iOS 18.3: Apple to release few advanced Siri features to iPhones in January

Bloomberg reports that some advanced capabilities for Siri are expected to arrive with iOS 18.3, contrary to earlier reports suggesting a release with iOS 18.4

Apple might release certain advanced Siri features sooner than expected. According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is considering rolling out some voice assistant functions with iOS 18.3, originally planned for iOS 18.4.

iOS 18.1, which introduces the first set of Apple Intelligence features, is scheduled for release in October. The next major update, iOS 18.4, is anticipated for release in March 2025. It was expected to bring significant upgrades to Siri, including improved natural language processing, broader system-wide control to handle more complicated user requests, and enhanced ability to interpret on-screen content. However, some of these features could now be released earlier, with iOS 18.3 in January.

“The biggest iOS 18 update after iOS 18.1 will be iOS 18.4, which will include many of the new Siri features (some are in consideration for iOS 18.3, I’m told),” said Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his report.

Apple has already released the first public beta of iOS 18.1, introducing Apple Intelligence to compatible iPhone models. However, public beta users are required to join a waitlist to access these features. Some of the key functions include system-wide AI-powered writing tools, AI-generated notification summaries, a clean-up tool in Photos to remove unwanted objects, webpage summaries in Safari, and more.

More advanced Apple Intelligence features are expected to roll out in subsequent iOS 18 updates. These include Genmoji, which allows users to create custom emojis using AI, an Image Playground app for generating images from text prompts, and integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, likely with iOS 18.2 in December. iOS 18.3 is expected to complete beta testing by February, with a public release scheduled for March.