Apple plans major Siri AI upgrade for March 2026 with iOS 26.4, new Knowledge chatbot also in the pipeline

Just a day after Apple execs revealed reasons behind the AI-driven Siri delay, a new report highlights that the tech giant may finally launch it next year. Apple's long-awaited revamp of Siri is now projected to launch alongside iOS 26.4, which is typically released in March, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The upgraded virtual assistant is designed to offer far more sophisticated capabilities, tapping into on-screen content and user data to execute complex, multi-step commands with greater context-awareness.advertisementWhile Apple has yet to officially confirm the precise release date, the company maintains that the new Siri will debut 'in the coming year.' This phrasing has sparked ongoing debate, with interpretations varying between a 2025 arrival and a possible delay into 2026. Internally, the development timeline has undergone several revisions. Apple Siri launch: TimelineApple first unveiled its enhanced Siri capabilities, powered by Apple Intelligence, during WWDC 2024 last June. The company heavily promoted the upcoming features in its marketing for the iPhone 16 series, showcasing demonstrations that emphasised the virtual assistant's new functionality. Many customers purchased the latest iPhone models with the expectation that these advanced Siri features would be available shortly after launch. But that did not end well for Apple. Here is why.
However, earlier this March, Apple announced a delay in the rollout, leaving many early adopters disappointed. The postponement has sparked frustration among users who had anticipated immediate access to the promised upgrades.advertisementAt WWDC 2025, held this June, Apple noticeably shifted its approach. Unlike previous years, the company refrained from previewing features scheduled for future release. Instead, nearly all the announcements made during the keynote are already available in the initial developer beta, signalling a more cautious and immediate product strategy.Why is Apple running late to roll out Siri? According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the repeated postponements have primarily resulted from technical hurdles. Apple's engineers reportedly struggled with a problematic hybrid system that attempted to merge legacy Siri architecture with new AI-powered features. This experimental setup frequently failed, with error rates hovering around 33 percent during testing.Despite the setbacks, Apple remains committed to delivering a more intelligent and contextually aware Siri, as it looks to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. During an interview with WSJ, Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, and Greg "Joz" Joswaik, Senior Vice President of Marketing, shared that while the initial results were good, Siri's second phase was not as promising. They said that Apple is in no hurry to push out the wrong features just to be the first, and it "wants to get it right".The delays and drawn-out rollout of Apple's revamped Siri have led to significant changes within the company's leadership. According to reports, John Giannandrea, Apple's senior vice president of AI, has been moved away from overseeing Siri and other consumer-oriented projects. Revamped Siri: What to expectadvertisementGurman also highlighted what new is coming in with the revamped Siri. According to report, Apple is preparing to introduce its large language model (LLM)-powered Siri upgrade. The development process has reportedly become more complex as Apple works to navigate around numerous legacy components still embedded within Siri's current infrastructure, effectively merging multiple projects into a single, more unified system.Knowledge Chatbot: Once Siri is fully rebuilt using LLM technology, the assistant is expected to support a new app intent framework. In addition to the Siri overhaul, Apple is also said to be developing a standalone chatbot, internally referred to as "Knowledge". This application would pull information directly from the web, operating similarly to previously reported internal Apple projects, such as Ajax and Ask—sometimes nicknamed 'AppleGPT.'However, it remains uncertain whether Knowledge will ultimately launch as a consumer-facing product. Reports suggest that Apple's Senior Vice President Greg Joswiak prefers to keep Apple Intelligence as an integrated, behind-the-scenes feature, rather than introducing a separate app. The Knowledge project is reportedly being led by former Siri head Robby Walker.advertisementSiri-Copilot: A third AI initiative is also in progress, aiming to transform Siri into an always-on digital copilot that operates in the background. This future version of Siri would provide real-time updates, suggest actions, and perform tasks autonomously, much like the recently introduced Workout Buddy in watchOS 26.While many of these features are still under development, they offer a glimpse into Apple's ambitious vision for the next generation of its virtual assistant.

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