Latest news with #iOS26.4
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Oppo K13x 5G is launching on June 23 in India: Chipset, battery, and more revealed
Oppo's upcoming K series smartphone, the Oppo K13x 5G, is confirmed to launch on June 23, 2025, in India. The smartphone has been teased to offer upgraded durability with military-grade certification, IP65 water and dust resistance rating, and more. Alongside the launch date, Oppo has also revealed some of the crucial features of the smartphone, such as the processor, battery capacity, durability features, and more, to entice budget-conscious buyers. Therefore, if you are planning to buy a smartphone at an affordable price, then you may want to wait for the new Oppo K13x 5G, which will officially debut next week. Also read: Apple to launch major Siri AI upgrade with iOS 26.4 by March 2026 Oppo has finally revealed the India launch date for its affordable K series smartphone, the Oppo K13x 5G. The smartphone will be launched on June 23 at 12 PM in India. The company has also confirmed that it will come under Rs.15000, making it perfect for students and early professionals. Oppo said that the K13x 5G is 'the toughest and most durable smartphone' in the price segment with aerospace-grade AM04 aluminium alloy, Crystal Shield glass, a biomimetic Sponge Shock Absorption System, an IP65 rating, and other crucial protection. Also read: Oppo K13x 5G key specs and features tipped online ahead of launch - All details The Oppo K13x is also confirmed to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5G processor for smooth performance and AI experiences. It will likely come in two storage options: 4GB + 128GB and 6GB + 128GB variants. The smartphone is also confirmed to feature a 50MP AI dual camera for photography. Users also get AI camera features such as AI Eraser, AI Unblur, AI Reflection Remover, and AI Clarity Enhancer. Other AI features include AI Summary, AI Recorder, AI Studio, and Google Gemini with ColourOS 15. Lastly, the smartphone will be backed by a 6000mAh battery that will support a 45W SUPERVOOC. Oppo claims that the Oppo K13x 5G will offer 91 minutes of charging time, which seems quite adequate for an affordable smartphone. Oppo also claims to offer a 5-year battery health guarantee, making the smartphone last longer. Also read: Oppo Reno 14 Pro confirmed to feature a 50MP ultra-wide lens, 6,200mAh battery, and more The Oppo K13x 5G will come in two colourways: Midnight Violet and Sunset Peach. Oppo has also confirmed its availability on Flipkart and the OPPO India online store. Now, we simply have to wait a few more days to know about the official pricing, sale date, and launch offers.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Google Search launches ‘Audio Overviews' for hands-free, quick search result summaries
Google has introduced a new feature in its search engine called Audio Overviews, designed to offer users spoken summaries of search results. This feature builds on Google's recent efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into its platform, which aims to offer an alternative way to access information. Audio Overviews use AI technology from Google's latest Gemini models to create brief, conversational audio summaries which last between 30 and 45 seconds. These summaries resemble a podcast-style explanation of the search topic. Alongside the audio, the interface displays relevant web pages, allowing users to explore the topic further or verify facts. Also read: Apple to launch major Siri AI upgrade with iOS 26.4 by March 2026 Audio Overviews first appeared in Google's NotebookLM tool last year. Now, powered by the latest Gemini AI models, this feature is available through Google Labs, an experimental space where users can test upcoming Search capabilities. Users interested in trying Audio Overviews can visit to opt into the experiment. However, Google will not generate audio for every search but will limit the feature to queries where it believes the audio format will add value. Also read: Microsoft cancels Xbox handheld, but teases more thrilling portable gaming experience with Asus ROG Ally For example, if a user searches for 'how do mobile phone's telephoto camera works,' a 'Generate Audio Overview' button will appear after scrolling down the results page. Once clicked, the system takes up to 40 seconds to create the audio clip. The audio player offers basic controls including play/pause, volume adjustment, and a mute toggle. Furthermore, users can also change playback speed from 0.25x to 2x. Also read: Nintendo sells record 3.5 million Switch 2 consoles in four days The audio presentation features two AI voices interacting to explain the search topic, similar to Google's NotebookLM feature launched last year. The Audio Overviews function works on both mobile devices and desktop computers, but is currently limited to users in the U.S. Google says this feature aims to offer a hands-free and convenient method to absorb information, especially useful for multitasking or for those who prefer listening over reading.
