Apple is preparing a significant overhaul of its Siri voice assistant, with the App Intents feature slated for a Spring 2026 release. This enhancement aims to transform Siri into a comprehensive hands-free controller for the iPhone, allowing users to interact with various applications through voice commands.
The App Intents feature will enable users to perform complex tasks within apps, such as locating, editing, and sending photos, posting on social media, and managing shopping applications, all via voice. This functionality is designed to fulfill Siri's promise of seamless voice interaction, facilitating precise, in-app actions without requiring screen interaction. For example, users will be able to ask Siri to comment on an Instagram post or add items to a shopping cart. Apple is collaborating with major iOS app developers, including Uber, Amazon, and WhatsApp, to ensure broad compatibility. The release, initially planned for iOS 18.4, has been rescheduled for iOS 26.4, with a launch expected in March or April 2026. This delay is attributed to internal testing that revealed critical flaws, necessitating a rebuild of Siri's core framework to improve its ability to interpret user context and execute complex, multi-step tasks. This upgrade is a key component of Apple's strategy to build a "voice-first" interactive ecosystem and is foundational for future hardware developments. While Apple is prioritizing precision and testing, particularly for sensitive categories like banking and health apps, it may implement limitations to ensure reliability. The company's commitment to refining Siri's contextual understanding and on-device processing capabilities aims to make it a more competitive and capable assistant in the evolving AI landscape.