Apple has confirmed that the long-awaited Siri upgrades, originally expected with iOS 18, will not arrive until 2026. This puts an end to speculation about whether the new AI-driven assistant would appear in the upcoming iOS releases.
Previously, Apple gave only vague timelines, using phrases like “the coming year,” which left room for interpretation. In a new interview, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg “Joz” Joswiak confirmed that users should not expect the features before 2026.
Why Siri Is Taking Longer
Apple executives said they abandoned the original version of the Siri upgrade because it failed to meet the company’s quality standards. The first version, known internally as v1, was replaced with a new, more capable system called v2.
“We found that the limitations of the v1 architecture weren’t getting us to the quality level that we knew our customers needed and expected,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. “If we tried to push that out in the state it was going to be in, it wouldn’t meet our customer expectations or Apple’s standards.”
Federighi described the new Siri as a complete rebuild, not just an improvement. He called it a “top-to-bottom rebuild,” built to deliver better performance, integration, and reliability.
Apple Refuses to Rush the Rollout
Apple is not committing to a public release date until the new Siri passes internal quality benchmarks. “We have not wanted at this point, given our experience, to pre-communicate a date until we have in-house the v2 architecture delivering at the quality level that I think makes it a great Apple feature,” Federighi said.
According to Tom’s Guide, Joswiak confirmed the 2026 target after journalist Mark Spoonauer asked directly. Federighi initially avoided the question and looked to Joswiak, who then responded, “Yeah, that’s what we said, yeah.”
Apple initially addressed the delay in March, stating they would continue working toward the new architecture. However, the company avoided providing a fixed timeline until now.
Apple emphasized that the upgraded Siri is not intended to become a chatbot. “We were very clear this wasn’t about us building a chatbot,” Federighi said. “We want to bring intelligence deeply integrated into the experience of all of our platforms.”
He added, “Apple Intelligence isn’t a destination for us. There’s no app Apple Intelligence. There’s Apple Intelligence making all the things you do every day better.”
Until 2026, users will have to rely on the existing Siri while Apple finishes its full rebuild behind the scenes.