Apple fans eagerly awaiting the promised new look for Siri may need to adjust their expectations. Recent reports suggest that Apple’s colorful glowing Siri upgrade might arrive later than initially announced. While Apple unveiled plans for a revamped Siri last June, calling it “the start of a new era” for the 13-year-old digital assistant, the company has now confirmed that many of the AI-powered improvements will be delayed until at least early 2026 as part of a future iOS 26 update.
This setback pushes some of Siri’s most anticipated features into next year, including deeper integration with other apps. The delay comes during what some view as a challenging year in Ai for Apple. However, there’s still hope for visual changes to Siri this year, as users have already spotted the colorful glow effect on some devices, activated through Apple Intelligence settings.
The New Siri Is Coming…Eventually
Apple’s iconic voice assistant will be getting its biggest upgrade in over a decade – it’s just a matter of time. After years of incremental improvements, Siri is being completely reimagined as part of Apple’s wider Apple Intelligence initiative.
The new-look Siri is expected to roll out either later this year with iOS 26 or early in 2026 with a future update, bringing a redesigned interface, smarter natural language understanding, and deeper integration with on-device AI.
Here’s a guide to what’s coming — and why it could finally make Siri feel like the assistant Apple always promised.
1. A Fresh, Modern Design
The most obvious change is visual. Siri is moving away from the old glowing orb and fullscreen takeover.
- New colorful waveforms that float dynamically on the screen
- Compact interface that overlays your current app instead of replacing it
- Contextual prompts that make it easier to follow up with additional requests
This design shift makes Siri less intrusive and more conversational — more like a helpful overlay than a command line.
2. Smarter Conversations with Personal Context
Apple has invested heavily in making Siri more natural and context-aware.
- Personal Context: Siri will understand details like your schedule, recent activity, and even what’s currently on your screen. Ask, “Remind me about this article later”, and Siri will know exactly what you mean.
- Onscreen Awareness: Siri can now interact with what you’re looking at — for example, summarizing a webpage, drafting a reply to a message, or pulling details from an email without you needing to copy-paste.
- Follow-up questions: Instead of starting from scratch with every query, Siri can now handle multi-step conversations more fluidly.
This makes Siri feel less like a search box and more like a true assistant.
3. Deeper Apple Intelligence Integration
At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence, its on-device AI system powered by the latest A19 and M5 chips. Siri is the primary way users will interact with it.
- Generative AI features: Siri will be able to draft emails, rewrite text, summarize notes, and even generate creative content.
- ChatGPT integration: For complex queries, Siri can seamlessly hand off to ChatGPT (with user permission), giving you richer answers without leaving Apple’s ecosystem.
- Privacy-first AI: Unlike some competitors, Apple is keeping most tasks on-device, meaning your personal data stays private.
4. Device Rollout
The new-look Siri will arrive in phases:
- Fall 2025 (iOS 26) – First wave of features: new design, Personal Context, Onscreen Awareness
- Late 2025 / Early 2026 – Full rollout of advanced Apple Intelligence features, including generative AI tools and deeper cross-app actions.
Compatible devices will include:
- iPhone 15 Pro and later
- iPads with M1 or newer chips
- Macs with M1 or newer chips
5. Why This Matters
Siri has long been criticized as lagging behind Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. But Apple’s new approach could change that by:
- Making Siri more useful for everyday productivity (scheduling, summarizing, drafting)
- Positioning Siri as the gateway to Apple Intelligence
- Reinforcing Apple’s privacy-first approach in the AI race
If Apple executes well, Siri could go from being a “nice-to-have” to an essential part of the Apple ecosystem.
6. What to Expect Next
- September 9, 2025 – Apple’s “Awe-dropping” event will likely showcase Siri’s redesign alongside the iPhone 17 lineup.
- Fall 2025 – iOS 26 release with the first wave of Siri upgrades.
- 2026 – Expanded Siri abilities with full Apple Intelligence integration.
Final Take
The new-look Siri is more than a facelift — it’s Apple’s attempt to reinvent its digital assistant for the AI era. With a modern interface, smarter context awareness, and tight Apple Intelligence integration, Siri could finally become the assistant Apple users have been waiting for.
Later this year, we’ll see whether Siri can truly live up to its promise — and whether Apple can reclaim leadership in the voice assistant space.
Key Takeaways
- Apple has delayed its major Siri AI improvements until iOS 26, potentially arriving in 2026.
- The colorful glowing visual effect for Siri can be activated now through Apple Intelligence settings on compatible devices.
- iOS 26 may feature the biggest visual redesign since iOS 7 in 2013, potentially affecting Siri’s appearance and functionality.
Overview of Siri’s Evolution
Apple’s virtual assistant has undergone significant design and functionality changes since its debut. The upcoming overhaul promises to bring Siri closer to modern AI capabilities while maintaining its distinctive identity.
From Siri to Siri 2.0
Siri first appeared on iPhones in 2011, becoming one of the first mainstream voice assistants. Over the years, Apple has made incremental improvements to its functionality and interface.
The most recent visual change replaced the familiar circular Siri icon with a colorful glowing border that wraps around the screen edges when activated. This subtle design shift marks a move toward more integrated, ambient user experiences.
