Apple Pulls iPhone 16 Ad Amid Personalized Siri Features Delay

Apple has withdrawn an iPhone 16 ad that showcased a “more personal Siri,” following the company’s announcement of delays in rolling out enhanced Siri features powered by Apple Intelligence (via MacRumors).

The advertisement, featuring English actor Bella Ramsey, depicted a scenario where Siri provided personalized assistance by recalling specific details about past events. In the ad, Ramsey asked Siri about the name of a person they had met at a particular restaurant the previous month, and Siri promptly provided the information.

Apple had initially described these enhancements, expected to debut with iOS 18, as part of its broader Apple Intelligence initiative, aiming to make Siri more aware of users’ personal contexts, capable of performing actions within and across apps, and equipped with richer language understanding.

However, the company has acknowledged that delivering this more personalized Siri experience will take longer than initially planned.

In a statement, an Apple spokesperson said, “We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps.” The spokesperson added that these features are now slated to roll out “in the coming year,” without specifying an exact timeline.

This delay has raised concerns within Apple’s AI division. According to reports, some team members fear that the current approach to enhancing Siri may require more powerful hardware than what is currently available in existing devices.

The postponement of these AI-powered enhancements to Siri comes at a challenging time for Apple, as the company faces declining iPhone sales. In the December quarter, iPhone sales dipped nearly 1% to $69.1 billion, falling short of analyst expectations.

Financial analysts have taken note of this development. Citi analysts have adjusted their growth forecast for Apple’s iPhone sales, reducing it from a 5% growth to 2% for the calendar year 2025. They attribute this revision to the delay in the Siri update, suggesting that the postponement may hinder Apple’s ability to stimulate its smartphone refresh cycle this year.