Apple is expected to launch major AI-powered updates to its voice assistant “Siri” this year, specifically in March with the release of “iOS 26.4.” Bloomberg previously indicated that “iOS 26.4” is the update that will bring a new and improved version of “Siri,” which has also been confirmed by some software leaks from “iOS 26.”
According to “9to5mac,” “iOS 26.3” is currently undergoing beta testing. Looking at Apple’s software release history, we can roughly predict the release date of “iOS 26.4.”
Here are the release dates of the latest “iOS 26.4” updates:
“iOS 18.4”: Monday, March 31
“iOS 17.4”: Tuesday, March 5
“iOS 16.4”: Monday, March 27
Based on this pattern, “iOS 26.4” and the new “Siri” are likely to be released in March, most likely at the end of the month.
A release in late March is consistent with the timing of 2025 and 2023, but 2024 saw the launch of “iOS 17.4” much earlier than expected, so Apple may surprise by releasing “iOS 26.4” ahead of schedule.
If the first beta of “iOS 26.4” is released in January, it will likely be officially released in early March. But if it is delayed until mid-February, it is likely to be released in late March.
New features coming to “Siri”:
“iOS 26.4” carries a radical update to “Siri,” as the old infrastructure is being replaced by a system based on Large Language Models (LLM). Although users may not always notice the underlying software changes in software features, the benefits of this transition are expected to be very clear in Siri’s performance.
The new “Siri,” built on large language models, is supposed to be able to help users more intelligently, similar to chatbots like “ChatGPT” and “Gemini.” This new system will also enable many powerful features that were originally slated to launch with “iOS 18” and then postponed, including:
– “App Intents for hands-free computing”
– “Personal context awareness”
– “Awareness of what’s on screen”
Apple has promised that the new “Siri” will offer all these features and more, thanks to the new infrastructure coming. Given how long it has been since the updates to “Siri” were announced, there will be great anticipation for what the update will bring. (Al-Youm Al-Sabea)
