Apple is working on a more conversational version of Siri, but the upgrade is reportedly still some distance from users. According to Bloomberg, the company is developing a large language model-based assistant that can respond more naturally and handle more complex requests, with a public release planned for early 2026.
What Apple Is Building
The project is known internally as "LLM Siri." Its goal is to move Siri closer to the kind of natural conversation people now expect from modern AI tools, while still preserving the assistant role that Siri already plays across Apple devices.
Bloomberg reports that Apple engineers are testing the new Siri as a separate application on iPhones, iPads and Macs. The plan is not simply to add a new feature beside the current assistant. Apple reportedly intends to replace the existing Siri interface with the new technology over time.
The shift matters because Siri has traditionally been built around commands, device functions and task handling. A large language model could make the assistant better at understanding longer, less rigid requests. It could also make interactions feel less like issuing a fixed command and more like having a back-and-forth exchange.
That does not mean Apple is ready to put the new version in users' hands immediately. Bloomberg reports that Apple will not announce the technology until 2025, and that the public release is planned for early 2026.
Why The Timeline Looks Cautious
Apple's approach stands out because other AI companies already offer products that support natural language conversations. Google and OpenAI are named in the source as examples of companies with voice modes that are good enough for a fluid conversation.
The harder problem is not just conversation. Siri's core job is to perform actions based on user commands. That makes Apple's challenge different from building a chatbot that can speak smoothly or answer questions in a natural way.
The source points to a broader reliability issue around systems that can take more complex actions, sometimes described as "agentic AI." These systems are not reliable enough yet, according to the article. That limitation helps explain why a voice assistant that sounds more capable may still struggle when asked to carry out practical tasks.
The same issue is not unique to Apple. The source says Google still keeps both its Assistant and Gemini services running, which can be confusing for users. It also says Amazon's Alexa has reportedly faced similar limits with current language models when executing commands.
Seen from that angle, Apple's slower rollout may reflect a technical decision. A more natural Siri has to do more than talk well. It has to understand the user, decide what action is appropriate and then perform that action reliably.
How Apple Intelligence Fits In
The new Siri is expected to arrive through a phased rollout rather than a single sudden launch. Apple will start by integrating ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence next month, according to the source. After that, the company will add other models such as Google Gemini.
Those capabilities are then expected to be integrated directly into the new Siri. The source also says Apple is placing a strong focus on privacy features as part of this plan.
Apple's current AI capabilities are described as relying on smaller, specialized models that use task-specific "adapters" for specific jobs. That differs from using a large multimodal model like GPT-4o. The reported Siri project would mark a shift toward a larger language-model-driven assistant, while still fitting into Apple's broader device and privacy strategy.
The company may also continue offering access to specialized third-party AI systems after the new Siri launches. That suggests Apple's assistant could become a front end for multiple AI capabilities, rather than depending on only one system for every type of request.
The Competitive Pressure Around Siri
The source describes debate around whether Apple should acquire AI company Anthropic to accelerate its progress. Former Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus expressed concern, calling AI development an "existential risk" for Apple.
That concern reflects the stakes around digital assistants. Siri is not just another app. It is a familiar interface for many users across Apple hardware, and any major change to its intelligence or reliability affects how people interact with those devices.
At the same time, Apple appears to be moving carefully. Bloomberg's report says development has already been underway for some time, but the public path remains measured: announcement in 2025, release in early 2026 and integration with outside models along the way.
Apple declined to comment on Bloomberg's report. For now, the picture is clear but incomplete: Apple is reportedly building a more conversational Siri, testing it across iPhones, iPads and Macs, and preparing a staged rollout that starts with Apple Intelligence integrations before the assistant itself is replaced.
The central question is whether Apple can make Siri both more natural and more useful. A conversational assistant that cannot reliably act on commands would miss the core purpose of Siri. A command assistant that cannot keep up with modern AI conversation would also feel increasingly dated. Apple's reported 2026 timeline suggests the company is trying to solve both problems before putting the new Siri in front of the public.