Apple’s long-awaited Siri upgrade, powered by Apple Intelligence, is facing internal skepticism ahead of its public debut. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, several Apple engineers testing early versions of iOS 26.4 have expressed concerns about how well the new Siri actually performs.
The redesigned Siri was first shown at WWDC 2024, promising deeper awareness, context, and control. It was meant to be Apple’s answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Amazon’s Alexa upgrades. But despite over a year of extra development time, the latest internal builds reportedly still have “issues” that could delay its launch again.
Apple initially planned to roll out the new Siri with iOS 18.4, but the release was quietly pushed back. In July, CEO Tim Cook said the company was making “good progress” and expected to introduce the smarter Siri in 2026. iOS 26.4, likely arriving in March or April, is the next major opportunity for that to happen.
When Apple previewed the feature, it outlined three major capabilities: on-screen awareness, personal context, and in-app controls. These would allow Siri to know what you are looking at, understand who you are talking to, and take actions across apps without leaving your current screen. For example, it could find your mother’s flight details in Mail and combine that with a lunch reservation from Messages.
Behind the scenes, Apple is said to be testing two different versions. One uses Apple’s own on-device AI models, while the other integrates Google Gemini through Private Cloud Compute. The company is reportedly comparing both in what insiders have called a “bake-off” to see which one delivers better accuracy and reliability.
Despite growing competition, Apple has been cautious about rushing into AI. The company has emphasized privacy and on-device intelligence as its competitive advantage. Features like Clean Up in Photos, Genmoji, and ChatGPT integration in Siri have already launched, but the full Apple Intelligence experience still hinges on this new version of Siri.
If early testing continues to disappoint, another delay cannot be ruled out. Apple has struggled to attract AI researchers at the same rate as its rivals, and the slow rollout of Apple Intelligence has raised questions about whether the company can truly catch up. Still, Apple’s measured approach might be deliberate.
With six months still to go before iOS 26.4 ships, Apple has time to improve Siri’s reliability and user experience. But expectations are high. This release is not just another software update. It is Apple’s most ambitious attempt yet to redefine Siri as a truly intelligent assistant rather than a reactive voice tool. If it falls short, it could signal that Apple’s AI strategy still has a long way to go.
(via Bloomberg)
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