Apple acknowledges delays for Siri’s most ambitious AI features, updates website with new disclaimer

Apple is facing a significant setback in its AI ambitions as some of Siri’s most advanced new capabilities won’t be arriving as soon as expected. The company has quietly updated its website to reflect the delay, adding a disclaimer that these features remain "in development" and will arrive in a future update.

The affected features, originally showcased at WWDC 2024 as part of Apple Intelligence, were expected to mark a major shift in how Siri interacts with users. These include personal context awareness, which would allow Siri to intelligently retrieve relevant details from apps like Messages and Mail—such as travel plans, recent conversations, and past recommendations. Another feature, on-screen awareness, promised a seamless way to interact with apps by issuing natural language commands, like enhancing a photo directly within the Photos app.

While Apple’s original marketing emphasized these capabilities as transformative, reports began surfacing last week suggesting the development process was hitting roadblocks. Over the weekend, Apple removed a promotional YouTube ad highlighting these features on the iPhone 16 lineup, signaling a shift in messaging. By Friday, the company issued an official statement confirming the delay, explaining that the rollout will take longer than originally anticipated and that the features will now arrive sometime next year.

The revised wording on Apple’s website now applies across various product pages, including those for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPad models. The disclaimer makes it clear that the long-awaited Siri enhancements won’t be included in the initial releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Instead, these AI-powered additions are expected to land in a later update—potentially as part of iOS 19, which is set to be previewed at WWDC 2025.

Apple has not provided a specific timeline, leaving customers uncertain about when they can expect these features to go live. Given Apple’s history of rolling out major software updates over time, the wait could extend well into 2026. The delay is a blow to Apple’s broader AI push, which has been positioned as a key differentiator for its ecosystem, especially as competitors like Google and OpenAI continue advancing their own AI assistants.

While Siri’s current version will still see improvements with iOS 18, the absence of its most advanced AI capabilities could shape how consumers perceive Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts in the coming year. The company will likely share more details in future software announcements, but for now, users hoping for a significantly smarter Siri will have to wait longer than expected.