Apple delays advanced Siri features due to intelligence setback: Know more

Reportedly, delays in Siri's development could also affect the release of Apple's anticipated HomePad device, which is said to leverage Siri's ability to manage in-app actions for home automation

Apple is reportedly facing delays in developing an AI-powered version of its digital assistant, Siri. According to a Bloomberg report, Apple has stated that advanced Siri capabilities, including personalised responses and in-app control features, which were expected to arrive with the iOS 18.4 update in April, will now be released "in the coming year."

 

According to the report, Apple has been unsuccessful in eliminating bugs that it has encountered during internal testing of Siri's new features. It also suggests that Apple may decide to rebuild Siri's intelligent functions from the ground up, potentially pushing the release to 2026.

Apple had previewed new AI-driven Siri enhancements at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 as part of its iOS 18 platform. However, development challenges may lead to these features being introduced with a future iteration of iOS.

 

Following Siri features are reportedly being delayed-

• Personalised Siri: Apple Intelligence will enable Siri to process and understand data from emails, messages, photos, calendar events, and files stored on the device. This feature aims to provide context-aware responses. For example, if a user needs to enter their driving licence number in a form, Siri could fetch the details from a saved image.
• App actions for Siri: With the introduction of App Intents, Siri is expected to perform tasks within apps without needing to open them. Users could, for instance, ask Siri to locate a particular photo, make edits to it, and save it to a designated folder—all through voice commands.
• On-screen awareness for Siri: This feature is designed to help Siri identify on-screen content and act accordingly. If a contact shares a new address in a message, users could simply ask Siri to "Save this address," and it would update the relevant contact details without requiring manual input.

Bloomberg also reported that the delays in Siri's development could affect the release timeline of Apple's anticipated HomePad device. Expected to serve as a central smart home hub, this device reportedly relies on Siri's ability to manage in-app actions for home automation. With Siri's upgrades postponed, the HomePad's anticipated early 2025 launch might be pushed back.

 

iOS 18.4: What to expect

 

With the Apple Intelligence-powered Siri reportedly being delayed, iOS 18.4 update could bring the following new Apple Intelligence features to eligible iPhones in April:

• Language support: The update will extend Apple Intelligence's capabilities to more languages, including localised English for India. This will enable Indian users to access features like Writing Tools, Image Playground, Genmoji, and Visual Intelligence.
• Priority Notifications: Apple Intelligence will introduce a new system for prioritising important messages and alerts. Similar to the Priority feature in the Mail app, this function will use AI-driven language processing to assess and rank notifications based on their relevance.
• New styles in Image Playground: Apple's AI-powered image generation tool, Image Playground, will receive additional style options, including a new "Sketch" mode.
• Visual Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro Previously limited to the iPhone 16 series, the Visual Intelligence feature is expanding to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. This tool enables text summarisation, translation, contact detail extraction, and visual search using Google or OpenAI's ChatGPT. On iPhone 15 Pro models, it will be accessible via the Action Button.