Apple Delays Personalized Siri and AI Features

Apple’s plans to enhance Siri with advanced personalization and AI-driven improvements have been delayed. Originally set for release in spring 2025, the updated Siri experience and Apple Intelligence features may not arrive until 2026 or later.

Issues with the new Siri

Apple executives, including Craig Federighi, reportedly found that the improved Siri didn’t perform as expected during internal testing. The key problems included:

• Inconsistent personal context awareness, which was meant to allow Siri to remember past interactions.
• Issues with cross-app actions, preventing Siri from performing complex tasks across multiple apps.
• Engineers struggling to integrate the new Siri system into previous iOS versions, with some believing it may need to be rebuilt from the ground up.

AI-powered features are also affected

Beyond Siri, Apple Intelligence features like email rewriting and summarization have also faced development challenges. Some features may still be released in stages, while others could be scrapped entirely.

Marketing changes and iPhone impact

Apple has already adjusted its marketing strategy in response to the delay. A commercial featuring Bella Ramsey, which promoted the enhanced Siri, has been pulled. The ad showcased Siri’s ability to recall past conversations and send messages based on previous interactions, but with this feature no longer arriving in 2025, Apple may now save it for the iPhone 17 launch.

What to expect next

While some AI-powered features will still debut, the fully modernized Siri may not be ready until iOS 20 in 2026 or later. This delay raises concerns about Apple’s ability to compete with AI-driven rivals like Google and OpenAI. As expectations for AI integration grow, Apple’s cautious approach could test consumer patience and affect the appeal of future iPhone upgrades.

The competition in AI is fiercer than ever. Samsung has already integrated AI into its devices—though not as polished or deeply embedded as Apple’s vision, it is here and functional. Meanwhile, the generative AI space is becoming saturated, with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude leading the text-based AI market, while MidJourney dominates in image generation.

For Apple, the key has always been deep integration and well-executed AI features rather than just rushing to be first. But the longer these delays stretch, especially after so much public hype, the more it feels like Apple is slipping. The real test will be whether customers are willing to wait or if they start looking elsewhere for their AI-powered mobile device.