The other day Apple released iOS 26.3 RC (release candidate). This is the final draft of the build and barring a last second blockbuster bug, the final, stable version of iOS 26.3 will be the exact same as the release candidate. And that is very exciting because once you see that Apple is in the process of releasing the stable version of iOS 26.3. it means that the first beta release of iOS 26.4 is just days away. And that is something to look forward to because it is possible that iOS 26.4 Beta 1 will feature something you've been waiting a long time for: Siri 2.0.
Beta testers could be a week away from testing Siri 2.0
Beta testers could be just a week away from receiving the first iOS 26.4 Beta and the hope is that it contains the new version of Siri that originally was unveiled June 10, 2024 during WWDC. At that time, Apple discussed Siri being able to read what is on your iPhone screen, and answer personal questions by going through your texts, emails, calendar, reminders, photos/videos, browsing history, and phone/voicemail.
Apple recently released iOS 26.3 Release Candidate. | Image credit-PhoneArena
For example, you might ask Siri "What time is Uncle Albert's flight landing?" and Siri will go through all of this data to find you an answer. In September 2024, Apple released an ad for Personal Siri in which actress Bella Ramsey portrayed a High School student who sees a boy she previously met at a restaurant and couldn't remember his name. She asks Siri to come up with his identity and after scouring her app, Siri has the answer. Once it became apparent that Personal Siri was delayed, the ad was pulled.
Siri is getting a new brain from the Wizard
Also coming to Siri in iOS 26.4 (and hopefully with Beta 1) is its new AI brain. Last month Apple inked a $1 billion deal with Google. After Apple's own internal AI model supposedly failed to correctly respond to 33% of complex queries, Siri will be powered by Gemini 3, which boasts roughly 1.2 trillion parameters compared to the 150 billion parameters that Apple's own AI model has.
I have been using Gemini as the assistant on my Pixel 6 Pro and it answers queries with in-depth responses that you would never get from Siri 1.0. If you have not used AI at all, you will be amazed. You won't see a Google or Gemini logo, you'll just notice how much smarter Siri is. No longer will Siri refer you to the web to answer your question. You will get a full summary instead. Apple is marketing this as Apple Foundation Model (AFM) v10.
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With iOS 26.4, Siri will know and understand what is on your screen. For example, you can be looking at a text from your Aunt Mildred discussing a restaurant and ask Siri for directions to the eatery and Siri will respond.
Preparing your iPhone for the Beta release
The big Siri feature not arriving until iOS 27 is the one that turns Siri into a chatbot similar to ChatGPT or Gemini on Android. This will allow you to have back-and-forth text or voice conversations with Siri that are akin to having one continuous thread rather than a series of individual requests. Also in iOS 27, you'll be able to say "Siri, take this photo of the car and put it in a professional-looking setting for a sales listing," and it will be done.
Will you install the iOS 26.4 Beta to get an early look at Siri 2.0?
So, iOS 26.4 will be released this spring and iOS 27 should drop in September. As we pointed out in the beginning of this article, in about a week or so, iOS 26,4 Beta 1 should be released as soon as one week from now and it just might include Siri 2.0. If you want to install the Beta on your iPhone, you need to subscribe to the iOS 26 Beta program which you can do by tapping on this link or by going to beta.apple.com from your browser. Press the blue lozenge to sign up to receive Beta updates.
Once you do that, go to Settings > General > Software Updates. On the top of the page, press Beta Updates and then choose iOS 26 Developer Beta. It will arrive a little before the iOS 26 Public Beta and you don't have to pay to be an Apple developer. Make sure your data is backed up before you start. You also need to understand that Beta software is buggy and certain features you count on everyday may not work. However, for an incremental update like this one, you should be fine.
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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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