Apple’s Latest Attempt to Launch New Siri Runs Into Snags

(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc.’s long-planned upgrade to the Siri virtual assistant has run into snags during testing in recent weeks, potentially pushing back the release of several highly anticipated functions.

After planning to include the new capabilities in iOS 26.4 — an operating system update slated for March — Apple is now working to spread them out over future versions, according to people familiar with the matter. That would mean possibly postponing at least some features until at least iOS 26.5, due in May, and iOS 27, which comes out in September.

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The latest hitches are part of a long and trying saga for Apple, which first announced plans for the revamped Siri in June 2024. That year, the iPhone maker showed off capabilities that would let the assistant tap into personal data and on-screen content to better fulfill requests.

The upgraded Siri also would let users precisely control apps from Apple and third parties via their voice. All the new features were due by early 2025.

In the spring of last year, Apple delayed the rollout, saying the new Siri would instead arrive in 2026. It never announced more specific timing. Internally, though, Apple settled on the March 2026 target — tying it to iOS 26.4 — a goal that remained in place as recently as last month.

But testing uncovered fresh problems with the software, prompting the latest postponements, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Siri doesn’t always properly process queries or can take too long to handle requests, they said.

It remains a fluid situation, and Apple’s plans may change further. A spokesperson for the Cupertino, California-based company declined to comment.

Apple shares pared their gains on the news Wednesday. The stock was up 1.1% to $276.71 as of 2:52 p.m. in New York after earlier climbing as high as 2.4%.

In recent days, Apple instructed engineers to use the upcoming iOS 26.5 in order to test new Siri features, implying that the functionality may have been moved back by at least one release. Internal versions of that update now include a notice describing the addition of some Siri enhancements.

One feature is especially likely to slip: the expanded ability for Siri to tap into personal data. That technology would let users ask the assistant to, say, search old text messages to locate a podcast shared by a friend and immediately play it.

Internal iterations of iOS 26.5 also include a settings toggle allowing employees to enable a “preview” of that functionality. That suggests Apple is weighing the idea of warning users that the initial launch is incomplete or may not work reliably — similar to what it does with beta tests of new operating systems.

Other features running behind include the most advanced commands for voice-based control of in-app actions, a system known as app intents. It would let people ask Siri to find an image, edit it and send it to a contact — all in a single command.

Apple employees testing iOS 26.5 say early support for these features exists, but they don’t function reliably in all cases.

Testers have also reported accuracy issues, as well as a bug that causes Siri to cut users off when they’re speaking too quickly. And there are problems handling complex queries that require longer processing times.

Another challenge: The new Siri sometimes falls back on its existing integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT instead of using Apple’s own technology. That can happen even when Siri should be capable of handling the request.

As recently as late 2025, internal versions of the new Siri were so sluggish that people involved in development believed the company would need to delay the introduction by months.

Executives have long been steadfast within Apple that they don’t want the release of something announced in June 2024 to slip past spring 2026. Even in recent weeks, Apple had still been planning an unveiling this month.

But it’s been a complex undertaking. The revamped Siri is built on an entirely new architecture dubbed Linwood. Its software will rely on the company’s large language model platform — known as Apple Foundations Models — which is now incorporating technology from Alphabet Inc.’s Google Gemini team.

Current test versions of iOS 26.5 also include two additional features that the company hasn’t yet announced: a new web search tool and custom image generation. Apple has tested these abilities as part of iOS 26.4 as well, implying that some of the new Siri features could still arrive on the earlier timeline.

The web search feature functions similarly to tools like Perplexity or the Gemini section of Google’s search engine. It lets users request information from the web and receive a synthesized response, a list of summarized details and links to relevant websites.

The image-generation capability uses the same engine as Apple’s Image Playground app, though people who have tested iOS 26.5 say the feature remains finicky.

Beyond those upgrades, Apple is also developing a major new AI initiative for iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27: a fully overhauled Siri that operates more like a chatbot. It will be powered by Google servers and a more advanced custom Gemini model.

Code-named “Campo,” the effort aims to deeply integrate AI across Apple’s operating systems, offering an interface and functions aligned with expectations shaped by ChatGPT-style assistants. Apple is also testing the system through a standalone Siri app, allowing users to manage prior chatbot interactions.

A significant part of the next-generation Siri interface is being able to control features across the operating system and locate personal data like files. Apple is also planning to leverage the new Siri engine in some of its major in-house apps, including Mail, Calendar and Safari.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook hinted at even more changes down the road during an all-hands meeting with employees last week, saying that the company was working on new data-center chips to bolster its AI capabilities.

“Apple silicon is enabling us to build data center solutions that are tailor-made for our devices,” Cook said. “I will say that, going forward, the work we’re doing is going to enable an entirely new class of products and services.”

Cook was likely referring to Baltra, a long-running project to develop high-performance chips for cloud-based AI processing.

One reason Apple’s personal-data features may be taking longer to develop is the company’s strict privacy stance. During the same meeting, software engineering head Craig Federighi emphasized that personalized AI must not expose user data.

“We think it’s super important that when a model takes a question from you, that that data is kept private,” he said, adding that the “standard in the industry is to send that data to a server where it is logged, exposed to the company and used for training.”

Instead, Apple is “leading the way” on AI that either remains on users’ devices or goes to privacy-protecting servers, Federighi said. The company also relies on licensed information and synthetic data — which is generated artificially to mimic real-world inputs — rather than material taken directly from users, he said.

“When you put all these things together, we’re able to provide a personal and super powerful experience to build the types of experiences that get deeper and deeper into our lives,” he said, adding that he believes Apple’s approach will ultimately be adopted across the industry.

(Updates with shares in eighth paragraph.)

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