Apple’s long-anticipated overhaul of its Siri digital assistant, which integrates advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities under the Apple Intelligence platform, is facing significant engineering challenges and software bugs. These issues may delay the release of key features initially planned for iOS 18.4 in April 2025 to iOS 18.5 in May or later.
The revamped Siri was first announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024, promising enhanced functionality such as improved app control, the ability to retrieve personal data (e.g., files or flight details from emails and texts), and leveraging on-screen context for smarter interactions. However, internal testing has revealed that many of these features are inconsistent or unreliable, prompting Apple to reconsider their rollout timeline.
Apple is reportedly exploring several options to manage these delays:
- Postponing the release of some features until iOS 18.5 or later.
- Including the features in iOS 18.4 but keeping them disabled by default, with plans to activate them in a subsequent update.
- Rolling out the updates in phases to allow more time for refinement.
These delays could also impact other Apple products, such as an AI-powered smart home hub reliant on Siri’s enhanced app control capabilities. The setbacks come at a time when Apple is under pressure to compete with AI advancements from rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Meta’s Llama.
Despite Apple’s marketing push for its AI initiatives, including limited releases of Apple Intelligence features since October 2024, the company has struggled to meet expectations. Some engineers believe the system was rushed to market to satisfy investor demands amid growing competition in AI innovation.