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New Siri features could arrive in iOS 26.1 ahead of bigger overhaul

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel  | Sep 29 2025 - 1:48 pm PT
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Apple is expected to have a major Siri revamp coming early next year, but a new report says that some other Siri improvements are in the works for release as early as iOS 26.1. Here are the details.

Siri rumored to get improved control ‘for services apps’ in forthcoming update

Over the weekend, the latest Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman contained an interesting tidbit regarding new Siri improvements in the works.

In a section highlighting features coming in iOS 26.1, Gurman says we should expect some specific Siri upgrades in either iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2.

Mark Gurman writes at Bloomberg:

Over the next two iOS “.x” updates, the company is planning to bring formal support for Apple Intelligence to China, as well as improved Siri control for services apps, I’m told.

The arrival of Apple Intelligence support in China is noteworthy, though not exactly new information.

But the idea of “improved Siri control” coming for services apps is something we haven’t heard before.

Gurman’s report doesn’t detail exactly which services apps might benefit from the Siri upgrades. I suspect, however, that the TV app will be among them.

That’s because of new hardware rumored to be coming soon.

Apple is expected to launch new Apple TV 4K hardware in October with support for Apple Intelligence.

The full AI revamp of Siri is still rumored to be targeting an early 2026 release. And based on Apple’s history, it’s unlikely to offer a preview of those features in its Apple TV 4K marketing pitch.

However, Apple could still tout new AI capabilities for the Apple TV with targeted Siri upgrades such as improved controls for the TV app. Music and Fitness could potentially benefit too in tvOS 26.1.

By steadily releasing Siri improvements (like iOS 26’s enhancements), Apple can make the wait for bigger AI changes more tolerable.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.