Siri may not receive Apple Intelligence update until January 2025.

I mentioned in my iPhone 16/16 Pro reviews that there was a general air of discontent surrounding the devices’ launch. Apple made a big deal about Apple Intelligence taking over the walled garden ecosystem. But there’s not much about the new iPhone that screams “It’s got AI!” beyond a few useful features like the writing tools and email summaries.

More Apple Intelligence features are on the way. The company has chosen to slowly release features to make sure what it releases works before it hits devices. Over the weekend, Bloomberg’s PowerOn newsletter provided details on the update schedule. The next planned release is iOS 18.1. That’s a version that’s currently in public beta, although it’s already been through four beta tests. It includes revamped Control Center and Typing for Siri features. It looks like it’ll be out next month.

iOS 18.2 will be a significant Apple Intelligence drop. The update includes Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, and the highly anticipated Image Playground, an AI feature that resembles what’s happening in Apple’s competitors, namely Google Gemini and Samsung Galaxy AI. It’s also the one that will prioritize notifications rather than just summarize them. iOS 18.2 is expected to release in December, just in time for the holidays.

iOS 18.3 is a big update for Siri and Apple Intelligence. There’s not much information about what the update includes, but it seems like it’ll unlock the full capabilities of Siri, including screen awareness and personal context. That version won’t see the light of day until January. That means it’ll be three months from the launch of the iPhone 16 before devices get Apple Intelligence features that scream, “This is AI.”

The most significant AI-enhanced iOS update is coming next year. It’s iOS 18.4, which was originally supposed to include all of Siri’s AI-enhanced features. However, given all of the disappointment from fans over the delay, Apple may be switching gears to release it sooner, hence Bloomberg’s report of a January launch.

For now, Siri’s biggest AI boost is coming in October with iOS 18.1. You’ll see a screen that lights up on the edges of your iPhone to indicate that the digital assistant is active. It’s also more responsive. Simply saying “Siri” wakes up your phone and starts a conversation. And it’s a conversation, not the feeling of saying an input command out loud, step by step. This version of Siri is also the one that can handle “uh” and other bugs you might encounter when asking her out loud.

I understand why it’s frustrating that Apple didn’t come out with Apple Intelligence right away. But as I said in my review, the company is smarter than that to present it in a way that makes it seem like the delays are due to quality assurance. As an Android user who feels disrespected by Gemini every time I try to use it, iOS users should thank their lucky stars that it’s still Siri that answers questions and commands and provides answers.