Apple's Siri Overhaul: App Intents and Advanced Voice Control Coming Spring 2026

Gurman: All-new App Intents feature and Siri overhaul on track to launch next spring - 9to5Mac

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is aiming to ship its brand new App Intents feature, allowing Siri to take actions for you, next Spring - alongside its long-promised Siri overhaul. These features were initially on track to launch during the iOS 18 release cycle, though Apple faced engineering delays. Now, they should launch by ~iOS 26.4, according to current reporting. Apple's Siri delays sure have been disappointing, and Apple likely shouldn't have announced the features without having a near-final version complete internally - but nonetheless, Apple made some bold promises for AI. The company offered a vision for an all-new Siri that'd be able to actually do things for you, by taking actions in apps. That's been a hard promise to deliver on, but according to Gurman, it sounds like Apple is making progress, though they aren't free of concerns quite yet: The plan now is to ship the feature alongside a broader Siri infrastructure overhaul in the spring and market it heavily. But there's some concern inside the company, I'm told. Engineers have been struggling to ensure that the system works with a sufficient number of apps and is accurate enough to handle high-stakes scenarios. There are worries about the software failing in categories where precision is nonnegotiable, like in health or banking apps. Apple is reportedly working with a number of large companies to conduct testing prior to the rollout, to ensure things work properly. From the sounds of things, App Intents won't be available universally when they finally roll out next spring. The company is even considering "sharply limiting what Siri can do -- or excluding those areas altogether" for sensitive categories. Nonetheless, Apple has a lot banking on these critical Siri promises they made at WWDC24. Hopefully they'll finally stick the landing. Given Siri's already awful reputation, it'd be hard to imagine how Apple would recover from its already poor position in the AI race if the new App Intents-infused Siri made a critical mistake that severely impacted someones life.

Apple may launch App Intents alongside the upgraded Siri next spring

Siri is in need of a tune-up. Credit: Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images We already know that Apple is planning to launch a major AI-infused Siri upgrade next year, but it might be better than we thought. Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter at Bloomberg contains interesting information about App Intents, an existing feature that Gurman says will get a big upgrade next spring when the new, smarter Siri launches. When this feature is live, users will be able to use their voices to give Siri complex, cross-app commands. Examples include using your voice to ask Siri to edit and send off a specific photo to a specific person, or to log into an app hands-free. Of course, this is all still in internal testing at Apple, and Gurman's report said there are still concerns about getting it to work with enough apps to be useful at launch. Its accuracy will also be something to watch, as it is with any AI application. Apple first outlined the big upgrades coming to Siri (which has fallen way behind other competing voice assistants like Gemini) back at WWDC in 2024, but delays have led to a situation where the upgrades still aren't out, and probably won't be out in time for the iPhone 17 launch in September. Hopefully, this feature finally coming out will prevent more headaches for Apple's legal team.

AppleInsider.com

Apple Intelligence will give Siri the ability to control apps by voice alone Apple's goal for its Apple Intelligence-based Siri is to give it the ability to control apps through voice commands, but will be limited at launch, and may never control banking apps. It's previously been reported that Apple had opened up Siri to developers specifically so that it would become more context aware when a user makes a request. That would be via the increasingly important app intents system, and now Bloomberg says that having Siri control apps by voice is the real focus of Apple's development work. Siri can already open apps and achieve a degree of further control by having voice commands trigger Shortcuts. But reportedly the ambition now is for a user to be able to do everything from editing photos, buying items, or adding social media comments, all without touching the iPhone screen. It's claimed that Apple is already testing this functionality across a series of popular third-party apps, such as Uber, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook and others. Apple is also building this into its own apps, plus some selected games. Reportedly, the feature will either exclude or at least limit the control of banking, financial and other sensitive apps, perhaps including health. That's because the feature has to be entirely and constantly reliable, and Apple will not be rolling it out to all apps at once. The report claims that this use of Siri is enormously significant, and specifically that it is vastly more important than the promised ability to ask Siri the name of someone a user has forgotten. But that promise was a rare demonstration of AI being used for something people would actually do. Opening an app by asking for it would be nice, and it has accessibility benefits. But it can already be done and this extension to controlling all of an app's features is just that, an extension instead of something new. It would turn the iPhone and Siri into a "Star Trek"-like device, and it could be an impressively fast way of using devices. But Apple needs to show us a reason to want Apple Intelligence, and "what's the name of the guy I met that time" is what would persuade more people than a quicker way to leave a sarky comment on Facebook. Perhaps an improved search facility would help, too. The latest reports are that Siri may gain ChatGPT-like search powers in the first half of 2026.

