The Delayed Rise of Apple Intelligence: When Can You Expect the AI-Improved Siri?
The launch of ChatGPT sparked a generative AI craze, igniting a tech revolution that has forced companies to rapidly innovate to stay competitive in this evolving landscape. Apple was late to the AI race, but its launch of Apple Intelligence promised a transformative overhaul, putting Siri at the center of the Apple ecosystem as a context-aware personal assistant. However, a new Bloomberg report suggests this vision may take longer to materialize than expected.
When Can You Expect the AI-Improved Siri?
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg correspondent and Apple watcher Mark Gurman reports that people within Apple’s AI division believe that the fully upgraded, conversational version of Siri won’t reach consumers until iOS 20 – which would place the release at around 2027.
The Disappointment So Far
When Apple originally showed off the concept at WWDC last June, it was marketed as a personal assistant that seamlessly integrates into a user’s existing device ecosystem to provide meaningful behind-the-scenes help. Additionally, it would finally make Siri more conversational, enabling more human-like conversation, a highly requested upgrade. However, since then, the company has rolled out only a handful of Apple Intelligence features, most of which have low helpfulness value.
Two Workarounds
Before Amazon’s Alexa+ launch, Google and ChatGPT each unveiled their own AI-powered conversational assistants, Gemini Live and Advanced Voice Mode. These assistants understand your prompts in natural language, meaning you can speak to the AI as you would a friend. They also have multi-turn conversations, so you can keep the conversation going as long as you’d like without losing prior context.
ChatGPT Advanced Voice
ChatGPT’s counterpart, Advanced Voice Mode, even has on-screen and camera awareness, making its assistance multimodal and adding an extra layer of support. As an iPhone user, you can easily access the assistant from the ChatGPT app, or if you want even more seamless access, you can even map it to your phone’s Action Button to summon ChatGPT.
Gemini
If you prefer to use the Google Gemini conversational assistant, you can download the Gemini app for your iPhone for free and start chatting. Activating this feature is as simple as downloading the app, signing into your Google account, and clicking the waveform icon in the bottom right-hand corner. It won’t have screen awareness yet; however, the feature will be rolling out later this month to paid Gemini Advanced users.
Conclusion
The delayed release of Apple Intelligence has given users no choice but to look for alternative solutions. With the launch of ChatGPT and Gemini, users now have access to more conversational AI assistants on their iPhones. While we wait for Apple’s promised upgrade, it’s clear that there are already viable alternatives available.
FAQs
Q: When can I expect the AI-Improved Siri?
A: According to a new Bloomberg report, it may take until iOS 20, which would place the release at around 2027.
Q: What are the alternatives to Siri?
A: ChatGPT and Gemini Live are two AI-powered conversational assistants that can be used on iPhones, offering more human-like conversations and multi-turn conversations.
Q: Are there any limitations to these alternatives?
A: Yes, the limits vary depending on your plan. OpenAI doesn’t specify the limits, but paid subscribers get more access. Google Gemini Advanced users will also have access to the feature later this month.
