WWDC 2025: Apple to focus more on iOS 19 than Siri? Here's what we know

Due to regulatory changes, Apple is expected to let iPhone users in the European Union (EU) choose a default digital assistant other than Siri

Apple is set to host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) from June 9 to 13, and reports suggest that iOS 19 may take center stage this year—while updates to Siri, the company’s long-standing digital assistant, could be taking a backseat.

 

Although Apple had previously planned to integrate its Apple Intelligence platform into Siri—introducing features like on-screen awareness and personal context understanding—these AI upgrades have been delayed and are still not available to users.

 

Internal doubts slowing AI-powered Siri

 

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a key reason behind the slow progress is internal skepticism. Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, is said to have remained unconvinced about the central role AI should play in Apple’s future. As per the report, Federighi did not see AI as a "core capability," which contributed to slower investment and development in this area.

 

A 9to5Mac report suggests that one of the reasons Apple lags behind in AI development is the company’s traditional product philosophy. A long-time Apple executive was quoted as saying: “That’s not how Apple is wired. Apple sits down to build a product knowing what the endgame is.”

In contrast, successful AI development often requires iterative investment and experimentation without a clearly defined final product—something that reportedly clashes with Apple’s typical approach.

 

Meanwhile, Apple’s AI chief John Giannandrea has reportedly struggled to convince top leadership that the company needs to invest more aggressively in AI capabilities.

 

Another setback?

 

Adding to Apple’s challenges, the implementation of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) means the company must allow users to choose their default virtual assistant on iPhones. This could include third-party options like Google Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, posing a new competitive threat to Siri’s default status.

While Apple has not officially confirmed which assistants will be supported, it has stated that this new choice mechanism is distinct from the existing ChatGPT integration within Siri.