report by Macworld journalist Filipe Espósito, who examined Apple's internal code, the revamped Siri is now scheduled to debut with iOS 26.4. In a notable development, Apple is also evaluating Google's Gemini AI models to power certain aspects of the new Siri experience. To protect user privacy, any requests processed by external models would be routed through Apple's Private Cloud Compute system, ensuring data is not shared with Google.
Beyond Siri: Apple's Broader AI Ambitions
Apple's AI strategy extends far beyond a smarter voice assistant. The company is also developing its own generative AI-powered search engine, internally referred to as World Knowledge Answers. This tool is positioned to compete with established services like Perplexity and OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that this search feature could launch as early as March, potentially alongside the updated Siri. Future integration into Safari and the Spotlight search function on Mac and iPhone is also anticipated.
When Can Users Expect the Update?
While Apple has not officially confirmed a release date for iOS 26.4, analysis of the company's historical software release patterns points to a launch window in March or April. If this timeline holds, the first beta version for developers could be released as soon as next month.
This progression suggests that Apple users might get their first hands-on experience with the transformed Siri within the next six weeks, marking the beginning of a new era for AI interaction on iPhones.
