Apple's new Siri release delayed again? Reportedly, testing has exposed issues, and some features may be launched in September

Recent reports indicate that due to technical bottlenecks encountered during recent testing, several highly anticipated features of Apple's Siri virtual assistant are facing significant adjustments in their release.

According to reports on Wednesday, Eastern Time on the 11th, Apple originally planned to launch new Siri features with the new operating system iOS 26.4 in March 2026, and maintained this target until last month. Apple executives have long insisted that they do not want the new features to be delayed beyond spring 2026. However, after issues were discovered during testing, Apple is now considering spreading some features across subsequent iOS updates, with some features potentially delayed until May with the launch of iOS 26.5, or even until September with the launch of iOS 27.

The report cites sources familiar with the matter, stating that during testing, the new version of Siri revealed issues such as the software's inability to correctly handle queries, long response times, and insufficient accuracy, which became the main reasons for the delay. Insiders noted that the situation is still evolving, and Apple's plans may be further adjusted.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the above news. Following the news, Apple's stock price, which had risen over 2% during the midday session, quickly retraced its gains, narrowing to less than 0.6% at one point during the day, and closing up nearly 0.7%, giving back more than half of its intraday gains.

This delay is the latest setback in Apple's plans to upgrade Siri. Apple first showcased plans to launch a version of Siri powered by its personal intelligent system, Apple Intelligence, in June 2024, promising that Siri would better meet user needs by utilizing personal data and screen content, and precisely control applications through voice. All new features were originally scheduled for release in early 2025. By spring 2025, Apple had already postponed the timeline to 2026, and has not publicly specified a concrete release month since then.

The news of the delayed release of Siri features, which broke on Wednesday, poses a new challenge to Apple's artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. As competitors accelerate their AI product advancements, technical bottlenecks may further widen the gap between Apple and market leaders, affecting investor confidence in its AI transformation progress.

Testing Exposes Multiple Technical Defects

According to reports on Wednesday, insiders revealed that Apple discovered a series of serious issues during recent testing. Siri not only fails to consistently handle user queries correctly, but also often takes too long to process requests. Testers also reported accuracy issues, as well as a flaw where Siri interrupts users when they speak too quickly.

More challenging are the issues that arise when handling complex queries that require longer processing times. Another challenge is that the new version of Siri sometimes reverts to using its existing OpenAI ChatGPT integration instead of employing Apple's own technology, even though Siri should be able to handle these requests.

The aforementioned insiders stated that as early as the end of 2025, the internal version of the new Siri was running so slowly that developers believed a delay of several months was necessary. Apple has recently instructed engineers to test new features using the upcoming iOS 26.5, suggesting that the features have been postponed at least one version The internal version of the update now includes notifications describing enhancements to Siri.

Personal Data Features Become a Major Delay Area

Among all the delayed features, the expanded capability of Siri to utilize personal data is particularly likely to be postponed. This technology was supposed to allow users to ask the assistant to search old messages to find podcasts shared by friends and play them immediately.

The internal version of iOS 26.5 also includes a setting switch that allows employees to enable a "preview" of this feature. This indicates that Apple is considering warning users that the initial version is incomplete or may not operate reliably—similar to its approach with new operating system betas.

Another delayed feature is the advanced command system for in-app operations based on voice control, known as app intents. This system was originally designed to allow users to request Siri to find images, edit images, and send them to contacts with a single command. Apple employees testing iOS 26.5 indicated that these features have early support but do not operate reliably in all cases.

Unannounced Features Still Expected to Launch on Schedule

Despite setbacks, Apple is still developing two unannounced new features: a web search tool and custom image generation. The current iOS 26.5 test version includes both features, and Apple also tested them in iOS 26.4, suggesting that some new Siri functionalities may still be released on the original timeline.

The web search feature is similar to the Gemini section of the Perplexity or Google search engine. It allows users to request information from the web and receive comprehensive replies, summary detail lists, and links to related websites. The image generation feature uses the same engine as Apple's Image Playground app, but personnel testing iOS 26.5 indicated that this feature remains unstable.

More Aggressive Overhaul Plans Advance to iOS 27

In addition to the current upgrades, Apple is also developing a major AI initiative for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27: a comprehensive overhaul of Siri that operates more like a chatbot. This version will be supported by Google servers and a more advanced custom Gemini model.

Codenamed "Campo," this project aims to deeply integrate AI into Apple's operating systems, providing an interface and functionalities that align with the expectations shaped by ChatGPT-style assistants. Apple is also testing this system through a standalone Siri app, allowing users to manage previous chatbot interactions.

A key part of the next-generation Siri interface will be able to control functions across the entire operating system and locate personal data such as files. Apple also plans to leverage the new Siri engine in its main internal applications, including Mail, Calendar, and Safari.

Privacy Protection Stance May Slow Development Progress

One reason for the prolonged development of Apple's personal data features is the company's strict privacy stance. Reportedly, during a company-wide meeting with employees last week, software engineering chief Craig Federighi emphasized that personalized AI cannot expose user data Federighi said at the time, "We believe that when the model receives your questions, this data must remain private, which is extremely important," and added, "The industry standard is to send data to servers, where it is recorded, exposed to companies, and used for training."

Apple is "leading" AI either to be retained on user devices or transmitted to privacy-protecting servers, Federighi said. The company also relies on authorized information and synthetic data—data that is artificially generated to simulate real-world inputs—rather than directly taking materials from users.

At the same conference, Apple CEO Cook hinted that there would be more changes in the future, stating that the company is developing new data center chips to enhance AI capabilities.

Cook said, "Apple chips enable us to build data center solutions tailored for our devices," and also mentioned, "Looking ahead, the work we are doing will make a whole new category of products and services possible." Media believe that Cook's remarks likely refer to the Baltra project, a long-term initiative to develop high-performance chips for cloud-based AI processing