A story suggesting that Apple had internal problems and may delay the expected new Siri features was slightly challenged by Apple’s statement – “on track to launch in 2026”.
A story emerged on Wednesday based on anonymous tipsters who claimed that internal testing of the revamped Siri had not gone well, prompting dramatic reactions from analysts and the stock market. It didn’t help that at the same time Apple was being targeted by the FTC chairwoman for alleged Apple News bias.
However after CNBC asked Apple for comment, they got back a very simple statement “still on track for a 2026 launch”. Ace AppleInsider mentioned in his coverage of this rumored delay, there has been a lot of weirdness in the news surrounding it.
Apple tends to keep its cards close to its chest, but every now and then something big enough causes executives to share more than they usually do. Whether it was through listings or earnings, executives touted the impending relaunch of Siri.
It doesn’t seem likely that Apple would still be promoting the launch while having significant delays internally. The original lag report cited issues reported in December or January and may have even mistaken an internal feature flag for a potential lag indicator.
Somewhere in the middle
While Apple isn’t doomed, and its new Gemini-trained Apple Foundation Models will be launching soon, it’s still unknown what form it will take. Despite anonymous tips and leaks, the actual feature set expected in iOS 26.4 is unknown.
Personalized Apple Intelligence and Siri are coming, which can use app intents to perform device functions and infer relationships. It is even expected to be more functional than what was shown during WWDC 2024.
A separate rumor says that a planned subscription called Apple Health+ may have been split into smaller versions that may be part of what comes later. Rumors have also pointed out that WWDC 2026 is heavily focused on an even more powerful version of Apple’s Siri-powered Foundation Models.
With iOS 26.4, it never seemed like everything would come with a nice bow, and even then nothing was promised or announced beyond “arriving in 2026.” However the internal deadlines are pushed, consumers and investors should not make their decisions based on what some leaker with an axis to crush will bring to the press.
Expect to hear about what’s coming in iOS 26.4 soon, as the beta approaches, and we might be able to leave some of it.