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Siri's long-awaited upgrade may arrive in iOS 26.4
Apple is preparing an updated version of Siri that users have been waiting for since last year. The first changes may appear in iOS 26.4 Beta 1 in a few weeks, with the full release expected in March.
PhoneArena reports on this.
What will change in Siri with iOS 26.4, and why is it important?
In September 2024, Apple demonstrated how the new Siri would work in an ad featuring British actress Bella Ramsey. In the video, the assistant helps the protagonist remember the name of someone she met in a specific restaurant last month. Siri finds the right contact based on context and data from personal apps.
In order to respond to such requests, Siri must be able to access information from emails, calendars, and messages in order to formulate an accurate response. However, Apple postponed the launch of the "new Siri" indefinitely in March, and it is now expected to appear with the iOS 26.4 update in March.
Not everyone will have to wait until spring, though. Users enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program for iOS 26 may receive access to iOS 26.4 Beta 1 at the end of this month, following the release of iOS 26. The first elements of the updated Siri may appear in this version.
One of the key new features is Siri's ability to understand the context of what is displayed on the iPhone screen better. Users won't need to explain every detail. For example, if an address is open on the screen, you can ask Siri to add it to your contacts.
It is also expected that Siri will be able to perform actions across different applications. For instance, you could ask Siri to locate a photo taken yesterday at the beach and send it to a particular person. Another example would be finding out what time the mom's flight lands, provided the relevant information is in an email or calendar entry. However, it should be noted that if there is no relevant information in "Mail," "Messages," or "Calendar," Siri will not be able to "guess" the answer and will simply not find anything.
Another aspect of the iOS 26.4 update involves transforming Siri into a system more closely aligned with large language models. Rather than responding to general questions with links, Siri will supposedly provide generalized results similar to those of Gemini and ChatGPT.
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