A smarter Siri with deep voice-based controls is on the horizon

At WWDC 2024, Apple announced a next-gen Siri experience that was able to take action across different apps and gain contextual awareness, thanks to a system called app intents. Apple later showcased those capabilities in an iPhone 16 ad, as well. As of 2025, those groundbreaking Siri tricks are yet to appear on iPhones. Earlier this year, shareholders sued Apple over misleading ads that overstated the AI chops, and the company even had to pull an ad highlighting those Siri upgrades. Recommended Videos It seems a redemption event for Siri is not too far away in the future. According to Bloomberg, Apple's digital assistant will get a next-gen App Intents overhaul early next year. "With nothing but your voice, you'll be able to tell Siri to find a specific photo, edit it and send it off. Or comment on an Instagram post. Or scroll a shopping app and add something to your cart. Or log in to a service without touching the screen," says the report. Futuristic, with a pinch of caution At the moment, Apple is taking a cautious approach and reportedly won't roll out all the voice-based capabilities in one go. Instead, the company is currently testing cross-app Siri interaction with only its own pre-installed applications and a select bunch of third-party services, such as Amazon, Uber, WhatsApp, and YouTube. Apple has already had a bitter taste of the AI fumble. The notification summarization system, which rolled out with Apple Intelligence last year, made such serious errors that the BBC called out the company and Apple had to disable the feature for months. With the upcoming Siri refresh, Apple is taking a safer route. It definitely sounds convenient that Siri will be able to interact and take actions within apps using just voice commands. To avoid another disaster, however, Apple would "sharply" limit Siri interactions in sensitive apps such as mobile banking and wallets, or totally keep them out of Siri's reach. But it seems this is not just a big bet for Siri. Instead, Apple is going to push it as the next big leap for its ecosystem, one where voice interactions take the lead over touch-and-tap inputs. The idea is not too different from Google's Project Mariner, or agentic browsers where AI helps users accomplish tasks in as few steps as possible. The situation with Apple and its faltering AI efforts is no secret. Even CEO, Tim Cook, admitted that the company was running late in the game. But recently, he also promised that Apple will gain momentum. Siri's aforementioned upgrade sounds like a solid start, and hopefully leads to the "AI brain transplant" that would put Siri in the same league as Google's Gemini or Microsoft's Copilot.

Apple Plans to Release Revamped Siri With App Intents Feature Next Spring

Banking and health app features may be restricted for safety Apple will finally begin onboarding Siri with more advanced capabilities next year, according to claims by a seasoned journalist. The Cupertino-based tech giant's artificial intelligence (AI)-based voice assistant was due to receive major upgrades in 2024 with iOS 18, but most of those plans were shelved as it fell behind competitors in the AI race. Apple is now expected to release Siri's advanced features, including a new app intents system, to Apple devices early next year. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman dropped hints about the upcoming upgrades to Apple's Siri in the latest edition of the Power On newsletter. As per the journalist, the long-awaited Siri overhaul will be accompanied by an App Intents feature that was previously expected to arrive in the iOS 18 update cycle. It is a framework which enables developers to extend their app's custom functionality to include support for system-level experiences such as Shortcuts, Siri, Spotlight, Widgets, and more, across platforms. App Intents, coupled with Apple Intelligence, will enable the voice assistant to suggest app actions to help users discover new features and take actions in and across apps, as per the company. As per Gurman, this new system for Siri will allow users to find a specific photo, edit it, and send it using nothing but their voice. They will also be able to comment on an Instagram post, browse through a shopping platform and add something to their cart, and even login to a service without requiring to touch the screen. "Essentially, Siri could operate your apps like you would -- with precision, inside their own interfaces", the journalist added. The tech giant is currently reported to be testing the new Siri with several third-party apps, including Amazon, Facebook, Temu, Threads, Uber, WhatsApp, and YouTube. It is testing the revamped voice assistant in some games too. However, Gurman noted that Apple is deliberating over disabling or limiting some of Siri's new features in banking and health apps. This is to ensure that the voice assistant does not make critical mistakes which were reported to have occurred during internal testing. These upgrades are expected to be released next spring with the iOS 26.4 update. Notably, the company released iOS 18.4 update on April 1 and its iOS 26 equivalent could be rolled out around the same time in 2026.

