Reports say that Apple's new Siri development faces obstacles, and the new features may be delayed until iOS 26.5 and iOS 27

IT House, February 12 — According to Bloomberg, Apple has encountered obstacles while testing a more personalized and intelligent new version of Siri for iOS 26.4. Due to these issues, the upcoming Siri features will be spread across multiple future iOS releases and will not all be launched simultaneously in the spring iOS 26.4 update.

Apple may delay some or all of the new Siri features until iOS 26.5, scheduled for release in May, and iOS 27, expected in September this year.

According to IT House, since Apple first showcased related features at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) alongside iOS 18, the industry has been awaiting the new Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. At that time, it was reported that it would be launched in spring 2025. However, by spring 2025, Apple announced that the development of the new Siri was slower than expected, and the features were postponed by another year.

Subsequently, Apple set its sights on iOS 26.4 and planned to begin internal testing later this month. However, during internal testing of the first iOS 26.4 beta, unexpected issues arose with the new Siri: it sometimes failed to correctly handle queries and responded slowly.

Apple engineers have been instructed to switch to iOS 26.5 for subsequent internal testing, which likely means the new Siri features will be delayed until that version. The internal build of iOS 26.5 already includes descriptions of the new Siri features and a “Preview” toggle to enable Siri personalization — a feature that allows the assistant to access user data such as messages and emails.

Employees involved in testing iOS 26.5 reported that this update includes all the features Apple previously promised: personalization, screen awareness, and the ability for Siri to perform more in-app and cross-app actions. However, not all features are stable yet, and accuracy remains an issue.

It is also said that even if the new Siri can handle user requests, it sometimes calls on ChatGPT for information instead of using Apple’s Gemini technology developed in partnership with Google.

Apple originally planned to include undisclosed features such as image generation and web search. These features have already been tested in iOS 26.4 and may still be retained in that version, so Apple might still announce some new Siri functionalities. Image generation is based on Image Playground, and web search will summarize online information.

Bloomberg reports that the situation remains fluid, and Apple’s plans could be adjusted. Executives are reluctant to delay the launch of Siri further beyond spring 2026.

iOS 27 is still expected to bring major upgrades: Apple intends to add chatbot capabilities to Siri to better compete with products like Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT. This version of Siri will be deeply integrated with Apple’s operating system.