Apple’s AI-powered Siri revamp could finally arrive with iOS 26.4: Report

Apple is on the verge of rolling out a significant upgrade to its voice assistant Siri, powered by advanced generative artificial intelligence. After being announced over a year and a half ago, the project faced numerous engineering obstacles that postponed its release. However, recent insights indicate that development has resumed its momentum. During the WWDC 2024, Apple unveiled a trio of enhancements aimed at revolutionizing Siri under the banner of its Apple Intelligence initiative. The first enhancement focuses on personal context, which will allow Siri to recognize information stored across a user's devices, eliminating the need for users to recall where specific files or content are located. The second upgrade introduces on-screen awareness, enabling Siri to interpret what is currently displayed on the screen and respond accordingly, minimizing the need for users to provide extensive details. The third feature will grant Siri the ability to perform actions within apps directly, streamlining user interactions without requiring them to manually access applications for basic tasks. Originally, these improvements were slated for inclusion in iOS 18.4; however, Apple encountered technical challenges with Siri's existing architecture. In response, the company has decided to completely rebuild the assistant using a new infrastructure based on large language models. Furthermore, reports suggest that Apple is considering the integration of Google's Gemini models for certain aspects of the new Siri experience, ensuring that user data remains private by processing requests through Apple's Private Cloud Compute system. According to Macworld journalist Filipe Esposito, the internal development code indicates that the new features for Siri are now expected to debut with iOS 26.4. In addition to the revamped Siri, Apple is also working on a generative AI-driven search tool known internally as World Knowledge Answers, designed to compete with AI offerings like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Perplexity. This feature could see its launch coincide with the revamped Siri, potentially debuting as early as March, and may later be integrated into Safari and Spotlight search. While Apple has yet to announce an official release date for iOS 26.4, historical patterns suggest a launch could occur in March or April, with the first developer beta potentially available next month. If this timeline holds, users might experience Apple's most ambitious Siri update in just a few weeks.