Siri 2.0 isn't ready for the limelight as Apple runs into bugs and delays

Siri presenting 'Go ahead, I'm listening' in text on iPhone screen.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

As part of its Apple Intelligence announcement, the Cupertino-based company revealed it was working on an overhaul of its Siri digital assistant that would incorporate aspects of Apple's version of AI. However, a massive new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reveals that Siri may be in trouble.

According to Gurman, Siri is facing so many engineering problems and software bugs that Siri 2.0 could be postponed or limited for a serious amount of time.

A revamped Siri was announced during the June WWDC conference alongside a number of other Apple Intelligence features, not all of which have even launched yet. For the first time ever, Apple has been slow rolling its latest version of iOS, meaning that not every AI feature Apple has shown off is ready or even available to iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro model owners.

Since October, iOS 18 has released Apple Intelligence in stages, and it has not been a smooth rollout to say the least. The recent iOS 18.3 update proved that Apple has work to do with features like AI-summary notifications getting turned off due to AI hallucinations or straight up misinformation.

Siri has existed since 2011 when it launched on the iPhone 4S. It was groundbreaking at the time but now is falling behind competitors like OpenAI's ChatGPT — currently integrated with Siri — and Google's Gemini.

What is Siri 2.0 supposed to do?

When Apple announced the revamped Siri last summer, it was pitched that Siri would get a number of new features including:

  • New visual animations and a light bar animation redesign
  • Conversational context (or natural language responses)
  • Typing to Siri
  • On-screen awareness
  • In-app actions across a ton of mostly Apple apps

Even then, it was revealed that the future of Apple's Siri wouldn't come all at once and a full update wasn't expected until the spring of 2025.

Up until Gurman's report today, it was expected that the forthcoming iOS 18.4 would launch with a number of Siri upgrades, likely in April. Specifically, personal context, on-screen awareness and in-app actions.

According to Gurman, Apple is apparently considering delaying that rollout until iOS 18.5, which may not launch until May.

"The goal is to ultimately offer a more versatile Siri that can seamlessly tap into customers’ information and communication," he writes.

Internally, it appears that Siri is not working consistently with any of the mentioned features and crunch-time is upon Apple's engineers with a potential iOS 18.4 developer beta potentially launching in late February.

A report from October of last year also claimed that Apple was "two years behind" on AI. This is mostly because Apple has prioritized two facets of its AI development; privacy and on-device AI versus cloud-based AI like that of OpenAI and Google. In the long run that may actually be more beneficial but in the short-term, it's possibly costing Apple and forcing the company to rush things.

We know Apple doesn't want to rely on ChatGPT, and, as with many things Apple, the company would prefer to have its own house-built AI assistant running on its company-designed chips and phones.

A leaked memo in January revealed that Apple had transitioned in an internal fixer, Kim Vorrath, who was given the mandate of "whipping artificial intelligence and Siri into shape."

As Siri's development finds itself hindered by engineering problems and bugs, it's more than likely that other aspects of Apple Intelligence and the general iOS 18 rollout are being pushed back as well. Gurman claims that features meant for iOS 19 out of the box may not launch until 2026.

In the meantime, we still have regular, increasingly outdated Siri who may not even be listening.

More from Tom's Guide

TOPICS
Scott Younker
West Coast Reporter

Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. 

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Siri
Siri 2.0 features reportedly only working ‘two-thirds to 80% of the time’
Apple Intelligence logo on iPhone
Apple confirms Siri 2.0 is delayed — 'it’s going to take us longer than we thought'
Apple Intelligence on an iPhone screen
Apple analysts sound alarm on Siri delay — here’s why
iOS 18 logo on iPhone in person's lap
iOS 18.5 is coming soon with huge Siri upgrades — here’s everything to expect
Siri in iOS 18 on iPhone
iOS 18.4 beta doesn't have big Siri changes — but those are coming
Apple Intelligence logo on iPhone with Apple logo in background
Leaked memo reveals Apple’s AI plans for 2025 — this is what the company is focusing on
Latest in Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence on an iPhone screen
Apple analysts sound alarm on Siri delay — here’s why
Apple Intelligence on an iPhone screen
I’ve been using Apple Intelligence for 3 months — here are 5 features I use every day
The Action button settings in iOS 18.4 with a Visual Intelligence shortcut for the iPhone 15 Pro
iOS 18.4 adds a crucial Apple Intelligence feature to the iPhone 15 Pro — and it makes your phone more powerful
iOS 18 logo on iPhone in person's lap
iOS 18.5 is coming soon with huge Siri upgrades — here’s everything to expect
Priority Notifications appearing on an iPhone lock screen
iOS 18.4 has one killer upgrade that will make your life easier — here's how to set it up
Writing tools in Apple Intelligence on an iPhone 16e
Getting an iPhone 16e? These are the 7 Apple Intelligence features I'd try out first
Latest in News
Foldable MacBook concept
Apple's 18-inch foldable just tipped to run macOS — yup, the world's first touchscreen Mac
Martha Stewart and QVC
Martha Stewart’s new gardening collection is perfect for spring — 3 must-haves I'm adding to my basket
Ninja Air fryer DZ550 with meat probe
Viral TikTok reveals secret gadget built into Ninja air fryer
Apple iPhone 16 held in the hand.
iPhone 17 tipped for long overdue camera upgrade — what you need to know
iPhone 17 Air concept image
iPhone 17 Air just tipped for exclusive upgrade regular iPhone 17 won't get
iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 18 may miss out on this performance upgrade — what we know