For years, users of the iPhone have been anticipating a more advanced Siri. At first, many hoped it would launch with iOS 18.4 alongside the new on-screen awareness feature driven by Apple Intelligence, but Apple has postponed its release indefinitely.
Recently, there have been significant changes regarding Siri’s management. Apple is now aiming for a proper launch of its enhanced Siri in early 2026, while also contemplating the use of third-party LLMs to fuel some of its latest AI features and Siri.
Nonetheless, the company still has its own initiatives for its struggling personal assistant. As per a patent recently filed by Apple and uncovered by The Mac Observer, Apple intends for Siri to access your private data and perform actions even when the device is locked.
This means you could utilize your AirPods or Apple Watch to instruct Siri to transfer money to a friend or family member via Apple Pay Cash, even while your iPhone is locked. This could also imply that iPhone users might securely share files through Siri, control smart home features, and more without needing to unlock their phones.
Since this is merely a prototype, it’s uncertain whether Apple is truly intending to incorporate this feature in a future iOS update, or if it might be available across various products, including the iPad, Mac, and the company’s much-discussed smart home hub.
As reported by the publication, the patent outlines how a locked iPhone could respond to natural language commands, such as “Pay Joe $50,” and assess if the request is secure. Apple would employ a range of verification techniques to confirm the command was issued by the iPhone owner, including proximity from “connected accessories, recent verification, or secure pairing.”
