Apple’s Siri Update Hits a Wall—Will It Ever Catch Up to ChatGPT?

Apple’s long-awaited upgrade to Siri, designed to bring advanced AI-powered features, is facing setbacks and might see a delay in its complete launch.

Expected to debut in April with iOS 18.4, the update may now be pushed to May or later due to ongoing engineering issues and software bugs, according to sources familiar with the situation, reports Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman.

The Siri overhaul is a key part of Apple’s broader Apple Intelligence feature, aimed at closing the gap with competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

However, internal testing has revealed that several promised features, including better personal data integration, more precise app control, and improved context-aware assistance, are not yet working consistently. Employees working on the project say the system was rushed to market in response to investor pressure, leading to missed deadlines and ongoing development challenges.

To manage the delays, Apple is considering releasing iOS 18.4 with some Siri upgrades included but disabled by default. These features could then be activated in iOS 18.5 once they are more stable. The company has yet to confirm this approach, but insiders suggest that Apple is running out of time to finalize the software before the April launch window.

Despite heavy promotion of Apple Intelligence, the rollout has been bumpy. The AI-powered updates have yet to significantly impact iPhone sales, which fell by 1% last quarter. In response, Apple is making internal changes to its AI division, recently bringing in veteran software executive Kim Vorrath to help address issues with Siri and other AI-related features.

All those iPhone 16 series buyers were told Apple Intelligence was going to be a gamechanger, minus the new revamped Siri. Who’s actually using Apple Intelligence features right now?

While Apple remains committed to a major Siri upgrade, the bigger transformation—making Siri more conversational and closer in functionality to ChatGPT—is not expected until at least 2026.

In the meantime, delays in the AI rollout could affect Apple’s software development timeline, with some planned iOS 19 features potentially being pushed back to 2026 as well.

Given how long it has taken for Apple to even start debuting a version of Siri that actually works, I don’t see a problem with one more month. But of course, any delays here could push back development of other features. By the time the new Siri is out, ChatGPT and Gemini will still be far, far ahead, me thinks.