Next-gen Siri faces delay ahead of iOS 26.4 release

Apple has reportedly postponed several advanced Siri features, including contextual awareness and personalised responses. Here is why.

Published By: Divya | Published: Feb 12, 2026, 02:46 PM (IST) | Edited: Feb 12, 2026, 02:48 PM (IST)

Apple has been slowly working toward making Siri smarter and more useful, especially at a time when AI-powered assistants are continuously becoming more advanced day-by-day. However, it seems Apple fans may have to wait a little longer for some of the most anticipated upgrades. Also Read: iPhone 18 series may skip big upgrades, new colours could be the only change

According to a recent report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has reportedly delayed a set of next-generation Siri features that were initially expected to arrive with the iOS 26.4 update. However, the company is said to be facing development challenges. Also Read: NASA astronauts carry iPhone 17 Pro Max on Artemis II Mission: Here's why

Siri upgrades face another delay

The rumoured Siri update was expected to bring more personalised responses and better contextual understanding. Moreover, it is expected to get deeper integration across apps. In simple terms, Siri would have been able to understand what's happening on your screen and respond more naturally to follow-up questions. Also Read: ChatGPT now works on Apple CarPlay: Here’s how to enable it, supported devices

However, internal testing reportedly revealed issues, the report added. The assistant struggled at times to interpret queries correctly and occasionally took longer than expected to process requests. Because of this, Apple appears to have shifted its rollout strategy.

Instead of debuting with iOS 26.4, which is expected around March, some features may now arrive with iOS 26.5, likely scheduled for May. Others could be pushed even further, possibly to iOS 27.

What to expect?

Apple has been working toward turning Siri into a more advanced AI assistant rather than just a voice command tool. Reports suggest the upgraded version could support longer conversations, voice and text interactions, and even function closer to an AI chatbot. The assistant is also expected to get access to personal context, meaning it could get insights from emails, messages, photos, and calendar events to provide smarter responses.

Another major addition in development is on-screen awareness. For example, Siri may eventually recognise what you are viewing and allow actions such as saving an address from a message or setting reminders without switching apps. The company is also believed to be testing features that allow Siri to perform tasks within apps without requiring users to open them manually.

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