Apple's Siri update delayed again due to software testing issues
What's the story
Apple's highly anticipated revamp of its digital assistant, Siri, has been delayed once again. The update was initially expected to launch with the iOS 26.4 update in March 2026 but is now likely to be rolled out gradually over time. Some features may be pushed back until the May iOS update or even the release of iOS 27 in September, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Technical hurdles
Siri will be more like LLM chatbot
The delay in the Siri update is mainly due to issues encountered during software testing. The changes are said to be aimed at making the digital assistant more like large language model (LLM) chatbots. Instead of opening a ChatGPT or Claude app on your iPhone or MacBook, you would be able to talk directly to an upgraded version of Siri powered by Google's Gemini AI.
Privacy concerns
Engineering and quality issues delaying the update
The main challenge for Apple is enabling Siri to access personal data like texts and execute voice commands within apps. These delays are attributed to engineering and quality issues related to these features. The latest iOS update (26.3) only brought bug fixes, without introducing the revamped version of Siri. Even the upcoming developer beta won't showcase the full upgrade of this digital assistant.
Improved functionality
New Siri will have short-term memory for multi-step tasks
When it finally arrives, the new Siri will be a lot more helpful. It will have features like screen awareness, better context about user activities, understanding pronouns, and short-term memory for multi-step tasks. This means users will be able to do things like move files between apps or edit photos before sharing them. All these improvements are powered by a combination of on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute technology from Apple and Google.