The upcoming voice control feature for Apple’s smart assistant Siri could be the revolutionary feature everyone has been waiting for. If Apple executes it correctly, you will be able to control every detail of your apps using only your voice, fulfilling Siri’s original vision 15 years after its launch.
Article contents:
- Introduction: Behind the new Siri delays
- App Intents revolution: Full hands-free iPhone control
- Apple’s future vision and upcoming hardware
- Internal challenges: Accuracy and reliability
- High-stakes scenarios: Health and banking apps
- Apple and Trump: Behind the political scenes
- The future of Mac devices and upgrade challenges
- Conclusion: Will Apple succeed in delivering on Siri’s promise?
Introduction: Behind the new Siri delays
Apple’s decision to delay next-generation Siri features this year sparked a storm within the company, prompting executive changes and highlighting to the public how far behind the company is in artificial intelligence. However, the controversy over the delays largely overlooked the bigger reason for the disappointment. Many Apple watchers lamented that Siri will not be able to leverage personal information to better fulfill requests—such as finding a specific file a friend sent, locating a song sent to you in a text message, or extracting your driver’s license number from your photos.
This capability was the star of the Siri show at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple demonstrated the voice assistant pulling information from text messages, emails, and maps to create a travel itinerary. Therefore, it was unfortunate that this feature was delayed, but in my view, it is not a dealbreaker.
App Intents revolution: Full hands-free iPhone control
The true game-changing feature, which Apple barely mentioned, is an upgraded version of “App Intents” that could finally make Siri a true hands-free controller for your iPhone. Here is what the new App Intents feature will mean: using only your voice, you will be able to tell Siri to find a specific photo, edit it, and send it. Or comment on an Instagram post. Or browse a shopping app and add something to your cart. Or log into a service without touching the screen. Essentially, Siri can operate your apps just like you do—accurately, within their own interfaces.
If Apple masters this, it is not just a nice-to-have usability upgrade—it is the fulfillment of the vision Siri has promised for nearly 15 years. It is also the key to Apple’s upcoming hardware developments. The company’s upcoming smart home devices (a smart display slated for next year and a tabletop robot after that) will rely on this technology to function naturally.
Apple’s future vision and upcoming hardware
Without the new App Intents feature, these products would likely be far less compelling than the devices launched by Amazon and Alphabet (Google) half a decade ago. This is why the Siri delay reverberated across the company’s other product plans. It has already pushed back the smart display by a full year.
Apple understands what is at stake. Internally, testing and mastering this feature has become a top priority for its Global Data Operations team, the same team that compares Siri and Apple Intelligence outputs against raw data, looks for errors, and provides information for potential fixes. Apple does not want to be in the news again for overpromising and under-delivering.
Internal challenges: Accuracy and reliability
The plan now is to ship the feature alongside a major overhaul of Siri’s infrastructure in the spring and market it heavily. But there is some concern inside the company. Engineers are struggling to ensure the system works with enough apps and is accurate enough to handle high-stakes scenarios. There are worries about the software failing in categories where precision is non-negotiable, such as health apps or banking services.
For years, users have struggled with Siri not understanding them. It is annoying but not critical if your phone misunderstands the city you want a weather report for or tries to direct you to the wrong restaurant. But letting today’s Siri mind control all your apps would naturally be much riskier.
High-stakes scenarios: Health and banking apps
This is why Apple is holding back the new Siri and will not roll it out globally on day one. Testing is currently underway with select third-party apps, including Uber, AllTrails, Threads, Temu, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and even some games, alongside Apple’s own apps. For banking and other sensitive categories, Apple is considering sharply restricting what Siri can do—or excluding these areas entirely.
This is not just about making Siri smarter. It is about giving Apple’s ecosystem a new voice-first interface. If the company can actually pull this off in the market (and that is a very big “if”), it could serve as a massive success that many users did not expect.
Apple and Trump: Behind the political scenes
In another context, the relationship between Tim Cook and Donald Trump stands out. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, proudly highlighted for years that iPhone glass is “Made in America,” thanks to a long-standing partnership with Corning Inc. But Apple indicated last week that this claim was not entirely true. The company pledged to begin manufacturing all iPhone and Apple Watch cover glass in the United States as part of a new deal with President Donald Trump, indicating that some materials were coming from elsewhere. In reality, only a portion of the glass was coming from Kentucky, so the recent pledge represents a notable shift. Nevertheless, this remains a largely symbolic move, as the bulk of the cost and complexity of producing Apple glass comes from cutting and finishing, which is done overseas.
The future of Mac devices and upgrade challenges
As for Mac devices, they are in an interesting position: sales continue to grow, but many Apple fans do not seem to be upgrading frequently. The reason may be that the performance and longevity of Apple’s in-house chips have become so powerful. Even loyal Apple users are still using M1-series MacBook Pros. The reason is that the gains from the M2, M3, and M4 chip generations are not a significant enough leap. This means users need to see something entirely new if they are going to get excited about upgrading. This is where the redesigned MacBook Pro with an OLED screen comes in, arriving between late 2026 and early 2027 and boasting the M6 chip.
Conclusion: Will Apple succeed in delivering on Siri’s promise?
The advanced voice control feature through App Intents holds massive potential to redefine how we interact with our devices. If Apple can overcome the technical challenges related to accuracy and security, this feature may not just be an upgrade, but a true revolution in user experience. It is the step that could finally put Siri at the forefront, not just as a smart assistant, but as a central controller for our digital lives, paving the next generation of innovative Apple devices.
