Apple starts testing smarter Siri with third-party app integration: Report

Apple's next-gen Siri, now reportedly in trials with apps like WhatsApp and YouTube, will bring deeper voice control to iOS when it reportedly launches next year

Apple is reportedly testing a revamped version of Siri with select third-party apps, hinting at an on-track release of the new and better Apple Intelligence-powered Siri by next year. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iPhone maker is conducting this experiment with applications like Uber, AllTrails, Threads, Temu, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and a few games. He added that Apple is also continuing to test the new Siri with its own apps.

 

As Apple finishes the development of the next version of Siri, more third-party apps will want to integrate with the new system with the help of the App Intents system. This system, in simpler words, lets apps integrate their actions and content with iOS features like Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, and widgets. With Apple Intelligence, Siri can suggest and perform these actions across apps, helping users access app functions more quickly and personally.

 

 

As per MacRumors, Gurman said: “Here's what the new App Intents will mean: With nothing but your voice, you'll be able to tell Siri to find a specific photo, edit it and send it off. Or comment on an Instagram post. Or scroll a shopping app and add something to your cart. Or log in to a service without touching the screen. Essentially, Siri could operate your apps like you would — with precision, inside their own interfaces.”

Key Apple Intelligence-powered Siri upgrades delayed since 2024

Apple promised three main Siri upgrades at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. The three key upgrades for Siri under the banner of Apple Intelligence are:

• Natural, context-aware conversations: Siri could understand follow-up questions without repeating context, maintain the thread of a conversation, and respond in a more human-like, conversational tone.
• On-screen awareness: Siri could see what was currently on your display and act accordingly, such as summarising an open email, drafting a reply, or pulling information from the app you’re using.
• Multi-step in-app actions: Siri could carry out complex, chained requests across apps in a single command, like finding a set of photos, editing them, and sending them to a contact — without multiple prompts.

These features were supposed to roll out during the iOS 18 update cycle, but have not been made available yet. At WWDC 2025, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Greg Joswiak, confirmed in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that the Siri upgrades will now arrive in 2026. He said the feature set did not meet Apple’s quality standards in internal testing. Apple is reportedly working to revamp the internal framework of Siri, before it rolls out these features.

When will the new Siri be released?

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook recently said the company is making “good progress” on a more personalised version of Siri, following an earlier delay to its rollout. He confirmed the update is still planned for next year, but gave no exact launch date, MacRumors reported.

 

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the upgraded Siri could debut in the US in spring 2026, likely alongside iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4 in March or April. The rollout may be gradual, with availability in some regions coming later, similar to the staged release of Apple Intelligence.

GPT-5 integration into Apple Intelligence

In related news, Apple is set to bring OpenAI’s GPT-5 model to Apple Intelligence on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. In a statement to 9to5Mac, the company said the upgrade will arrive with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26. The current version of Apple Intelligence uses OpenAI’s GPT-4o model.

 

The latest operating systems, including iOS 26, are already available in public and developer beta for testing. However, GPT-5 support within Apple Intelligence has not yet been enabled. With this in place, Apple Intelligence will become smarter, eventually leading to a further polished version of Siri.