Apple’s long-awaited overhaul of Siri – expected to debut in iOS 26.4 next spring – is reportedly causing internal unrest, with engineers said to be expressing doubts about the updated voice assistant’s performance and direction.
Some Apple engineers are reportedly worried that the new Siri launching in iOS 26.4 still falls short of competitors like ChatGPT.
According to Bloomberg, early testers inside Apple have raised concerns that the new Siri in iOS 26.4 still lags behind AI rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, despite being pitched as the centerpiece of Apple’s artificial intelligence reboot.
The redesigned Siri is expected to offer more natural conversations, better contextual awareness, and deeper integration with apps – but insiders claim the progress has been uneven.
Several key figures within Apple’s AI and machine learning division, including members of the Apple Foundation Models team, have left in recent months amid what one source described as “confusion and low morale”.
The Apple Intelligence division, led by John Giannandrea, has reportedly faced mounting challenges following a turbulent year marked by project delays and shifting leadership.
Giannandrea – who joined Apple in 2018 from Google to lead its AI efforts – has supposedly seen his responsibilities reduced, with software chief Craig Federighi and Vision Pro architect Mike Rockwell now shaping much of Apple’s AI strategy.
The unrest follows Apple’s reported decision to consider third-party AI integrations to bolster Siri’s capabilities, an unprecedented move for a company known for keeping its software ecosystem tightly closed.
The upcoming iOS 26.4 release – which is expected to release in spring next year – will likely include the first public version of the new Siri, which has reportedly struggled in internal testing with accuracy and responsiveness.
While the iPhone 17’s strong sales have shielded Apple from immediate fallout, industry analysts warn that AI could soon become a decisive factor in consumer choice.
Apple’s revamped Siri in iOS 26.4 ’sparks concern among some iPhone software engineers’
