Siri will finally get better in spring 2025, when Apple makes its Apple Intelligence AI system available to everyone through the iOS 18.4 update, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman in the last Switch newsletter. That’s more specific than Apple has been — so far, it’s only said that the flagship AI features will be available next year.
Apple often rolls out new features piecemeal, in point updates, across its operating systems. For example, it’s possible that Siri will gain the ability (via Apple Intelligence) to do things on your behalf, like grab your ID from your 20,000-photo-deep Photos library and copy your driver’s license number to enter into an online form, but perhaps AI-powered emoji generation or handwriting support features aren’t ready yet. Gurman doesn’t comment directly on that, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
What comes first should become clearer as beta builds of iOS 18 start integrating the features later this year and the 18.4 release approaches. In the meantime, features like ChatGPT integration, a new Siri interface that replaces the old circular image with a pulsating rainbow around the inside of the screen bezel, and deeper product knowledge that will let Siri offer you basic technical support are expected this fall.
Going forward, Apple’s AI plan apparently includes those AirPods with built-in cameras that occasionally crop up in rumors, such as last week’s rumor from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said they would have infrared sensors and be used with the Vision Pro for hand gestures and motion detection. Gurman describes something akin to Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses — AI could process images from them, for example, to describe things in your environment or help you navigate as you walk. These new AirPods Pro, he writes, may still be two generations away.