According to recent reports, Apple is developing a fundamental revamp of Siri. This overhaul, sometimes referred to as “Siri 2.0,” is expected to roll out in stages across 2025 and into early 2026.
Apple originally planned an earlier release for some enhanced Siri features but announced on March 7, 2025 that certain personalization upgrades would be delayed. These improvements aim to provide more contextual and personalized responses to user queries.
Comparative Analysis With Competitors
Siri faces stiff competition from other AI assistants like Alexa and ChatGPT. Apple’s planned revamp appears to be a direct response to these competitive pressures.
While other AI platforms have made rapid advances in natural language processing and contextual understanding, Siri has maintained strong integration with Apple’s ecosystem but has fallen behind in some AI capabilities.
The upcoming Siri overhaul is expected to close this gap with improved conversational abilities and deeper personalization. Unlike competitors that operate primarily in the cloud, Apple typically emphasizes on-device processing for enhanced privacy.
This approach has created challenges for Apple in matching the rapid development pace of cloud-based AI systems. The phased rollout strategy for Siri 2.0 suggests Apple is taking time to ensure the assistant meets both performance and privacy expectations.
Upcoming Features in Siri Upgrade
Apple’s next Siri upgrade promises significant advancements in how the virtual assistant understands and assists users. The planned improvements focus on making Siri more intelligent, personalized, and useful across different applications.
Enhanced AI Capabilities
Siri’s upcoming upgrade will incorporate more sophisticated artificial intelligence, allowing it to better understand and respond to user requests. The most notable improvement is on-screen awareness, which will enable Siri to understand what’s displayed on your device and take appropriate actions based on that content.
This contextual understanding means Siri will be able to reference items visible on your screen without requiring specific commands about what you’re looking at. For example, if you’re viewing a restaurant website, you might simply ask, “Make a reservation here” instead of specifying the restaurant name.
The new AI features also aim to improve Siri’s ability to handle complex, multi-step requests. Users can expect more natural conversations with fewer misunderstandings.
Personal Context Recognition
The upgraded Siri will have improved awareness of personal context, making interactions more relevant and helpful. This feature will allow Siri to consider your preferences, routines, and past behaviors when responding to requests.
For instance, Siri might suggest leaving earlier for a meeting based on current traffic conditions and your typical commute time. Or it could offer more personalized recommendations based on your previous choices and preferences.
This personalization extends to how Siri interprets ambiguous requests. The assistant will be better equipped to understand what you specifically mean based on your history and patterns.
However, recent reports indicate that some of these personal context features may be delayed until 2026, later than originally anticipated.
Integration With Third-Party Apps
One of the most significant upgrades to Siri will be its expanded ability to work with third-party applications. This enhancement will allow Siri to perform actions within various apps without requiring developers to build specific integrations.
Users will be able to give Siri commands related to non-Apple apps, such as “Send a message on WhatsApp” or “Order my usual from DoorDash.” This functionality dramatically expands Siri’s usefulness across the device.
Unfortunately, according to recent announcements from Apple, these third-party integration features have been delayed until next year. This setback means users will need to wait longer for this particularly useful capability.
When finally implemented, this feature will represent a major shift in how Siri operates within the iOS ecosystem, making it a more central part of the user experience.
Anticipated Release and Compatibility
Apple plans to roll out significant Siri improvements over the next year. These updates will come in phases with different compatibility requirements for devices.
Compatibility With Future iPhone Models
The iPhone 16 series, expected in fall 2024, will likely be among the first devices fully optimized for all new Siri features. Apple typically designs new AI capabilities with its latest hardware in mind.
For older devices, compatibility may vary. While the visual redesign works on many current models, more advanced features requiring additional processing power might be limited to newer devices with the latest chips.
The iPhone 17, rumored for 2025 release, will almost certainly include hardware specifically designed to handle the most demanding Apple Intelligence and Siri features. This could include dedicated neural processing units for faster on-device AI operations.
Technical Insights and Engineering Challenges
Apple’s new Siri upgrade faces several technical hurdles that have led to reported delays. The ambitious AI overhaul requires complex engineering solutions while maintaining strict privacy standards.
Handling Engineering Problems
The revamped Siri is experiencing significant engineering obstacles according to recent reports. Software bugs have emerged during development, creating roadblocks for Apple’s engineering team. These issues appear serious enough that the company may postpone the release until these problems are resolved.
Apple’s developers are tackling complex integration challenges between the new AI systems and existing iOS architecture. The Apple Intelligence initiative represents a major overhaul rather than a simple update.
One particular challenge involves making Siri work seamlessly with third-party applications. This cross-app functionality requires sophisticated APIs and permissions systems that function reliably across the ecosystem.
Engineers must also ensure performance remains consistent across different Apple devices with varying processing capabilities.
Ensuring User Privacy and Data Security
Privacy remains a cornerstone of Apple’s approach to AI development. The company faces the difficult task of enhancing Siri’s capabilities while maintaining its strict data protection standards.
Apple’s on-device processing model differs from competitors who rely heavily on cloud computing. This approach provides stronger privacy but creates additional technical constraints for AI processing.