IOL News
14-06-2025
- IOL News
Apple targets spring 2026 for release of delayed Siri AI upgrade
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, from left, John Giannandrea, senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, and Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering. Image: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Apple has set an internal release target of spring 2026 for its delayed upgrade of Siri, marking a key step in its artificial intelligence turnaround effort. The company's Siri team is aiming to bring the revamped voice assistant to market as part of an iOS 26.4 software update, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The long-promised changes will allow Siri to tap into consumers' personal data and on-screen activities in order to better fulfill queries. Apple's '.4' updates - known as 'E' on the company's internal software development schedule - are typically released in March. That was the case with iOS 18.4 this year and iOS 17.4 in 2024. But an exact date hasn't been set internally for the software, beyond a spring time frame, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is private. Apple, in response to a request for comment, said it hasn't announced exact timing for the new Siri features. It reiterated earlier statements that the upgrades are planned for the 'coming year.' The timeline could still shift depending on whether new snags emerge. If the next several weeks of development work proves promising, the company could consider giving a preview of the features when it launches the next iPhones in the fall, one of the people said, though no final decisions have been made. The upgrade has been a long time coming. Apple originally introduced the next-generation Siri features at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June of last year. The idea was to modernize the voice assistant - first introduced in 2011 - which hasn't kept pace with chatbots and other AI tools. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The technology in the works also includes a system called App Intents that allows Siri to more precisely control applications and in-app actions across Apple devices. If the latest release timing sticks, Apple will have gone nearly two years between announcing the new Siri and delivering it to customers. It's been an especially high-profile delay because the capabilities were part of the iPhone 16 marketing last year - despite the new Siri not being close to ready. Internally, Apple's AI and marketing teams have pointed fingers at each other. The engineering side has blamed marketing for overhyping features, while marketing maintains it operated on timelines provided to them by the company's AI teams, according to people with knowledge of the matter. There also remains a debate over how much AI functionality Apple should be building itself and how much it should push off to partners like OpenAI. And the company has held internal discussions about buying smaller AI-related startups. Within Apple, the original goal was to have the Siri features ready in the fall of 2024, alongside the new iPhone. The target then shifted to spring 2025. The company had privately expected a rollout as part of iOS 18.4, before moving the target again to May with iOS 18.5. By March, the company postponed the features indefinitely, saying at the time they wouldn't arrive until sometime in the coming year. The delays stemmed from engineering snags that kept the technology from working properly a third of the time, Bloomberg News reported earlier this year. A key technical challenge: Siri's brain was essentially split in half for iOS 18. Apple used an existing system for common tasks, such as setting timers and making calls, and a newer-generation platform for upgraded Siri features. Combining the two architectures led to bugs, necessitating Siri to be rebuilt entirely. The issues set off a firestorm within Apple, leading to the company's senior vice president of AI, John Giannandrea, being stripped of all consumer-facing product oversight. That included his management of Siri and Apple's secretive robotics unit. At the company's latest developer event this week, Giannandrea kept a low profile. It was a shift from the previous year, when he spoke in a number of press interviews about the Apple Intelligence platform and the company's AI work. He's also become less influential internally, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Some executives believe he should be squarely focused on underlying AI research, which is seen as his strength. He continues to oversee development of large language models - the basis of generative AI - and testing of AI technology. Engineering for the voice assistant was taken over by Vision Pro headset creator Mike Rockwell and software engineering chief Craig Federighi. Both executives played key roles in the company's latest software announcements at WWDC. Rockwell is now leading work on Siri LLM, the internal name for the new underlying system to power the service and enable the delayed features. While Apple announced a sweeping design overhaul for all of its platforms this week, it didn't introduce major in-house AI features beyond opening its large language models to developers and adding live translation to calls and text messages. It also didn't introduce or demonstrate Siri features, though Federighi did address the delay. 'This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year,' he said at the beginning of the roughly 90-minute presentation. Federighi and other executives also sought to downplay the company's struggles in AI, saying that the postponed Siri features were just a part of a broader push and that success in AI will be determined over the next several years. The reality, though, is that the delays have already had repercussions. The technology was part of a planned smart home hub that has now been pushed back as well, keeping Apple from moving into a new product category, Bloomberg has reported. The home hub is a screen-based device that can be affixed to walls or placed on a desk. The operating system for the product relies heavily on the new Siri features - and the software delays forced Apple to indefinitely postpone a hardware release that had been set for March. The larger concern is how Apple's still-nascent push into AI will affect future hardware categories. The company wants to launch smart glasses next year featuring AI-enhanced cameras that can scan the surrounding environment. But as of now, it's still reliant on OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.'s Google for image analysis. For further in the future, the company has been working on an even more ambitious Siri revamp. This would turn the assistant into an always-on device copilot that's more conversational. Apple also has teams exploring a chatbot-like app dubbed Knowledge that can tap into the open web.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Siri AI still planned for iOS 26, but you'll have to wait
