Bloomberg reported yesterday that Apple is in the process of testing a new “LLM Siri,” with plans to unveil it as a feature in iOS 19.
This new version is expected to be previewed in June during WWDC 2025, but the report indicates it won’t be available to users until the spring of 2026…
Siri’s development has been incredibly slow
I have discussed previously the misleading comparisons often made between Siri and other intelligent assistants (IAs). It’s simple to portray an IA as significantly more capable than what you experience in actual use, and Amazon has leveraged this by promoting third-party skills that allow Alexa to claim a vast range of functionalities, which often does not reflect reality.
Despite this, it remains true that Siri is currently the least capable of the three leading IAs, a situation that has persisted for quite some time. The notorious “Here’s what I found on the web” reply has transformed Siri into a source of endless jokes.
Apple asserted this would change with iOS 18.
A new chapter begins for Siri. Drawing from Apple Intelligence, Siri boasts all-new capabilities. With a fresh design, enhanced language comprehension, and the ability to type to Siri whenever it suits you, interactions with Siri feel more natural than ever. Now equipped with personal context awareness, cross-app functionality, and comprehensive knowledge of your device features, Siri is set to assist you like never before.
The truth, however, paints a different picture. While we have observed some welcome enhancements, nothing substantial enough has emerged to genuinely merit the label “a new era for Siri.” Apple’s own fine print only mentions that “some Apple Intelligence features will be made available in software updates over the coming months.”
Now, we’re told to expect LLM Siri in 2026
As Apple suggests we anticipate additional improvements to Siri in iOS 18, Bloomberg’s report indicates that LLM Siri—offering capabilities akin to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, and others—may not arrive until iOS 19.
Moreover, the rollout won’t coincide with the iPhone 17 launch but is anticipated for spring 2026, at the earliest.
The company plans to announce the major update in 2025, tied to the forthcoming iOS 19 and macOS 16 software updates, internally codenamed Luck and Cheer, according to sources.
As was the case with Apple Intelligence this fall, these new features won’t necessarily launch with the new hardware next year. Instead, Apple is aiming to make the new Siri available to users by spring 2026, roughly a year and a half from now.
Privacy remains a major challenge for Apple
I share the frustration over the lengthy timeline. Siri debuted as a beta in 2011 but has been nearly neglected since then.
This slow progress largely stems from Apple’s strong commitment to user privacy. The company strives to perform as much processing as possible on devices themselves, minimizing cloud dependency, and seeks to ensure that any cloud processing adheres to the highest privacy standards.
This approach is in stark contrast to Google’s methods. By reviewing Google’s extensive privacy policies, you will discover that Google essentially utilizes everything it knows about you—from your web searches to your travel history in Google Maps—to facilitate responses from Assistant. This includes data from third-party services linked to Google.
Google leverages information you allow it to access, such as your device contacts or activities on Google sites and apps, to furnish more accurate and helpful responses through Google Assistant. Third-party services may also share information with Google in accordance with their own privacy policies when you opt to use them via Google’s services.
This grants the IA remarkable power but also entitles it to a vast amount of your personal information. Whether this trade-off is acceptable is a personal decision; however, Apple’s strategy emphasizes privacy as a core principle.
The benefits of waiting will be substantial
If you’re fully invested in the Apple ecosystem, as many are, it’s possible to achieve the best of both environments.
A significant portion of the information necessary for Siri to function as a genuinely intelligent and helpful assistant is already stored on our devices—like data found in Apple Calendar, Contacts, Files, Health, Mail, Maps, Messages, and Wallet. We can also choose to grant Siri access to specific third-party applications stored on our devices.
Once Siri gains access to these apps, it can finally match the capabilities of its competitors—while upholding our privacy.
In the long run, that’s the vision of AI I desire: an assistant that understands my life to the extent of functioning like a human personal assistant, but only on my devices with my explicit consent. This is the LLM Siri Apple is currently developing, and while I wish we had these capabilities right now, I believe the wait will ultimately prove worthwhile.
What’s your perspective?
What do you think? If Siri evolves into a truly powerful intelligent assistant while maintaining robust privacy protections for our personal data, will the wait be justified?
Or would you prefer Apple to emulate Google, harvesting personal data from as many sources as possible to expedite its intelligence?
Please participate in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.
Image: DMN collage of images from Apple and Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash
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