Apple is planning a major overhaul of its aging voice assistant system. According to a report, advanced language models will form the basis for a more conversational Siri. Development and testing are already underway at Apple, as reported by the financial news agency Bloomberg, citing informed individuals. Internally, the project is called “LLM Siri,” with LLM standing for Large Language Models.
The new Siri system is expected to be part of iOS 19. Apple is reportedly using new, proprietary language models that aim to enable natural conversations with the assistant system. The system is also said to be capable of answering more complex queries faster. Currently, “LLM Siri” is being tested as a standalone app, but it is designed to eventually replace the existing Siri and be directly integrated into Apple’s operating systems.
According to the financial news agency, Apple is working towards unveiling the new voice assistant system in mid-2025, alongside the introduction of iOS 19 and macOS 16. However, the deployment of “LLM Siri” is not expected until 2026.
With the launch of Apple Intelligence, Siri in iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 has already received a noticeable new user interface, but the voice assistant system has not learned much new. For more complex queries, Siri still refers to a web search. Starting with iOS 18.2, Apple is using ChatGPT as a backup: Siri forwards the query to the chatbot if users wish. Apple has already hinted that support for Google Gemini will follow.
In early 2025, the existing Siri is expected to become more powerful and, as part of Apple Intelligence, will gain deeper insight into user data and expanded access and control capabilities for apps. However, fluid conversations, like those offered by ChatGPT’s audio mode, are not included.