Overview

• Some new iPhone 17 units are failing to complete the on‑device Apple Intelligence model download, leaving tools like Genmoji, Image Playground and Writing Tools unavailable.
• Apple is aware of the problem and is preparing a remedy, though it is not yet clear whether the fix will be delivered server-side or through a software release.
• iOS 26.0.1 is in the works and iOS 26.1 is already in public and developer beta testing, either of which could carry related fixes.
• Reports describe stalled downloads that request Wi‑Fi and power, show gigabytes of model data already stored, and sometimes revert Siri behavior, with cases noted in the U.S., Europe and Australia.
• Separately, Apple is testing a revamped, LLM‑based Siri with an internal ChatGPT‑style app and is targeting an early‑2026 rollout, with talks held with Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.