Once again, iOS beta users are close to getting their first look at Siri 2.0
With the release of iOS 26.4 just weeks away, the Beta supposedly containing Siri 2.0 isn't too far away.
Apple iPhone Beta testers get ready once again for Siri 2.0. | Image by PhoneArena
It was February 12th and some iPhone users were getting excited. Apple had just released iOS 26.3 the day before, and that meant the first iOS 26.4 Beta release was imminent. Considering that iOS 26.4 was supposed to feature Siri 2.0, iPhone users couldn't wait for the iOS 26.4 Beta. The hope was that starting from the first iOS 26.4 Beta, Siri would have the tools allowing the digital assistant to become Personal Siri.
Hopefully we will see Personal Siri arrive with iOS 26.5
This new version of Siri would allow users to ask a question like, "What time is my Uncle Jeremiah's flight landing at Logan tomorrow?" Siri will go through your messages, call history, calendar, and email to get the correct answer for you. Siri would also be able to know what was on your screen. For example, if your pal Mortimer texts you his new phone number for work, you'd say to Siri, "Add this to his contact card," and without leaving the Messages app, Siri would take care of your request.
With the update expected in iOS 26.4, Siri would be able to handle multistep tasks inside apps. You would be able to choose a photo from the Photo app and request that Siri make the photo lighter and then send it to your friend Ronald. And some complex queries could be turned over to Gemini.
Last month, at the last second, Apple ran into a snag preventing it from including Personal Siri in iOS 26.4 as expected
The whole thing blew up on February 12, the day after iOS 26.3 was released. Those iPhone users looking forward to installing iOS 26.4 Beta 1 were stunned by a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman stating that Apple had run into a snag leading it to delay Siri once again. The features listed above will now arrive first with iOS 26.5 Beta 1. Siri's brain transplant turning the assistant into an AI chatbot could debut as part of iOS 27 Beta 1 to be released the same day as WWDC 2026 in June.
This later release would allow Siri to deliver in-depth responses to queries and engage you in full conversations. This would make Siri as useful to iPhone users as Gemini is as the digital assistant on Android phones. Apple will be paying Google a rumored $1 billion annually to use a custom Gemini model with 1.2 trillion parameters, an eight-fold increase from the current 150 billion parameter cloud model used presently by Siri.
Considering that Apple released iOS 26.4 Beta 3 about a week ago, the stable version could be dropped by Apple at the end of March with the iOS 26.5 Beta 1 release taking place within days. So we find ourselves in the same situation we were in last month, waiting for the upcoming Beta release and hoping that Apple is able to deliver a new and improved Siri.
Make sure you're subscribed to Apple's Beta Program if you want the iOS 26.5 Beta on your iPhone
If you have an iPhone and want a little taste of what Chatbot Siri might do for you, go to the App Store and install the Gemini app for iOS, which you can install by tapping on this link.
Once you have the app installed, ask it your next query instead of asking Siri. You will be pleasantly surprised by the depth of the response. While it is true that AI will "hallucinate" occasionally, and you'll be reminded of this when using the app, for the most part, you will get a legitimate response. Later reports suggest that the snag that forced Apple to delay Siri 2.0 was due to problems with hallucinations.
Gemini answers a query on my Pixel 6 Pro. | Image by PhoneArena
Android users who choose to use Gemini as their assistant can also set their alarms and timers with the chatbot. This is something that iOS users cannot do with the Gemini app.
Once again, if you are planning to download the iOS 26.5 Beta on your iPhone, make sure you have your iPhone backed up before installing the iOS 26.5 Beta, whenever it is released. Of course, you need to be a member of the Apple Beta Software Program. If you're not a member, click on this link and follow the directions to subscribe. Once you do that, go to Settings > General > Software Update and under Beta updates on the top of the display, select iOS 26 Developer Beta. You no longer have to pay extra to receive the Developer Beta, and it comes a few days earlier than the public version of the Beta.
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