Apple Delays Siri AI Upgrades Across iOS Versions

Apple has delayed the rollout of its long-awaited artificial intelligence upgrades for Siri, spreading key features across multiple iOS updates due to technical challenges encountered during development. The company, which partnered with Google to integrate a customized version of the Gemini AI model, now plans to introduce initial enhancements in the iOS 26.4 beta launching the week of February 23, with a full public release expected in late March or early April.

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple originally targeted iOS 26.4, scheduled for March, as the debut for the revamped Siri. However, engineers identified persistent issues, including processing delays that cause the assistant to respond slowly to complex queries, accuracy problems, and bugs that interrupt users if they speak too quickly. These setbacks have prompted Apple to phase in the capabilities over subsequent versions, potentially pushing some to iOS 26.5 in May and others to iOS 27 in September alongside the iPhone 18 series.

The upgraded Siri, built on a new architecture codenamed Linwood, aims to make the assistant faster, more conversational, and capable of deeper integration with user data...