Quick answer
In February 2026, Bloomberg reported that Apple's revamped Siri had hit problems in testing, so its features would be spread across iOS 26.4, iOS 26.5 and iOS 27 instead of arriving together in iOS 26.4. This page records what was reported at the time. iOS 27 has since shipped, on 14 September 2026.
Where things stand today
This article was written before WWDC 2026, while the Siri plans were still rumours. Since then Apple announced iOS 27 at the WWDC keynote on 8 June 2026 and released it to the public on 14 September 2026. The current public version is iOS 27.0.1 (24A446), and Apple is testing iOS 27.2, now at beta 4.
The reporting below shows how expectations for the new Siri were shaped in early 2026. It is not a list of what shipped. For Apple's actual iOS 27 features, read our iOS 27 features list, and for the Siri side specifically, see our Siri Chat page.
What Bloomberg reported in February 2026
On 11 February 2026, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple's internal testing of the revamped Siri had run into problems serious enough to change the launch plan. Apple had been aiming to deliver the Apple Intelligence version of Siri in iOS 26.4, with its developer beta expected in the week of 23 February.
Instead, the report said, Apple would still ship iOS 26.4 with some new Siri features but move others to iOS 26.5 and save the biggest change, a chatbot-style Siri, for iOS 27. Bloomberg described the situation as fluid, and said executives were reluctant to delay the features much beyond spring 2026.
One point is easy to miss. Apple had only promised publicly that the more personal Siri would arrive in 2026. The iOS 26.4 date was an internal target reported by Bloomberg, not a public commitment.
Why the new Siri was delayed
The report and follow-up coverage described five kinds of problem found in testing.
- Requests processed wrongly. Queries that relied on personal context, such as finding a specific message or matching calendar events, did not always return the right result.
- Slow responses. Some requests took too long to answer, which matters for an assistant meant to feel conversational.
- Unneeded ChatGPT hand-offs. Siri sometimes passed questions to ChatGPT even when the new system could have answered them.
- Speech problems. Siri reportedly cut people off when they spoke quickly and struggled with complex, multi-part questions.
- App intents. The link between third-party app actions and the new Siri was not reliable enough yet, which affected tasks spanning several apps.
The common thread is reliability. The point of the new Siri was that it would understand your own data and act across apps, and those were exactly the areas that were failing in testing.
The reported rollout plan: iOS 26.4, iOS 26.5, iOS 27
Based on the February reporting, the features were to be split like this. These were reported plans at the time, not Apple announcements.
| Release | Reported Siri features | Status at the time |
|---|---|---|
| iOS 26.4 | Image generation through Image Playground, web search summaries, possibly limited personal context | Expected |
| iOS 26.5 | Personal context with a preview toggle, on-screen awareness, more app intents, actions within and between apps | Possible, per reports |
| iOS 27 | Conversational, chatbot-style Siri with deeper system integration | Planned, per reports |
The same reports said internal iOS 26.5 builds already contained the later features behind feature flags, so the split was about readiness rather than missing code. Our Apple Intelligence roadmap from iOS 26.4 to iOS 27 covers how the wider set of features was expected to land.
What iOS 27 was expected to bring to Siri
Before WWDC 2026, reports described the iOS 27 Siri as the biggest change to the assistant since 2011. Instead of single commands and answers, it was supposed to hold a conversation: follow-up questions, references to things you said earlier and context carried from one exchange to the next, similar to ChatGPT or Gemini.
The same coverage said this Siri would be built into the operating system rather than sitting on top of it, and would combine with the personal context features planned for iOS 26.5. The optimistic reading at the time was that the delay could help iOS 27, because features pushed out of iOS 26.4 would get several more months of testing before September.
Whether that happened is a question for the shipped software, not for this article. The iOS 27 leaks and rumours tracker keeps the pre-launch claims in one place for comparison.
The Google Gemini connection
Much of the coverage in early 2026 tied the new Siri to a custom model Apple was reportedly building with Google, based on Gemini. Reports said it would run within Apple's privacy approach, with work done on the device where possible and on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers when needed.