The engineering team must implement robust encryption and anonymization techniques to protect user data during any necessary cloud interactions. Apple’s privacy-focused approach means finding alternative methods to train AI models without collecting excessive personal information.
Security testing has likely intensified as new features are developed, ensuring the AI assistant doesn’t create vulnerabilities in the operating system.
Developments in Siri’s Interaction and Accessibility
Siri’s upcoming refresh includes major advances in how users interact with Apple’s voice assistant, making it more intuitive and responsive to different communication styles.
ChatGPT Integration and Conversational Abilities
The integration of ChatGPT with Siri represents one of the most significant upgrades to Apple’s voice assistant. This partnership allows Siri to handle more complex queries and maintain context throughout conversations, addressing a longstanding limitation.
Users will be able to ask follow-up questions without repeating the original context. For example, after asking about the weather in New York, a simple “What about tomorrow?” will be understood without mentioning New York again.
The ChatGPT functionality appears to be part of the broader Apple Intelligence initiative. While some minor upgrades have already rolled out, the more substantial improvements are expected later in 2025.
The Siri overhaul will include deeper app integration through App Actions, allowing the assistant to perform specific tasks within third-party applications. This addresses a previous limitation where Siri couldn’t effectively work across multiple apps.
Genmoji and Expressive Interactions
Siri’s visual identity is getting a colorful makeover with a new glowing border effect that appears when activated. This pink-hued animation provides clearer visual feedback when Siri is listening or processing.
The addition of Genmoji further enhances expressiveness, allowing Siri to generate custom emoji based on user descriptions. This feature makes interactions more personalized and engaging.
Users can request specific emoji combinations or entirely new concepts, which Siri will attempt to create visually. For example, asking for “a cat riding a skateboard” would generate a unique visual representation.
The new interface design prioritizes accessibility, with improved visual cues that help users with different abilities identify when Siri is active. The color variations and animation patterns provide multiple ways to recognize the assistant’s status.
User Expectations and Expert Predictions
The delayed rollout of Siri’s major AI enhancement has created a mix of anticipation and frustration among Apple users. Industry analysts and tech journalists continue to provide updates on what might be coming and when we can expect these changes.
Mark Gurman’s Insights
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a trusted Apple insider, Siri’s comprehensive AI overhaul is taking “longer than thought” and may not arrive until 2026. This timeline represents a significant delay from Apple’s earlier projections. Gurman reports that while Apple showcased impressive AI features at WWDC, the company is struggling with implementation.
The colorful redesign of Siri has already appeared on compatible iPhones, but this is merely a visual change. The deeper functional improvements remain in development. Apple’s cautious approach stems from not wanting to overpromise capabilities that Siri cannot reliably deliver.
Functionality Enhancements
The upcoming enhancements to Siri are expected to focus on several key areas of improvement. Apple Intelligence integration should allow Siri to handle more complex queries and maintain conversational context better than the current version.
Users anticipate improvements in Siri’s ability to field basic questions – an area where the assistant has been underperforming in 2025. Enhanced on-device processing should also make Siri more responsive and capable of handling requests without an internet connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple’s Siri is undergoing significant changes. These updates aim to enhance functionality, appearance, and overall user experience for Apple device owners.
What enhancements will be introduced with the upcoming Siri update?
The new Siri will feature three major upgrades: personal context awareness, on-screen awareness, and improved AI capabilities. These enhancements should allow Siri to better understand user preferences and provide more relevant responses.
The visual interface will also change, with a colorful glow effect replacing the current design. This gives Siri a more modern appearance while making interactions more visually engaging.
How will the new version of Siri differ from the current one?
The updated version will be more intelligent and responsive compared to the current iteration. Many users have expressed frustration with Siri’s current limitations in handling basic questions.
The new design includes a colorful visual effect that signals when Siri is active. Beyond aesthetics, the assistant should demonstrate improved comprehension of context and on-screen content.
When is the release date for the updated Siri?
Based on current information, the major Siri overhaul appears to be delayed. Some reports suggest the smarter version of Siri won’t arrive until late 2025 while other sources indicate the update might be pushed even further to iOS 26, possibly into 2026.
Will the updated Siri be compatible with all Apple devices?
Compatibility details haven’t been fully disclosed, but Apple typically limits newer features to recent device models. Older devices may receive basic updates while missing more advanced capabilities.
Users will likely need to check device compatibility when the update is officially announced. Apple Intelligence features currently have specific hardware requirements.
What are the anticipated user experience improvements in the next Siri iteration?
Users can expect Siri to better understand questions in context of previous conversations. This should make interactions feel more natural and less repetitive.
The on-screen awareness feature will allow Siri to understand and interact with content displayed on the device. This means Siri can provide more helpful responses based on what users are viewing.
How is privacy being addressed in the forthcoming Siri upgrade?
Apple traditionally emphasizes privacy in its products and services. The new Siri features will likely maintain Apple’s commitment to on-device processing where possible.
Users will probably have granular control over what information Siri can access. Apple Intelligence features currently include privacy settings that allow users to determine how much personal context Siri can utilize.
