Apple Execs Call Siri Delays ‘Ugly’ and ‘Embarrassing’

Apple’s Siri team is facing harsh criticism from within, with senior director Robby Walker admitting that delays to key AI features have been “ugly and embarrassing,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

During a recent all-hands meeting, Walker told staff that promoting Siri upgrades before they were ready only made things worse. “This was not one of these situations where we get to show people our plan after it’s done,” Walker said. “We showed people before.”

The delayed Siri features—meant to improve personal data handling and app control—were originally expected this spring but are now pushed to next year, possibly alongside iOS 19. Walker noted that some features only worked 66-80% of the time, saying, “We can make more progress to get those percentages up.”

Walker acknowledged that team members might be feeling “angry, disappointed, burned out, and embarrassed,” especially after Apple hyped the features in marketing campaigns and iPhone 16 promotions. He added, “You might have co-workers or friends or family asking you what happened, and it doesn’t feel good.”

Despite the setbacks, Walker praised the team’s efforts, saying they should feel “really proud of the innovative work.” He promised that Apple is committed to delivering “the world’s greatest virtual assistant”—but only when it’s truly ready.

Recently, John Gruber, one of Apple’s staunchest supporters, turned on the company and said there was something “rotten”, due to the delayed rollout and vaporware of the all-new Siri that’s supposed to be here as part of Apple Intelligence.

Apple’s AI struggles come amid broader challenges in keeping pace with competitors. However, no immediate executive firings are planned, though internal reshuffling is underway to strengthen leadership.

For customers that bought an iPhone 16 series with the promise of Apple Intelligence features, well, the major Siri overhaul is far from coming anytime soon.