Apple's Siri Overhaul With App Intents, Coming In iOS 26.4 Next Year, Could Transform How We Use The iPhone, But Its Success Will Depend On Developer Support And App Adoption

Apple aims to release its highly anticipated App Intents and comprehensive Siri overhaul in the spring of next year, likely with the release of iOS 26.4, which will mark an important moment for the company's artificial intelligence ecosystem. While it will be a major step for the company, it is better to look at it with balanced expectations, considering the company is far behind its peers in the industry and the evolving technology. Apple was initially reported to release these features this spring with iOS 18.4, but several delays pushed the release to next year. According to Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple will release the upgraded version of Siri with proper AI features support next year in the spring, which means that it could hit compatible iPhone models between March and April. Currently, Apple's Siri delays have taken all the fun out of the operating systems, and Apple Intelligence appears to be standing where it started with no solid upgrades. It appears that the company is working behind the scenes to strengthen its premium features, with reports suggesting they could become available to the public early next year. Apple also showcased a version of Siri with App Intents, which means that the AI-powered assistant would be able to perform in-app actions based on voice commands. The vision for the assistant was profound and an upgrade over the current version, but unfortunately, it never made it out. According to Gurman, the company is making progress, but it is still facing a few concerns. The plan now is to ship the feature alongside a broader Siri infrastructure overhaul in the spring and market it heavily. But there's some concern inside the company, I'm told. Engineers have been struggling to ensure that the system works with a sufficient number of apps and is accurate enough to handle high-stakes scenarios. There are worries about the software failing in categories where precision is non-negotiable, like in health or banking apps. The reports have mentioned that Apple ran into engineering challenges during the iOS 18 cycle, and those issues slowed down the progress significantly. These issues were not small setbacks but suggest deeper technical hurdles, which could have caused the delay. These reasons have forced Apple to move carefully, and it may even leave out certain categories, such as health and finance. These delays and limitations could also open the door for competitors to take shots at Apple. Google has already taken advantage of Apple's Siri feature delay to promote its upcoming Pixel 10 lineup. Moreover, these Siri App Intents will only be as powerful as the number of apps that integrate with it, which means that if third-party developers refuse to accept the change, Siri's new abilities may be hard for everyone to notice. However, there are a plethora of features that could change the way we use the iPhone and other devices, so we do have something to be hopeful for. Do you think Apple's Siri overhaul with App Intents will be a game-changer for Apple and users? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Apple is testing advanced Siri 'App Intents' for in-app voice control: Report

Apple's delayed overhaul of Siri hides a bigger upcoming feature that could reshape how iPhone users interact with apps, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. While public attention has focused on the postponed ability for Siri to pull personal information from messages, emails, and photos, the report says an upgraded "App Intents" system -- enabling precise, voice-driven in-app control -- could be the real breakthrough. At WWDC 2024, Apple demonstrated Siri building travel itineraries from user content, a feature later pulled from a Bella Ramsey ad that sparked a false advertising lawsuit. That capability is now delayed, but the planned App Intents update could allow Siri to: If reliable, this would mark the closest Apple has come to fulfilling Siri's original "voice-first" vision from 15 years ago and would serve as the backbone for future devices, including a smart display and a tabletop robot currently in development. The report notes that the smart display's release has been pushed back a year because of Siri delays. Apple's Global Data Operations group is now emphasizing accuracy testing, with the new Siri expected in spring 2026 as part of iOS 26.4 and an infrastructure overhaul. Two key challenges remain: According to the report, Apple is testing Siri with Uber, AllTrails, Threads, Temu, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, games, and its own apps, while planning to limit or remove Siri functions in sensitive categories. The report frames this as more than an AI upgrade -- it's a move toward a "voice-first interface" for iPhones and upcoming hardware. If successful, it could become a sleeper hit. But Apple's cautious rollout reflects the risk of high-profile mistakes, especially given Siri's past reliability issues.