Another AI Setback For Apple — Siri's New Features Reportedly Delayed

Apple's planned upgrade to Siri has hit major roadblocks during recent testing, threatening the rollout of its long-awaited Apple Intelligence features, a new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reveals. The enhancements, first unveiled at WWDC 2024 with iOS 18, were initially expected in spring 2025 but were already delayed by a year.

Apple had targeted iOS 26.4 — set for March — for launch of many of Siri's AI-powered features, but internal testing of early betas shows issues: Siri often mishandles queries, responds too slowly, and shows inconsistent accuracy and reliability.

As a result, engineers have shifted focus to iOS 26.5 for further internal testing, suggesting many features will slip to a May update or even iOS 27 in September, Gurman says.

“After planning to include the new capabilities in iOS 26.4 — an operating system update slated for March — Apple is now working to spread them out over future versions, according to people familiar with the matter,” Gurman wrote.

Current iOS 26.5 testing includes promised capabilities — such as personalisation, onscreen awareness, and better handling of tasks across and within apps — but they still reportedly perform unreliably. Siri has also been observed falling back on ChatGPT for answers instead of using the partnered Google Gemini technology, even when capable.

Some additions, such as image generation through Image Playground and web search summarisation, were tested in iOS 26.4 and could still arrive, allowing Apple to deliver at least partial improvements to Siri.

The situation is described as “fluid,” and while executives are reluctant to push the full Siri overhaul beyond spring 2026 (as per Gurman), the setbacks underscore ongoing difficulties in Siri's AI overhaul that has long been plagued by problems.

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