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Quick Summary The long-awaited AI-powered Siri finally has a launch window, reports suggest. That would see it arrive in early 2026. There's something of an elephant in the room at Apple Park. A little over a year ago, at WWDC 2024, the brand announced a new all-singing, all-dancing, AI-powered Siri. It sounded fantastic, but there's just one problem – one year, four seasons and another WWDC later, we still don't have anything to show for it. The project has hit a snag or two over the last year, meaning the whole thing has been delayed. Fortunately, there is news about it – and it's good news. While the feature isn't expected to arrive directly in iOS 26, a new report from Mark Gurman suggests it will come in iOS 26.4, which typically arrives around March. We might not even have to wait that long for a glimpse. The report suggests that – if the next few weeks of development prove promising – we could be given a sneak preview of the development alongside the launch of the iPhone 17 range. That event is expected in September, which is really rather close indeed. The new Siri is said to make use of contextual information from apps across your device, to help inform its operation. That means, for example, it should be able to pull from things like your messages and your calendar, to personalised information which is actually useful to you. When iOS 18 was first in development, that made use of two halves of Siri. Common and simple tasks were handled by and older generation, while newer and more complex tasks were taken on by a revamped Siri engine. The combination of the two caused a series of bugs, which resulted in the entire thing being rebuilt from the ground up. While that has caused significant delays, the prospect of an entirely new Siri engine, designed from top to bottom to power this update, is really enticing. While the rumoured Spring 2026 launch window might feel like a lifetime for some fans of the brand, it's tantalisingly close for those who are keen to get started with Siri 2.0.
Tom's Guide
13-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
Siri 2.0 release window just tipped in new report — here's when it could arrive
An updated AI-based Siri was promised last year but has been delayed for months. After WWDC 2025, it was still unclear when the overhauled Siri would launch. Now, a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims that Apple is targeting Spring 2026 to launch the upgraded Siri. Apparently, the Siri revamp will come out as part of iOS 26.4. If Apple keeps a similar schedule as iOS 18, that means we could see the public version of iOS 26.4 release at the end of March in 2026. The beta version will likely be available a few weeks before. During WWDC 2025, Tom's Guide global editor in chief Mark Spoonauer was able to sit down with Apple's Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak and discuss the Siri delay. After some internal shuffling, Federighi has reportedly taken over development of Siri. When Apple Intelligence was introduced at WWDC 2024, Siri was supposed to get a number of enhancements, including more conversational experiences and contextual responses. According to Federighi, the company was working on two versions of Siri and found that at least one of the versions wasn't ready, while needing to upgrade the architecture. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. "We found that the limitations of the V1 architecture weren't getting us to the quality level that we knew our customers needed and we tried to push that out in the state it was going to be in, it would not meet our customer expectations or Apple standards and we had to move to the V2 architecture," he said. We found that the limitations of the V1 architecture weren't getting us to the quality level that we knew our customers needed and we tried to push that out in the state it was going to be in, it would not meet our customer expectations or Apple standards and we had to move to the V2 architecture. The problems with the two versions and the need to shift to a new "architecture" caused Apple to officially announce that Siri was delayed in March of this year, something the company rarely does. During the talk at WWDC 2025, Apple was mum on a release date. "We will announce the date when we're ready to seed it, and you're all ready to be able to experience it,' said Federighi. In the meantime, Apple has opened up its large language models to third-party developers. Previous reports have said that the company has also let its engineers tap into non-Apple AI models to help them improve Apple Intelligence and Siri. It's unclear whether Siri will become a chatbot, akin to Google Gemini or OpenAI's ChatGPT. Apple is saying that it doesn't want to build a chatbot and wants to "meet people where they are" with AI. Apple has openly struggled with Siri, and there's no guarantee that development doesn't hit snags over the next few months. Still, Siri appears to be in capable hands under Federighi's leadership, so we expect it will likely hit its internal deadlines for a spring launch. For now, Apple appears set on improving the Apple Intelligence features that are already available, like Visual Intelligence, while providing new ones that should make an impact across its suite of software including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 Tahoe and even the Apple Watch with watchOS 26 and the new Workout Buddy feature. According to Gurman, if things go well, a preview might appear later this fall around the time that the iPhone 17 is launched.
