Apple Intelligence coming to Siri in early 2025

Apple’s Siri will undergo significant enhancements, though not all features will be available immediately. The comprehensive upgrade to Siri announced at WWDC24, including new AI capabilities, is slated for the iOS 18.4 release in the spring of 2025.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported in his Power On newsletter that these advanced Siri features, such as onscreen awareness and precise control over in-app actions, will not be ready when Apple Intelligence debuts this fall with iOS 18.0. Instead, these functionalities will likely enter beta testing for developers in January 2025, with a public release following in the spring.

Currently, Siri’s ability to control apps and devices is limited. While basic commands like opening apps, muting volume, and enabling Dark Mode are possible, Siri struggles with more complex, multi-step tasks. Apple Intelligence aims to address these shortcomings. The upgraded Siri will be capable of executing multi-step tasks, such as editing a photo and subsequently emailing it to a contact. Additionally, Siri will understand the context of what is displayed on the screen, enhancing its ability to comprehend user queries.

Despite the delay in these major features, some AI enhancements will arrive this year. Siri will receive a refreshed design and integration with ChatGPT by the end of 2024. This integration will utilize large language models (LLMs) and provide generative AI features, combining on-device processing with off-device processing via OpenAI for more complex queries.

Apple Intelligence will be available across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and will also extend to the Vision Pro headset with the release of visionOS 3 next year. However, the Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod will not support Apple Intelligence.

While many features of Apple Intelligence will roll out with iOS 18 throughout 2024, the most substantial Siri upgrade arrives with iOS 18.4 in 2025. This upgrade will enable Siri to better interpret commands and perform multiple steps in sequence. For example, after providing information about a sports team, Siri could then add the next game to the user’s calendar upon request.

This improvement leverages app intents, allowing developers to present specific app features for direct use by Siri. This functionality marks a significant step forward in making Siri a more versatile and intelligent digital assistant.