Siri is due for significant AI enhancements. These were initially scheduled for release earlier this year but have been delayed until 2026. Nevertheless, a recent report suggests that the forthcoming updates might be worth the anticipation.
### Siri is undergoing a total transformation in iOS 26.4, driven by LLMs
For those keeping a close eye on AI progress, it’s evident that while other tech firms continuously roll out new innovations, Apple’s AI advancements have been insufficient. Although there are several impressive Apple Intelligence features currently in existence, Siri has often been a source of frustration. Some minor updates were made to Siri in iOS 18, but the major modifications are now anticipated in iOS 26.4 come spring.
These enhancements will include:
– App Intents for genuinely hands-free operation
– LLM Siri
– Personal contextual knowledge
– On-screen awareness
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg recently underscored the potential significance of these updates: “If Apple executes this correctly, it’s not merely a nice usability upgrade — it’s the realization of the vision Siri promised nearly 15 years ago.” Collectively, these improvements represent a comprehensive revamp for Siri. Apple is set to greatly enhance not only Siri’s capabilities but also the underlying processes thanks to an LLM-based structure.
As observed during WWDC last year, Siri will be capable of performing tasks within apps and across apps without any manual input from users. According to Gurman, “Essentially, Siri [will] operate your apps like you would — with precision, within their own frameworks.”
> This isn’t solely about enhancing Siri’s intelligence. It’s about introducing a fresh, voice-first interface within Apple’s ecosystem. If the company manages to bring this to fruition (which is a substantial if), it could very well become a successful feature that many users didn’t anticipate.
What is being outlined seems to herald a genuinely new chapter for Siri.
### A genuinely intriguing new chapter for Siri
Envision the intellect of ChatGPT, but applied across all the applications on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro, and beyond. Coupled with an understanding of your typical device usage, that’s the new Siri being envisioned.
These features certainly underscore the critical importance of user privacy when compared to rival AI solutions. In fact, the more I reflect on the breadth of what Apple is developing, the more apparent it becomes that an early release this year would have been highly precarious. There’s significant potential if Apple executes this successfully, but launching a subpar system would have been hard to bounce back from.
Siri’s forthcoming functionalities, rooted in the entirely new LLM-based framework, appear to be the transformative changes we’ve all been anticipating. And although the wait has extended beyond expectations, if Apple can fulfill its promises, we should expect a remarkable upgrade.