The detailed figures that circulated about that model and the deal behind it came from reports and were never confirmed by Apple, so we have left them out here.
Other products linked to the new Siri
Several rumoured Apple products were said to depend on the new Siri, including a smart home hub with a display, a smart doorbell, smart glasses and a new Apple TV. The reasoning was that these devices have few physical controls, so voice is the main way to use them. Reports suggested their launches could slip if Siri was not ready. None of these products is covered by this site's verified release data, so treat any dates you see for them as rumour.
Timeline of the Siri delays
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 2024 | Apple shows Apple Intelligence and a more personal Siri at WWDC 2024, with personal context, on-screen awareness and cross-app actions |
| March 2025 | Apple says the personal Siri features will take longer than expected to deliver |
| June 2025 | Apple announces iOS 26 at WWDC 2025; the Siri upgrade is later reported to be targeting iOS 26.4 |
| Early February 2026 | Bloomberg expects the iOS 26.4 developer beta, with new Siri features, in the week of 23 February |
| 11 February 2026 | Bloomberg reports testing problems and a split across iOS 26.4, iOS 26.5 and iOS 27 |
| 8 June 2026 | Apple announces iOS 27 at WWDC 2026; developer beta 1 ships the same day |
| 14 September 2026 | iOS 27.0 is released to the public (build 24A437) |
| 13 October 2026 | iOS 27.2 beta 4 (24B5110a) is the latest beta |
Which iPhones can use the new Siri
The Apple Intelligence version of Siri needs Apple Intelligence, and on iPhone that means an A17 Pro chip or newer. The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 and 17 model and the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max qualify. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus run iOS 27 but not Apple Intelligence. Language and region rules also apply; they are covered in Apple Intelligence in iOS 27: devices, regions and features.
What to do next
If you have a supported iPhone and want to try Siri on the newest software, make sure Apple Intelligence is switched on first. Our guide to enabling Apple Intelligence on iPhone shows where the settings are, and the iOS 27 beta download guide explains how to get the 27.2 beta.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the new Siri delayed from iOS 26.4?
According to Bloomberg's report of 11 February 2026, Apple's internal testing found that the revamped Siri sometimes failed to process requests correctly and could take too long to respond. Other problems mentioned were Siri falling back to ChatGPT when it did not need to, cutting off fast speakers and unreliable app intents. Rather than ship it all in iOS 26.4, Apple was said to be spreading the features over several releases.
Which Siri features were reported for iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.5?
The February 2026 reporting put image generation through Image Playground and web search summaries in iOS 26.4. Personal context, on-screen awareness and actions across apps were said to be moving to iOS 26.5, reportedly behind a preview toggle. These were reported plans, not Apple announcements, and Bloomberg described the situation as fluid.
What was the new Siri expected to do in iOS 27?
Before WWDC 2026, reports said iOS 27 would turn Siri into a full conversational assistant, with back-and-forth chat that keeps context between questions and deep integration across Apple's systems. That was a pre-launch expectation. iOS 27 has since shipped, so check our iOS 27 features list for what Apple actually released rather than relying on the rumours.
Did Apple ever promise the new Siri for iOS 26.4?
No. Publicly, Apple only said the more personal Siri would arrive in 2026. The iOS 26.4 target came from Bloomberg's reporting on Apple's internal plans. Apple had already delayed the features once, in March 2025, when it said they would take longer than expected to deliver.
Is iOS 27 out now?
Yes. Apple announced iOS 27 at WWDC on 8 June 2026 and released iOS 27.0 to the public on 14 September 2026. iOS 27.0.1 followed on 28 September, and Apple is now testing iOS 27.2, which reached beta 4 on 13 October 2026. You can install the beta free from Settings › General › Software Update › Beta Updates.
Which iPhones can use the Apple Intelligence version of Siri?
The new Siri is part of Apple Intelligence, which on iPhone needs an A17 Pro chip or newer. That means the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 model including the 16e, 17e and iPhone Air, and the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus run iOS 27 but not Apple Intelligence.