Apple confirms its overhauled voice assistant needs a new architecture, leaving iPhone owners waiting longer than expected.
Apple fans counting on a smarter Siri will have to wait. The company has admitted that the “Apple Intelligence” refresh, first teased at WWDC 2024 and penciled in for late 2025, will not be ready until sometime in 2026. The news surfaced after spokesperson Jacqueline Roy told Daring Fireball in March that engineers had to “move to a V2 architecture” to meet quality standards.
Apple confirms longer timeline for Siri upgrade after architecture overhaul
Initially, Apple shipped the broader Apple Intelligence package in January alongside iOS 18.3, but warned the voice assistant itself would arrive later. Behind the scenes, engineers discovered that Version 1 of the new Siri couldn’t scale across the growing list of app “intents.”
Consequently, Craig Federighi’s software team hit pause, choosing reliability over speed. Who can blame them—remember the white iPhone 4 fiasco? Before we dive deeper, here’s a quick look at Apple’s most talked‑about delays:
| Product or feature | Announced | Promised launch | Actual / revised launch | Delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White iPhone 4 | Jun 2010 | Jul 2010 | Apr 2011 | 9 months |
| First‑gen AirPods | Sep 2016 | Oct 2016 | Dec 2016 | 2 months |
| Next‑gen Siri | Jun 2024 | Dec 2025 | “sometime in 2026” | ≥6 months |
Apple may be famous for polish, yet history shows shipping schedules can slip. Nevertheless, each of the earlier products ultimately thrived once released.
What this unexpected delay means for everyday iPhone users and developers
Right now, the current Siri remains fully functional—but without the promised contextual smarts, cross‑app actions, or deeper ChatGPT‑style conversations. Developers who planned to hook into the new APIs must also adjust roadmaps; Apple says documentation updates will roll out “closer to launch.”
So, what’s the upside? First, Apple claims the V2 architecture will give Siri richer personal awareness and faster on‑device processing. Second, pushing the date buys the company time to expand language support and iron out privacy safeguards. However, iPhone owners eager for a ChatGPT rival may wonder: will another assistant steal the spotlight in the interim?
After several high‑profile postponements, Apple is betting that taking extra time now will prevent a repeat of past missteps. For users, the existing Siri still answers questions and sets reminders, but the quantum leap in functionality is at least a year away. Therefore, keep your iPhone updated, watch the 2026 WWDC schedule, and temper expectations—great things, it seems, still come to those who wait.