Siri is getting a whole lot smarter in iOS 18 — here’s how (report)

In its current state, Siri is pretty limited. Sure, iOS 17 is going to remove the need to say “hey” to activate it. But with the boom in AI, courtesy of ChatGPT, Apple needs to start making moves.

That’s exactly what we’re hearing, as Wayne Ma at The Information reports on iOS 18 bringing huge updates to the voice assistant — enabling it to to execute complex, multi-step tasks like the iPhone’s automation app.

Siri gets grown

Siri’s functionality has long been limited because of Apple’s commitment to security and privacy. Not to say that latter part’s a bad thing, but it does mean a lot of the voice assistant’s work is done entirely on the device, whereas the likes of Google Assistant can make the most of constantly updated language models and AI.

What could this boost in conversational AI look like? Ma shares an example of being able to tell Siri to create a GIF using the last five photos taken, and then send it to a friend via iMessage. 

We’ve already been hearing rumors of a ChatGPT-esque change coming to Siri, and this is the confirmation of Apple’s intention to develop it. The main obstacle now will be exactly how the company will keep a tight leash on this technology to preserve that privacy.

Outlook

So while iOS 17 seems to largely ignore Siri updates, it looks like we’re getting the big changes in next year’s software version.

You will be able to stop saying “hey” this year, which will bring more natural interactions. 2024 is bringing the big guns, where you will actually be able to do some bigger and better things with your voice assistant.

And with the hardware seeing some tasty upgrades, from iPhone 15’s aesthetic change to the iPhone 16’s serious component bumps, Apple’s on a good trajectory.