Apple to Make Some Improvements to Siri This Year

When iOS 18 is released this fall, Siri may not only make the edges of the iPhone display a dazzling rainbow effect. Although the Apple Intelligence feature, which is not available to users who did not test the beta version this year, will not be launched until 2025, Siri itself is reported to receive natural language updates and other key features by the end of this year.

Mark Gurman mentioned in today's Bloomberg Power On newsletter. For example, users will be able to input text directly to Siri without delving into the accessibility settings, and it will become more natural and fluent, even if you misspeak, it will understand you.

He also wrote that Siri will "have a deeper understanding of Apple products," which likely refers to the device support features mentioned in Apple's keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Another interesting tip: Currently, iOS 18 beta testers can use a new accessibility feature called "Vocal Shortcuts" to change Siri's wake word by going to "Settings" > "Accessibility" > "Vocal Shortcuts" > "Set Vocal Shortcuts" > "Siri" (not "Siri Requests"), as 9to5Mac wrote last week. You must pause after saying the new wake word, otherwise your phone won't recognize it, and this change won't extend to your HomePods. But importantly, even if you turn off the "Hey Siri" feature in the current developer beta, the new wake word will still work. This is good news if you're tired of your iPhone accidentally activating when you try to talk to your HomePod.

In addition to direct Siri improvements, Apple also stated that ChatGPT will be available for free in iOS 18 later this year, although Gurman wrote that it may not appear in the first version of iOS 18. When it arrives, Siri will offer the option to pass requests it cannot handle to ChatGPT powered by GPT-4, giving users the opportunity to accept or decline (along with a disclaimer about its reliability).

We won't know if Siri has truly become more useful until these features are released, but there are at least some signs that we may finally be getting the digital assistant we've been waiting for. However, it is unclear whether the upgraded Siri will not appear on HomePods or iPhones other than the iPhone 15 Pro, similar to Apple Intelligence. Hopefully, the improvements to Siri and the new generative AI features are separate, and even devices with weaker capabilities, such as the iPhone 15 and iPads without Apple M-series chips, can at least receive some of these improvements.