Apple Delays Siri Overhaul Amid Rising AI Competition | Image Source: www.cnet.com
Cupertino, CA, March 9, 2025 – Apple’s ambitious plan to renew Siri with enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities is delayed, with new reports that key features will not reach at least iOS 18.5, and perhaps not until iOS 20 in 2027. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple engineers are struggling to track competitors such as Amazon’s Alexa+, Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, all of whom have introduced sophisticated artificial conversation intelligence assistants.
What causes the delay?
Apple first presented its AI-led Siri enhancements at the 2024 World Developers Conference (WWDC), positioning Siri as a context-conscious digital assistant capable of managing complex, multi-step tasks. However, according to a statement provided to Daring Fireball, Apple now admits that these features “will take more than expected to offer”
An Apple spokesman said:
“We also worked on a more personalized Siri, giving you a better awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to act for you in and through your applications. This is going to take us longer than we thought would be available on these features, and we plan to launch them next year. »
Although Apple has already introduced some AI-related features, such as Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT, these additions have been widely considered minor improvements rather than transformational changes.
When will Siri’s AI update be available?
Gurman Power’s latest In the newsletter suggests that the new Siri experience was originally planned for iOS 18.4 but has now been pushed to iOS 18.5. Even then, some sources in Apple’s AI division assume that Siri’s most advanced features will not be ready before iOS 20, which means that users may not see a real Siri driven by AI before 2027.
iOS 18.5, which is expected to enter beta testing in April and launch in May, would be the next important update for Siri. This update would include improvements to Apple Intelligence and introduce support for AI-powered Siri in China. However, if it meets Apple’s original promises, it remains uncertain.
How does Siri compare to competitors?
Apple’s slow progress is evident when comparing Siri with AI rivals. Last week, Amazon launched Alexa +, a voice assistant who can not only speak naturally, but also perform tasks independently according to user habits. ChatGPT by Google Gemini Live and OpenAI Advanced Voice Mode offers real-time artificial intelligence experiences, allowing users to interact fluently without losing the previous context.
These alternatives were quickly made available to iPhone users through simple work solutions. Google’s Gemini app can be downloaded and accessed with one key, while ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode can even be mapped on an iPhone action button, providing a softer and smarter voice assistant experience than Siri.
Do Apple users switch to other artificial intelligence assistants?
With Siri delays, some Apple users choose Google and OpenAI alternatives. ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode, for example, provides multimodal awareness, which means it can handle both spoken commands and visual inputs. Many iPhone users have already integrated ChatGPT into their workflow for the tasks Siri is fighting with.
Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini wizard offers a perfect experience in the iPhone ecosystem, thanks to a recently updated iOS widget that allows users to access the wizard directly from their lock screen or Control Center.
Siri will catch him?
Apple’s long-term goal is to integrate the deep capabilities of AI into its ecosystem, ensuring that Siri can function as a proactive and highly personalized assistant. However, the slow pace of its progress raises concerns about the possibility of following Amazon, Google and OpenAI. Apple’s history of taking a cautious approach to the development of the CEW, focusing on privacy and security over rapid innovation, could be both a strength and a weakness in the career to develop the most powerful digital assistant.
Now, the expectation of a fully updated Siri continues. It remains to be seen whether Apple can offer an AI-driven experience that meets users’ expectations.
