Apple delays Siri AI upgrade, and it sounds like iOS 19 might include it
Apple's promised AI upgrade for Siri likely won't come until iOS 19.3, based on our own judgement
📅 Apple has confirmed it’s delaying the planned Siri AI upgrade
⏳ The company says it’ll roll out the update in the “coming year”
🤖 It’s supposed to make Siri a lot smarter and more in line with Google Gemini and Amazon Alexa+
📱 By our own assessment, we expect the new Siri to roll out with iOS 19.2 or 19.3
⌚️ Apple originally promised a major Siri upgrade with Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 at WWDC 2024
Apple no longer plans to ship its next-generation version of Siri with iOS 18 as part of Apple Intelligence. That’s what the company’s new statement alludes to, at least.
In a statement to Daring Fireball, company spokesperson Jacqueline Roy says that while Apple is working hard on advancing Siri to be more powerful and smarter than ever before, it’s taking Apple “longer than we thought to deliver.” The company now says the updated version of the voice assistant will roll out in the “coming year,” likely after the iPhone 17 has shipped and iOS 19 has been released.
Here’s the full statement Apple gave to Daring Fireball:
“Siri helps our users find what they need and get things done quickly, and in just the past six months, we’ve made Siri more conversational, introduced new features like type to Siri and product knowledge, and added an integration with ChatGPT. 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. 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.”
It’s unclear what Apple means by "the coming year,” but we have some guesses. It could be that Apple will work on the upgrade and roll it out around this time next year, which would likely occur around the time of the release of iOS 19.2 or iOS 19.3. There’s also a chance Apple launches it with the iPhone 17 series and the initial release of iOS 19. We’ve also heard reports that Apple will hold off on the more conversational version of Siri until 2027, which seems both impractical yet something Apple could do given these delays.
By that time, competitors will have had quite the head start on Siri, not that they haven’t already. Google Gemini has quickly taken over Android phones as one of the smartest assistants you can use, while Amazon recently confirmed its new Alexa+ will start rolling out this month with a more personalized experience for users. Usage of both platforms will continue to rise, all while Siri remains stuck on iOS without any of the same AI-powered advantages.
Apple Intelligence thus far has been a bit lackluster. While it’s certainly cool to see AI in action on the iPhone (particularly on the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro that are somewhat dependent on AI to drive sales), it’s the new version of Siri that everyone is holding their breath for. At this point, we should’ve already gotten the ability for Siri to see what’s on your screen and let you act on it accordingly, and allow you to speak more naturally with personalized responses. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait longer than we thought.
Max Buondonno is Editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.
