Apple’s Siri upgrade could reportedly be delayed due to software bugs and engineering issues. The AI-powered Siri was first showcased in June 2024 with several new features as well as enhanced conversational capabilities, and was expected to be launched in April. As per the report, the Cupertino-based tech giant is now considering delaying the feature release to May or later. Notably, the Siri upgrade was announced as part of the company’s Apple Intelligence lineup, which has witnessed an incremental release since October 2024.
AI-Powered Siri to Reportedly Be Delayed Till May
According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s planned AI upgrade for the Siri virtual assistant is suffering from software bugs and engineering issues. Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the report claimed that the AI-enhanced Siri could be delayed from its planned roadmap.
Siri’s AI features were first unveiled in June 2024, when the company said three major improvements would come to its virtual assistant. First, the assistant would be able to personalise its responses by incorporating use data. Second, Siri would also be able to control certain apps to complete complex app-based tasks. Third, it would also be able to see the user’s device and answer queries based on that. In addition, Siri was also said to understand and respond to natural language conversations.
These features would significantly upgrade the current level of Siri, which is considered to have fallen behind from competition. However, the reported delay would mean that the company might take longer before the upgraded virtual assistant is rolled out to users.
As per the report, the tech giant initially planned to roll out the upgraded Siri with the iOS 18.4 update, which is expected to be shipped in April. Now, instead, it is said to take till May when the iOS 18.5 update rolls out. Apple could reportedly also ship the AI-powered Siri with the planned iOS 18.4 update, but with certain features turned off.
While the full extent of the issues with Siri is not known, Gurman claimed that employees testing the new Siri have found that the AI features do not work consistently. Additionally, several bugs have also added to the problems for the company. While Apple is said to be working overtime to ensure that the feature releases on time, the iOS 18.4 developer beta is scheduled to be rolled out next week, which might be a tight timeline to meet.
