Apple’s Gemini-Powered Siri Update Faces Delay Amid Technical Challenges

Apple’s long-awaited plan to supercharge Siri with Google’s Gemini AI appears to be taking longer than expected. While the company had earlier signalled that major Apple Intelligence features would begin arriving in early 2026, fresh reports suggest iPhone users may need to wait a little longer for the fully revamped experience.

Apple first introduced its broader Apple Intelligence strategy in 2024, promising a smarter, more capable Siri that could compete with leading AI chatbots. To power this transformation, the Cupertino-based tech giant reportedly signed a multi-year, billion-dollar agreement with Google to integrate Gemini AI models into Siri. The move was seen as a major step toward modernising Apple’s virtual assistant and narrowing the gap with Android’s built-in AI capabilities.

However, according to a recent Bloomberg report, the rollout will now be more gradual than initially anticipated. Instead of launching all at once, the enhanced Siri features are expected to arrive in phases across iOS 26.4, iOS 26.5, and eventually iOS 27. The latter is anticipated to debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup in September this year.

Earlier reports had suggested that the first major upgrade would reach users with iOS 26.4 in March 2026. While that timeline may still hold for some features, the broader transformation of Siri could extend beyond that update.

So, what’s causing the delay?

The primary hurdle appears to be technical instability. Reports indicate that the upgraded Siri has struggled with consistent performance during internal testing. In some instances, Siri has difficulty accessing or processing user queries properly. At other times, it reportedly takes longer than expected to generate responses.

Engineers are also said to be dealing with sluggish system behaviour, bugs that interrupt users’ mid-sentence, and challenges handling complex, multi-layered questions. In certain cases, the upgraded Siri reportedly defaults to its older OpenAI ChatGPT integration—even when the new Gemini-powered system should be capable of responding independently. These reliability issues have slowed down Apple’s timeline as the company works to refine the experience before a wider release.

Despite the setbacks, expectations remain high for what the new Siri could offer. The goal is to move beyond simple voice commands and create a conversational AI assistant that can engage in real-time, context-aware dialogue—similar to platforms like ChatGPT and Claude. Instead of switching between apps for advanced AI tasks, users would interact directly with Siri for more dynamic assistance.

Importantly, while Gemini models would power much of the intelligence behind the scenes, Apple plans to keep user data processed within its own infrastructure, maintaining its emphasis on privacy and security.

If executed successfully, the Gemini-powered upgrade could significantly enhance Siri’s functionality, making it more competitive with Android devices that already offer native Gemini integration. For now, though, Apple users may need to exercise patience as the company fine-tunes what could be one of the biggest updates to Siri in years.