Siri

Earlier this month, a pair of Bloomberg reports indicated Apple will partner with Google to power its highly anticipated Siri upgrades. I was initially hopeful this would prove a smart solution, but now following the rollout of Gemini 3 last week, I’m more excited than ever for the new Siri in iOS 26.4.

A new document in Apple’s Developer blog confirms that users in Japan will be able to reassign the side button to launch third-party voice-based conversational apps, rather than Siri. Here are the details.

Update, 5:55 p.m. ET: Apple has published a new Developer Blog post detailing the upcoming feature, which will be limited to users in Japan.

iOS 26.2 beta 3 is here, bringing signs of a forthcoming AirDrop upgrade and welcome Measure enhancements. But the code for iOS 26.2 beta 3 reveals a potentially bigger change coming: the ability to replace Siri with a third-party assistant when using iPhone’s side button.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Google and Apple are close to reaching a yearly $1 billion agreement for a version of the Gemini model that will power the revamped Siri next year.

But perhaps more interesting than the price tag is one factor that will actually affect everyone’s experience: its architecture. Here’s a look at how it will likely work.

Siri’s delayed AI upgrades are still expected to ship next spring in iOS 26.4, and a new report this week about Google’s tech powering the features might be exactly what Apple and its users need.

One of the big promises of Apple Intelligence is the ability to interact with our apps. Instead of the relatively simple requests we can currently make of Apple Music, for example, we should be able to give the app a vibe-like steer on what we’d like it to play and let it figure out which tracks match our spec.

That’s a capability Amazon has just made available in the iOS and Android versions of its own music app by introducing support for its own next-generation intelligent assistant, Alexa+ …

I said only recently that it’s getting harder and harder to believe Apple can deliver on the new Siri. The company’s backtracking on announcements coupled to very vague statements on revised timings were certainly not making it easy to imagine that the new intelligent assistant will deliver.

I’m not yet ready to do my own U-turn on this, and my skepticism still very much remains, but there have at least been a couple of encouraging signs in the last few days …

Via Mark Gurman, Apple has landed on its strategy for the new Siri update coming as soon as iOS 26.4 in the spring of next year. Behind the scenes, much of the new Siri experience will use Google Gemini models.

The custom Gemini model will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, to help fulfil user requests. Apple has promised that the new Siri will be able to answer personal questions like ‘find the book recommendation from Mom’ by hunting through data on your device and generating the appropriate response on-the-fly.

A bipartisan bill could lead to teams being banned from using AI chatbots, in response to parents expressing concerns about inappropriate content ranging from sexual conversations to assistance with suicide planning.

If the proposed GUARD Act becomes law, then it could impact Apple in three different ways – including the company’s plans for the new Siri …

For a very long time, I urged patience with Apple’s efforts to turn Siri into a truly intelligent assistant. Back in 2023, I argued that the stakes were higher for Siri than for primarily text-based AI systems like ChatGPT.

I’ve also said that Apple’s commitment to privacy poses a far greater challenge for the company’s AI efforts, and that the payoff would be worth it. But it’s gotten harder and harder to maintain this position, and the latest report certainly doesn’t help …

Early next year, Apple is set to debut its new AI-infused Siri as part of iOS 26.4 – after well over a year of delays. However, despite all of the additional time the company had to rethink its approach, some Apple engineers testing the software reportedly have concerns as it stands today.

Apple is facing a cybercrime investigation in France over its capture and review of voice recordings to improve the quality of Siri responses.

The probe faces complaints by a human rights organization over a 2019 revelation that Apple was using contractors to listen to voice recordings of Siri interactions by its customers despite its privacy promises …

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.

OpenAI is about to launch a series of ChatGPT ads, airing on primetime TV, streaming, and social media – with the first video being broadcast later today during NFL Primetime.

The latest move adds further pressure on Apple by highlighting the vast gulf between the current capabilities of Siri and generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT …

Siri hasn’t had the best year, largely owing to major feature delays amid ever-stronger AI competition. While the big Siri upgrades we’ve been waiting for are reportedly coming next spring, Apple has five surprise new features available now in iOS 26.

It’s finally the day of the Apple event, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the official launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. 9to5Mac readers are mostly power users, so it’s no surprise that the thing you’re most looking forward to is the unveiling of the iPhone 17 Pro Max – though there is also substantial interest in the all-new iPhone 17 Air.

While we’re expecting a fairly packed event, there’s likely to be one significant difference from last year’s iPhone 16 launch: a conspicuous absence of Apple intelligence promises …

Apple is already under massive fire for falling behind in AI, and Google’s Gemini smart home plans are about to make that a whole lot worse.

Not only is Siri lagging dramatically behind generative AI chatbots in smartphone-based tasks, but Google is about to make Apple’s assistant look really dumb when it comes to smart homes …

One of the many delayed Apple Intelligence features is known as App Intents, and we’re starting to see evidence that taking an extremely cautious approach to the rollout may be no bad thing.

Before the comments catch fire, I should stress that I’m most assuredly not giving Apple a free pass on the slow rollout of new Siri capabilities in general. There are a great many capabilities which should very definitely have been launched years ago. Indeed, I’ve argued that the delay is now so embarrassing that Apple should probably allow us to choose our own chatbot to stand in for Siri, and the majority of you agreed with me. But when it comes to AI agents, taking things slowly may be the right approach …

It’s proving a very long wait for the new Siri, but perhaps it doesn’t matter so much after all. A new survey shows that most people are using Siri and other voice assistants in exactly the same way they did way back in 2018.

While some new capabilities have been added, and there are some generational differences in usage, the vast majority of it falls into five rather basic categories …

Apple has a big future planned for Siri, as outlined by a new Bloomberg report that mentions the assistant could be in store for a complete visual overhaul, gaining an animated personality that looks like the Mac’s iconic Finder icon.

Siri is overdue for some major AI upgrades. They were originally set to arrive earlier this year, but have been pushed into 2026 instead. But according to a recent report, it sounds like they could truly be worth the wait.