Still not getting it: Apple delays Siri overhaul to 2026 amid App Intents struggles

Apple’s ambitious plan to transform Siri into a truly intelligent assistant is facing significant technical hurdles, with the company now targeting spring 2026 for a comprehensive overhaul that could finally deliver on promises made nearly two years ago.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a respected Apple analyst who frequently reports on the company’s internal developments, Apple is making progress on what it calls an “overhauled” Siri experience. However, engineers are struggling with a critical component called App Intents—a feature designed to let Siri take meaningful actions across different applications on behalf of users.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for Apple. While competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have rapidly advanced their AI capabilities, Siri has remained largely static, frustrating users who expect their voice assistant to handle more than basic queries and commands.

Understanding App Intents and why it matters

App Intents represents Apple’s vision for a more proactive Siri that can understand context and take autonomous actions. Instead of simply responding to direct commands, this upgraded assistant would monitor your apps and anticipate your needs.

For example, the new Siri could read your weather app, notice rain in the forecast, and automatically create a reminder to grab an umbrella before your next calendar appointment. It could activate your transit app’s digital bus ticket when you arrive at your usual pickup location, or seamlessly continue playing a movie from your iPhone on your Apple TV when you walk into your living room.

This level of integration requires Siri to access and coordinate information across multiple applications—a complex technical challenge that Apple first announced at WWDC 2024, its annual Worldwide Developers Conference where the company previews upcoming software features.

Technical challenges creating delays

The primary obstacle involves ensuring App Intents works reliably across a sufficient number of applications while maintaining the precision required for sensitive scenarios. Apple’s engineering teams are particularly concerned about potential failures in high-stakes categories like health monitoring or financial services, where incorrect actions could have serious consequences.

“Engineers have been struggling to ensure that the system works with a sufficient number of apps and is accurate enough to handle high-stakes scenarios,” Gurman reported. “There are worries about the software failing in categories where precision is nonnegotiable, like in health or banking apps.”

Consider the implications: if Siri misinterprets health data and provides incorrect medication reminders, or if it accidentally initiates unauthorized financial transactions, the consequences could be severe. This explains why Apple is taking an unusually cautious approach to deployment.

Planned rollout and limitations

Apple is currently working with select companies to test App Intents integration before releasing it to beta testers. The feature was originally planned to launch with iOS 18 in 2024, but will likely arrive with iOS 26.4—part of Apple’s numbered system where major iOS releases occur annually, with smaller updates throughout the year.

Even when the overhauled Siri launches in spring 2026, Apple may significantly limit its capabilities in sensitive categories. This cautious approach could leave the new Siri still trailing competitors in terms of overall functionality, at least initially.

The company plans to market the Siri overhaul heavily alongside what Gurman describes as a “broader Siri infrastructure overhaul.” This suggests Apple views the upgrade as a crucial competitive move rather than an incremental improvement.

Expanded capabilities beyond App Intents

The upgraded Siri will offer several new capabilities that demonstrate its enhanced contextual awareness:

1. Smart home security monitoring – Acting as an intelligent observer for HomeKit-enabled security cameras (Apple’s smart home platform), Siri could automatically notify users about emergencies or potential intrusions without requiring manual monitoring.

2. Seamless media continuity – Understanding your viewing habits well enough to know where you paused a movie on your iPhone and automatically resuming it on your Apple TV when you enter that room.

3. Location-aware transit assistance – Recognizing when you arrive at familiar locations like bus stops and proactively activating relevant apps or tickets.

4. Predictive task management – Analyzing patterns in your schedule and environmental data to suggest helpful actions before you realize you need them.

Competitive landscape pressures

Apple’s cautious timeline puts it at a significant disadvantage in the rapidly evolving AI assistant market. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, emphasized in 2024 that Apple’s “unique approach combines generative AI with a user’s personal context to deliver truly helpful intelligence.” However, this vision closely resembles capabilities that ChatGPT and other AI systems already offer today.

The delay highlights a broader challenge for Apple: balancing its reputation for polished, reliable products with the need to compete in a fast-moving AI landscape where competitors are willing to launch features in beta form and iterate quickly.

Market implications

The extended development timeline raises questions about Apple’s AI strategy and its ability to retain users who might otherwise switch to more capable alternatives. Many iPhone users already supplement Siri with ChatGPT or Google Assistant for complex tasks, suggesting there’s pent-up demand for a more intelligent native assistant.

Success for the new Siri will likely depend not just on its technical capabilities, but on whether Apple can deliver a user experience that feels meaningfully superior to existing alternatives. The company’s emphasis on privacy and on-device processing could provide differentiation, but only if the core functionality meets user expectations.

Apple’s spring 2026 timeline for the Siri overhaul represents both an opportunity and a risk. While the additional development time may result in a more polished product, it also gives competitors more runway to advance their own offerings and capture user loyalty in the rapidly expanding AI assistant market.