Apple is set to announce iOS 26.4 in the coming weeks, finally bringing the AI-powered Siri upgrade it first teased at WWDC 2024—nearly 20 months ago. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company plans to release the first developer beta during the week of February 23, with a public beta likely arriving sometime in March.The update centers on three features designed to transform Siri from a basic voice assistant into something actually useful. Personal Context will allow Siri to search through your messages, emails, and notes to surface specific information or handle tasks without you having to dig around manually. On-screen awareness gives the assistant the ability to see what’s displayed on your screen and take action based on it. A range of in-app and cross-app controls will let you manage applications through voice commands with far more precision than before.
Google’s Gemini is doing the heavy lifting
What’s notable about this release isn’t just the features—it’s who’s powering them. Apple confirmed earlier this month that it’s leaning on Google’s Gemini models rather than its own AI technology. After testing both internal and external options, the company decided Gemini offered the strongest foundation for what it’s calling Apple Foundation Models.The choice followed a turbulent development process. Apple’s original AI chief, John Giannandrea, was pushed aside as delays mounted, and software head Craig Federighi took control of the project. What was supposed to ship with iOS 18 kept getting postponed, forcing Apple to seek outside help.
A bigger Siri overhaul is still on the way
iOS 26.4 will also include a fresh batch of emojis, Gurman reports. If development stays on track, the update should reach the public by late March or early April.But this isn’t the endgame for Siri. Apple has a more ambitious redesign planned for WWDC in June—a chatbot-style assistant that’ll work more like ChatGPT, with full conversational abilities. That version is tied to iOS 27 and won’t arrive until September. For now, iOS 26.4 is Apple’s first real attempt to close the gap with rivals who’ve been miles ahead in AI.
