Upcoming Siri Features Expected in iOS 18.5 Release

Recent insights indicate that new enhancements for Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, are likely to be introduced in the upcoming iOS 18.5 update, instead of the previously anticipated iOS 18.4 version. This shift comes as Apple has yet to disclose specific advancements related to Siri during its recent presentation of the iPhone 16e, leading to speculation about potential delays in the rollout of these features.

During the presentation, while iOS 18.4 was acknowledged for its addition of support for the German language, the expected intelligent features for Siri were notably absent. Prominent tech journalist Mark Gurman pointed out the lack of any mention regarding the AI enhancements for Siri in both the promotional video and the accompanying press release.

It appears that the rollout of at least three significant new features for Siri will now coincide with the iOS 18.5 update, which is tentatively scheduled for release in May. Sources suggest that technical challenges in implementing these enhancements have contributed to the delay.

Initially, iOS 18.4 was expected to unveil a series of improvements designed to enhance Siri's capabilities. The introduction of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 marked a step toward making Siri more adept at processing natural language and maintaining context over multiple sentences. However, the assistant still falls short of the conversational abilities exhibited by advanced AI models like ChatGPT.

Among the features anticipated in iOS 18.4 were the inclusion of personal context through a secure access mechanism to user data stored on the iPhone--such as photos, calendar entries, files, and iMessage conversations--collectively referred to as On-Screen Awareness, alongside new in-app actions that Siri would be able to perform.

Apple had previously teased the concept of "Personal Context Understanding" in a promotional campaign, indicating ambitions for a more contextual AI assistant, but the technology has yet to be fully operational. Furthermore, On-Screen Awareness would enable Siri to read content from the iPhone's display and interact with it, necessitating updates from developers to accommodate this feature, which they have been unable to test due to the absence of a beta version.

In addition, the new In-App Actions feature is intended to allow Siri to execute a multitude of tasks across both Apple and third-party applications. However, the actual performance of these capabilities remains untested.

Developers had anticipated a timely release of a beta version following iOS 18.3 to facilitate testing of the new AI features. However, this has not occurred, leading to confusion regarding the current status of iOS 18.4, which may only include language enhancements for Apple Intelligence.

It is crucial for Apple to release a beta version soon, especially as the iPhone 16e becomes available for pre-order, with an update to iOS 18.3.1 expected to accompany its launch. The exact release date for iOS 18.4 remains uncertain, although the new language support features for Apple Intelligence are slated for introduction in April.