Smarter Siri update set to transform how you use your iPhone

Apple is preparing voice control for an updated Siri that could radically change the way you use your iPhone. The main breakthrough is not the postponed "personal" features, but new App Intents, which will allow you to control third-party applications exclusively with your voice.

Mark Gurman from Bloomberg writes about it.

How voice will become a full-fledged iPhone interface

The delay in the next generation of Siri has led to internal changes at the company and once again demonstrated how far Apple has fallen behind in AI. Many were disappointed that Siri would not yet be able to access a user's personal data — for example, find a file from a friend, a song from a messenger, or a driver's license number in a photo. This feature was the "star" of the demonstration at WWDC 2024 and appeared in a deleted ad with Bella Ramsey, because of which the company was accused of misleading advertising.

However, the key change is the updated App Intents mechanism. Thanks to it, Siri will be able to act within application interfaces as accurately as a user does:

• find a specific photo, edit it, and send it;
• leave a comment on Instagram;
• browse the catalog in the store and add the product to the cart;
• log in without touching the screen.

This technology is also critical for Apple's future hardware. Planned home devices — a smart display (expected next year) and a desktop robot — rely on such voice control for natural interaction. The delay in Siri has already pushed back the release of the smart display by at least a year.

Inside the company, the accuracy and reliability of the new capabilities have become a priority for the global data team, which compares Siri and Apple Intelligence responses to "raw" data and works out errors. The plan is to release the update along with a large-scale overhaul of Siri's infrastructure in the spring and actively promote it. At the same time, engineers are concerned about limited compatibility at launch and insufficient accuracy in critical scenarios — such as health or banking applications.

That's why Apple will not launch the new Siri universally from day one. Testing is already underway with select third-party applications — including Uber, AllTrails, Threads, Temu, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and several games — as well as with Apple's own services. For sensitive categories, the company is considering strict restrictions or complete exclusion from support.

Read also:

5 iOS 26 features you'll wish you had sooner

Apple unveils brain-control tech for iOS devices in a video