Apple Unveils Some AI Improvements With iOS 26, But Leaves Users Waiting for Others

Apple on Monday unveiled several AI-related improvements with iOS 26, but said details on some highly anticipated updates, including AI-enhanced Siri features, will come later.

Some of the updates expected with the iOS 26 coming this fall include live translation features, new Genmoji capabilities, and a package of aesthetic changes.

A new software development kit will allow app builders to utilize the large language models that power Apple Intelligence.

Apple (AAPL) on Monday announced a number of AI-related improvements with its iOS 26. However, those looking for some of Apple’s highly anticipated updates, including AI-enhanced Siri features, are going to have to wait.

Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said during the tech giant’s Worldwide Developers Conference Monday that the Siri features “need more time to reach our high quality bar” and that more information will be released “in the coming year.” Apple has previously suggested the release of its more personalized Siri, potentially capable of performing tasks within other apps, may not come until at least 2026, which Morgan Stanley warned could hurt iPhone sales.

For now, Apple unveiled a software development kit called Foundation Models Framework that will allow developers to build apps using the AI large language models within Apple Intelligence. “We think this will ignite a whole new wave of intelligent experiences in the apps you use every day,” Federighi said.

The company also showcased its iOS 26, the latest software update for iPhones, Macs, and other devices coming this fall (and a naming shift away from what would have been iOS 19). It includes AI-powered live translation features with an expanded slate of languages, new Genmoji capabilities including integration with ChatGPT, and Apple’s first major aesthetic redesign in years, referred to as “liquid glass.”

Other announcements included a new Games app, a revamped CarPlay interface, and a streamlined Photos app that brings back separate tabs for users’ camera roll and albums. The company touted its Apple TV+ lineup as well, including new seasons of “The Morning Show,” “Slow Horses,” “Loot,” and a new series called “Chief of War,” among others.

Still, the lack of new AI Siri features is glaring as Apple faces growing pressure to prove it can compete with other tech leaders with artificial intelligence. Last month, ChatGPT maker OpenAI took what could be seen as a step toward competing with Apple in offering AI devices with plans to acquire io, an AI startup launched by former Apple design head Jony Ive.