Apple’s Much-Anticipated Siri Upgrade Is Almost Here

After years of promises and delays, Apple’s long-awaited Siri upgrade is finally getting close. 

The company’s next major AI push for its voice assistant is now expected to arrive later this year, with multiple reports pointing to a spring launch tied to iOS 26.4. 

Industry watchers say this update could mark the most significant change to Siri since its debut over a decade ago. According to reporting from 9to5Mac, Apple is widely expected to ship the new Siri alongside iOS 26.4, which historically lands in March. While iOS 26.3 is still in beta, Apple’s past release patterns offer some clues.

Recent x.4 updates have rolled out in early to late March, suggesting a similar window this year. If Apple releases the first iOS 26.4 beta in January, the update could arrive earlier in March. A later beta would likely push the public release toward the end of the month.

Bloomberg has also repeatedly reported that iOS 26.4 is the update tied to Siri’s AI overhaul, a claim supported by code findings in recent iOS builds.

A new brain built on LLMs

The secret sauce behind this update is a total architectural transplant. Apple is ditching Siri’s decade-old foundations in favor of Large Language Models (LLMs). This move allows Siri to understand the nuances of human conversation rather than just waiting for specific trigger words.

Interestingly, Apple isn’t going it alone. Reports indicate a landmark partnership in which Apple is using Google’s Gemini AI to handle complex queries, while maintaining its own on-device processing for simpler, privacy-sensitive tasks.

“We’re also excited for a more personalized Siri. We’re making good progress on it. And as we’ve shared, we expect to release it next year,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook during an October 2025 earnings call.

The new foundation also unlocks features Apple previously announced but delayed, including:

• App Intents, which let Siri take actions inside apps, including third-party ones
• Personal context awareness, allowing Siri to use information stored on your device to complete tasks
• On-screen awareness, enabling Siri to work with whatever is currently displayed

These tools are meant to move Siri beyond simple commands and closer to being a true digital assistant.

The stakes for the ‘AI race’

For Apple, this launch is more than just a software patch; it’s a bid for relevance in a world where AI chatbots are becoming the primary way people interact with tech. Analysts suggest that a successful Siri relaunch could be a sizable catalyst for device sales, as users look for hardware capable of running these advanced Apple Intelligence features.

However, the road hasn’t been smooth. This overhaul was originally teased back in 2024 but faced multiple delays due to internal concerns over accuracy and reliability. With the March deadline fast approaching, the pressure is on for Apple to prove that Siri can finally be the “intelligent companion” it was always promised to be.

Also read: Apple’s internal reset is accelerating, with an AI leadership change reshaping who owns Siri’s next phase.

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