iOS 26.4 Beta Ships Without Gemini-Powered Siri Upgrade, Delay Pushes to iOS 26.5 or iOS 27

Overview

Apple released the first iOS 26.4 developer beta on February 17, 2026, but none of the anticipated Gemini-powered Siri enhancements were included. Apple had announced its Google Gemini partnership in January, with iOS 26.4 widely expected to be the vehicle for a revamped Siri.

Why the Delay

According to MacRumors, internal testing surfaced quality and reliability problems in the new Siri architecture:

Some queries not processed correctly

Response latency exceeding acceptable thresholds

Inconsistent performance in Personal Context and on-screen awareness features

New Timeline

Engineers are currently using iOS 26.5 for ongoing Siri testing, making it a possible landing zone for some features. If that update is not ready in time, the full upgrade will wait for iOS 27, which is previewed at WWDC in June and ships publicly in fall 2026.

Apple confirmed to media that the new Siri is still on track for a 2026 release, preserving the formal commitment even if the exact timing slips.

Source: MacRumors