Some Advanced Siri Features May Be Delayed Until iOS 27

Apple's effort to release a more capable and modern version of Siri has been nothing short of sluggish, if not downright embarrassing. While AI software like ChatGPT and Google Gemini remain astounding, Siri's ability to handle even basic queries leaves a lot to be desired. Apple, at the very least, is aware that Siri needs a lot of work. In recent months, the company started to devote more resources to its Siri team ahead of a big launch slated to take place in mid-2026.

Recall that Apple CEO Tim Cook, back in October, said that Apple was "making good progress on a more personalized Siri," with some rumors pointing to a release date in March 2026 with the rollout of iOS 26.4. Now, Bloomberg claims that some of the more advanced Siri features Apple has been working on may not be part of the iOS 26.4 release. Instead, some features may arrive with iOS 26.5 in May, while others are slated to arrive when Apple introduces iOS 27 later this year.

As to the reason behind the delay, Bloomberg relays that "testing uncovered fresh problems with the software," some of which include taking too long to respond to queries, and an inconsistent ability to "properly process queries." Another cited problem is that the new iteration of Siri will sometimes revert to ChatGPT to handle a query, even though it should be able to handle it alone. Suffice it to say, there are more than a few wrinkles that still need to be ironed out. Predictably, the more exciting Siri features are those likely to see their release date pushed back.

One such example includes the ability to carry out complex tasks with simple voice commands, such as enabling users to "find an image, edit it, and send it to a contact" — all with a single voice command. Incidentally, Apple just last month announced that it plans to use Google Gemini to power the next-gen Siri and its AI foundational models. One can only hope that this new partnership will bear fruit sooner rather than later.

One of the ongoing problems with Apple, as it looks to improve its AI offerings, is that its top talent keeps getting poached. During the latter half of 2025, for instance, several high-profile AI executives and researchers at Apple left the company to work at Meta. In October, Meta hired Ke Yang, a highly-touted engineer and executive who had previously led Apple's "Answers, Knowledge, and Information" team. What's more, a Wall Street Journal report from December relayed that Apple isn't only losing executives, but also dozens of engineers whose work spans across several divisions within Apple. Some left for Meta, others for Google, with many others leaving to work at OpenAI.

In most, if not all instances, these executives and engineers were lured away with guarantees of incredibly generous compensation packages. That notwithstanding, Cook, a few months ago, told Apple staffers that the AI race isn't over, and that Apple will "make the investment" to ensure it's a top player. Cook's statement is interesting insofar as a big problem Apple currently faces is a reluctance to pay top dollar for the best AI talent, which is why it keeps losing executives and engineers to the likes of Google and Meta. More broadly, Apple's ongoing brain drain is arguably not a huge reason to worry when one considers that the brain drain Apple experienced in the post-iPhone era was much more significant.