Apple will finally begin onboarding Siri with more advanced capabilities next year, according to claims by a seasoned journalist. The Cupertino-based tech giant’s artificial intelligence (AI)-based voice assistant was due to receive major upgrades in 2024 with iOS 18, but most of those plans were shelved as it fell behind competitors in the AI race. Apple is now expected to release Siri’s advanced features, including a new app intents system, to Apple devices early next year.
Siri Upgrades in 2026
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman dropped hints about the upcoming upgrades to Apple’s Siri in the latest edition of the Power On newsletter. As per the journalist, the long-awaited Siri overhaul will be accompanied by an App Intents feature that was previously expected to arrive in the iOS 18 update cycle.
It is a framework which enables developers to extend their app’s custom functionality to include support for system-level experiences such as Shortcuts, Siri, Spotlight, Widgets, and more, across platforms. App Intents, coupled with Apple Intelligence, will enable the voice assistant to suggest app actions to help users discover new features and take actions in and across apps, as per the company.
As per Gurman, this new system for Siri will allow users to find a specific photo, edit it, and send it using nothing but their voice. They will also be able to comment on an Instagram post, browse through a shopping platform and add something to their cart, and even login to a service without requiring to touch the screen.
“Essentially, Siri could operate your apps like you would — with precision, inside their own interfaces”, the journalist added.
The tech giant is currently reported to be testing the new Siri with several third-party apps, including Amazon, Facebook, Temu, Threads, Uber, WhatsApp, and YouTube. It is testing the revamped voice assistant in some games too. However, Gurman noted that Apple is deliberating over disabling or limiting some of Siri’s new features in banking and health apps. This is to ensure that the voice assistant does not make critical mistakes which were reported to have occurred during internal testing.
These upgrades are expected to be released next spring with the iOS 26.4 update. Notably, the company released iOS 18.4 update on April 1 and its iOS 26 equivalent could be rolled out around the same time in 2026.
