Apple Intelligence launched last year as Apple’s first take on “AI for the rest of us.” But it’s a new year, and in just a few weeks we’re expecting another wave of AI features for iPhone and more. Here’s what’s coming next with Apple Intelligence 2.0.
Year of Siri upgrades ahead
Following years of stagnation and occasionally even regression, things are looking up for Siri.
Among the AI upgrades expected soon, the first Siri changes coming will be the three new powers Apple announced last year:
- personal context support
- onscreen awareness
- and hundreds of new in-app and cross-app actions
These were planned for iOS 18 but got delayed, and now signs point to a release this fall.
But another big upgrade is coming too. Mark Gurman says it’s called ‘LLM Siri’ internally. Here are the details:
The revamped Siri will rely on new Apple AI models to interact more like a human and handle tasks in a way that’s closer to ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. It also will make expanded use of App Intents, which allow for more precise control of third-party apps. And the software will be able to tap into features from Apple Intelligence, such as the ability to write and summarize text.
Gurman says Apple is targeting LLM Siri to launch in spring 2026 as part of iOS 19.4. But with the recent internal leadership shake-ups, those plans may very well have changed.
More third-party AI integrations
Even if Siri’s upgrades prove successful, there is still a lot of value to be found in Apple integrating third-party AI models into iOS.
ChatGPT’s integration in iOS 18 has proven a great addition. Fortunately, more third-party options are in the works.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is hopeful a deal will be struck soon for Gemini to be one such iOS 19 integration.
Pichai also, apparently, was told by Tim Cook that iOS 19 will include more new third-party options—maybe Perplexity will be among them?
Expanding AI features into more apps
Apple launched a variety of different AI features over the past year, but it seems iOS 19 may expand those technologies into more areas of the iPhone experience.
Per Mark Gurman, while “groundbreaking” new AI features may not be ready yet, Apple “will likely lay out plans for bringing current capabilities to more apps.”
For example, last year we discovered references in iOS 18 code to an Image Playground integration in the Music app for generating playlist artwork.
We haven’t heard specific rumors yet of other AI features coming to apps, but I’m interested to see what Apple has planned.
Apple Intelligence 2.0: wrap-up
Top comment by Hazen
Apple was in a great position with AI because of Apple silicon, before even announcing a single AI product, Apple executives were touting products like the MacBooks as AI powerhouses that run AI faster than most windows machines. Then not only did they not bring any fresh new ideas to the industry but they also lied about some of the features they did build, and ended up having the worst AI offerings of any large tech company to date, including even Meta.
Privacy in the Apple ecosystem isn’t a feature, it’s the standard for all products and services, and that was Apple’s only AI innovation…effectively building in a standard that should have always been the bedrock for any attempt at AI on Apple’s part.
Not only did Apple blow their lead, but they got lazy and rode industry trends, didn’t innovate, and shipped an inferior product full of bugs. If Apple’s smart, they’ll take a little AI vacation in their marketing materials and put their nose to the grindstone making AI a viable product that can actually compete in any capacity with what the rest of the industry is doing. Then - they can talk about AI again…when there’s actually something to talk about that isn’t a waste of everyone’s time.
Last year at WWDC, Apple announced many AI features that ended up shipping across various iOS 18 updates—and some that even got delayed into iOS 19.
Soon, we’ll see if the company follows the same strategy with its next wave of Apple Intelligence upgrades. Will Apple Intelligence 2.0 be presented all at once? Or will Apple be more conservative in its announcements and only share features that are coming in the fall?
We won’t have to wait long to find out.
Do you expect Apple Intelligence 2.0 to have some bigger surprises in store? Let us know in the comments.
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