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By a show of hands (like Romper Room, I can see you through the screen), who thought that Siri was the coolest thing and a huge game changer when introduced by Apple with the iPhone 4s on October 4, 2011? Since then, Siri's reputation has taken a nose dive, first against formidable competitors like Google Assistant and Alexa. Siri's popularity took another hit when AI became available to iOS and Android users via dedicated apps.
Personal Siri gets delayed to iOS 26.4 this spring
If Apple had been on the ball, iPhone users would be enjoying "Personal Siri" by now. Originally expected to be released along with Apple Intelligence, "Personal Siri" was designed to go through an iPhone user's email, calendar, texts, photos, and other apps to find answers to certain questions. You might remember the ad Apple created for the feature, showing a teenage girl trying to remember the name of a guy she met a couple of months before at a cafe.
Are you happy with Siri as is?
No way. It is practically useless these days.
86.36%
Yes. It answers questions, sets my timers. Who needs more?
13.64%
I don't care about, or use my assistant.
0%
In the ad, "Personal Siri"presumably went through the user's apps to find out that the boy she met was named Zach Wingate. But the ad was eventually pulled when Apple had problems developing the feature, and it is now expected not to be ready to launch until iOS 26.4 is released this spring. Meanwhile, Google has been moving ahead by replacing the Google Assistant with its Gemini AI chatbot.
The Magic Cue feature Google launched with the Pixel 10 series, makes its devices more proactive rather than reactive. For a phone enthusiast like me, that is a cool feature for a handset to have.
Siri is quietly receiving five new features in iOS 26
Apple released iOS 26 yesterday and published a guide to the update. This guide includes five new features for Siri that are now available for those running the new version of iOS. One thing that you can do with Siri is have ChatGPT create files from ChatGPT. Let's say you asked ChatGPT to make a document. Open the ShareSheet and save the document to Files or open it in the app you prefer.
Siri uses ChatGPT to answer a question about the digital assistant. | Image credit-PhoneArena
When you ask ChatGPT to answer a query you originally asked Siri, you can ask ChatGPT to take action based on the response. Apple gives an example. Let's say you ask Siri, "What are some great songs for Karaoke?" and you punt the question over to ChatGPT, you can follow up by saying, "Play the third one."
One of the problems that I had with Siri was its inability to answer questions correctly about my specific iPhone model. With iOS 26, Siri can use on-screen and on-device context to know exactly which iPhone model I have, which version of iOS is running on my phone, and what settings I have enabled or disabled. And when you copy and paste a response from ChatGPT into new areas, rich formatting such as bold texts, links, headings, inline images, bullet points, and tables will show up wherever you paste the copy.
With iOS 26, if you're using AirPlay to play music on your HomePod, you can ask Siri to play the music on other HomePod speakers in your house. Many HomePod owners have multiple units and some put a HomePod in almost every room.
This isn't the greatest update for Siri, and iPhone users eagerly await iOS 26.4
For those who were hoping to see Siri become more feature-rich and smarter, you are bound to be disappointed. It probably won't be until iOS 26.4, when "Personal Siri" is supposed to arrive, that you will feel that Siri has been updated with helpful and useful new improvements. And with speculation that Apple will sign a deal allowing the iPhone to use Gemini, it's possible that like the new Pixel models, the iPhone will become more proactive rather than reactive.
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The powerful iPhone 17 Pro is finally here! You can already pre-order the new Pro with an upgraded design and a brilliant display for as low as $0.00/mo. at AT&T. To get the deal, you must trade in an eligible iPhone in any condition and a suitable plan. The offer is available for new and existing customers.
Trade in an eligible iPhone in any condition, set up a new line on a qualifying AT&T plan or upgrade your current one, and you can get a huge discount on the impressive iPhone 17 Pro Max. Meeting those requirements will bring the Pro Max to $2.78/mo. from its $33.34 monthly price at AT&T. That saves you up to $1,100 after 36 monthly bill credits.
Many of you probably don't give a second of thought about the digital assistant on your phone, so I admit to being different. Even though I have almost every AI app on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and my Pixel 6 Pro, there's something about having Gemini standing by to handle my questions on my Pixel that has me thinking more and more about making the Pixel my daily driver.
"Iconic Phones" is coming this Fall!
Good news everyone! Over the past year we've been working on an exciting passion project of ours and we're thrilled to announce it will be ready to release in just a few short months.
"Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips" is a must-have coffee table book for every tech-head that will bring you on a journey to relive the greatest technological revolution of the 21st century. For more details, simply follow the link below!
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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