Apple has officially pushed back the launch of its AI-enhanced Siri—initially promised at WWDC 2024—to Spring 2026, likely rolling out with iOS 26.4, expected around March or April 2026
🧠 Why the Delay?
Apple’s top engineers, including Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak, revealed the upgraded version—often dubbed “Siri 2.0”—did not meet the company’s high reliability standards
- Initial versions split across legacy and new systems, causing technical instability
- Both Federighi and Joswiak emphasized the need to hit Apple’s “quality bar” before release
💔 Investors & Users React
The delay sparked a $75 billion drop in Apple’s market value after WWDC 2025, underscoring investor concern around its slow AI pace . Retail analysts now warn that Siri’s absence may dampen iPhone sales amid rising AI competition from Google, Samsung, and OpenAI .
🚀 What to Expect from Siri 2.0
Upon release with iOS 26.4, Apple’s new Siri aims to:
- Deliver contextual intelligence, leveraging screen content and user data
- Navigate multi-step tasks across apps
- Improve conversation flow with enhanced memory and reactivity macrumors.com
🔍 Apple’s AI Strategy: Cautious but Challenged
Apple Intelligence suite is rolling out features like live translations, Genmoji, and on-device foundation models. But its patience-first approach to Siri is being questioned amid the rapid advances of competitors
✅ Bottom Line
Apple’s delay of AI-powered Siri to March 2026 shows its commitment to quality, but raises concerns about AI competitiveness. As rival voice assistants surge ahead, Apple must deliver on its AI promise—or risk losing its edge in the smartphone landscape.
