Apple's new release window for Siri will give you déjà vu
Last year, Apple showed off its upcoming AI features, amongst which one of the most promising ones was a completely revamped and much smarter Siri digital assistant. That hasn't happened yet, following many delays, but the company is now confident that it can deliver next year with iOS 26.4.
If that number sounds familiar, you're not alone. For a long time, it was being reported that Apple would launch its new Siri alongside iOS 18.4. However, that version of iOS has come and gone, and the promised upgrade to Apple's severely flawed smart assistant is nowhere to be seen. Now that the company has rebranded all of its operating systems, the new iOS is version 26. Apple insider Mark Gurman — in today's edition of his newsletter Power On — reveals that the company is confident that iOS 26 .4 will be the one. Similar to iOS 18 .4, this update is expected to come out around March or April of next year.
As for iOS 26 itself, the Beta is already out with the stunning Liquid Glass overhaul, and its public release will be later this year. Gurman has previously said that Liquid Glass, as cool as it is, was a way for Apple to distract everyone from the fact that it has fallen behind in AI.
Apple Intelligence features were showcased for iPhone 16 last year at WWDC. | Video credit — Apple
The much-awaited revamped Siri is supposed to take advantage of modern LLM ( Large Language Model ) AI technology. Currently, Siri often has trouble setting an alarm or turning off the flashlight. Apple plans to change all that by introducing a smart assistant that's actually deserving of that label.
Samsung and Google — Apple's main smartphone rivals in the U.S. — both use Google's flagship AI model Gemini. As such, both the Galaxy S25 series as well as the Pixel 9 lineup provide consumers with much better AI features than Apple Intelligence . To remain relevant in this race, Apple has enlisted the help of OpenAI, and is also in talks to bring Gemini to iOS.
I do hope that the company is able to deliver this time, and that Siri on iOS 26 .4 is everything that iPhone users have hoped for. If Apple continues to falter in the AI race, it will affect its future products like its AR glasses and the smart home hub.
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