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Apple Targets Spring 2026 Release for AI-Powered Siri in iOS 26.4

Engineering setbacks in merging legacy and new AI systems delayed the Siri upgrade, triggering internal leadership changes.

The man charged with making Siri smarter promises to get the job done.
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo
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Overview

  • Apple has set an internal release target of spring 2026 for its long-delayed AI-powered Siri overhaul, expected to arrive with iOS 26.4 around March.
  • The next-generation assistant was previewed at WWDC 2024 and originally slated for fall 2024 but has been postponed multiple times.
  • A hybrid architecture that combined Siri’s legacy framework with a new AI platform experienced roughly a 33 percent failure rate in tests, prompting a ground-up rebuild.
  • John Giannandrea was reassigned from consumer-facing AI projects and leadership of Siri now falls to Craig Federighi and Vision Pro lead Mike Rockwell.
  • Beyond Siri, Apple is developing other AI initiatives including a web-connected chatbot dubbed Knowledge as it seeks to catch up with Google, Microsoft and OpenAI.