Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is now ready to go, starting off with new Amazon all-time lows on the most affordable M5 iPad Pro models – you will now find nearly $200 off the most attainable 11-inch configurations. Alongside a chance to score the latest Apple Watch Ultra 3 at $155 off, we also spotted new Amazon all-time low pricing on the Neon Green Ocean Band and the blue Apple Trail Loop at up to 41% off, joined by ongoing $300 price drops on 32GB M5 MacBook Pro models. Scope it all out down below. 

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Apple TV just released the trailer for Imperfect Women, a new psychological thriller series revolving around the fallout from a shocking crime.

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In new SEC disclosures filed this week, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway revealed that it has once again trimmed its stake in Apple. At the same time, the firm disclosed a new $350 million investment in the New York Times.

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iOS 26.4 is packed with new features and changes, including five updates for the Music app. Here’s everything new for Apple Music in iOS 26.4.

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In this new episode of iOS Decoded, we take a deep dive into what’s new in iOS 26.4 beta 1, with in-depth looks at dozens of new features and changes. For example, we get our first look at the Notification Forwarding setup for third-party smart watches and other hardware devices in the EU, along with new iCloud.com functionality that brings secure Photos and iCloud Drive search to the web.

In this post, we’ll consider five standout features included with the update, but watch the full video for a look at everything new, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more in-depth walkthroughs.

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Starting with iOS 26, Apple will officially allow video playback through CarPlay. Released this week in beta, iOS 26.4 appears to be the first version with support, as long as two conditions are met. While CarPlay video playback isn’t ready for users yet, one developer has shown off how it will look as well as how Apple’s TV app looks in the car.

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Apple's 11-inch M5 iPad Pro has hit new all-time low prices today on Amazon, starting at $799.99 for the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro, down from $999.00. As of writing, we're only tracking low prices on the 11-inch model of the M5 iPad Pro.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Amazon also has the 512GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro for $999.99, down from $1,199.00, and the 1TB Wi-Fi model for $1,399.99, down from $1,599.00. All three of these deals are $199 discounts and record low prices on the 2025 iPad Pro.





These iPad Pro models feature a super-slim design, Thunderbolt support, and OLED displays. They were just refreshed last October making Amazon's deals great discounts on these still-new tablets.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Badged versions of TP-Link routers are supplied to US customers by more than 300 ISPs, making them the most widely used Wi-Fi routers in the country, found in millions of US homes.

It therefore caused grave concern when security researchers at Microsoft found that a hacking group based in China was using vulnerabilities in the devices to carry out cyber attacks in the US. It had been widely expected that the routers would be banned from sale in the US, but politics seemingly intervened. However, the battle is not yet over …

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The usage of subtitles and captions in TV shows and movies is ever increasing, both due to the popularity of foreign language content and Hollywood’s inability to produce an audio track where the person speaking is sufficiently intelligible.

With iOS 26.4, Apple is improving the subtitles experience in the native video player on iPhone and iPad, and a similar change is rolling out to Apple TV with tvOS 26.4 …

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Apple will announce its rumored low-cost MacBook at its event on March 4, with the device coming in a selection of bold color options, according to a known leaker.


Earlier this week, Apple announced a "special Apple Experience" for the media in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET.

Posting on Weibo, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that the color scheme of the Apple logo graphic used for the upcoming "Apple Experience" should match the colors of the new entry-level Mac. The invite graphic shows a 3D Apple logo made up of transparent discs in yellow, green, and blue. The post effectively constitutes a claim that the device is set to arrive at the event.


In June 2025, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the more-affordable MacBook could come in silver, blue, pink, and yellow finishes, which would match the entry-level iPad. In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple has tested a range of playful color options for its upcoming low-cost MacBook, going well beyond the muted tones available on its current laptop lineup.

Gurman said the colors tested so far include light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray, although he added that it is unlikely all of them will ship. The color palette would make the budget MacBook the most colorful laptop Apple has offered since the iBook G3 era in the late 90s, which included Tangerine, Blueberry, Indigo, Graphite, and Key Lime.

The low-cost machine is expected to feature a 12.9-inch display, an aluminum chassis, and an iPhone chip, likely the A18 Pro, rather than an M-series processor. It will likely retail for well below $1,000.
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Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.


One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a two-phase rollout starting with the iPhone 18 series. That means the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold will be released in September 2026, followed by the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e in spring 2027.


Overall Design

iPhone 17 Pro Style

Rumors suggest the iPhone 18 Pro lineup will largely retain the same design as the iPhone 17 Pro models. The rear camera system will look identical to the current generation, featuring a raised "plateau" with three lenses arranged in a triangle. Display sizes are also expected to remain unchanged, with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max continuing to use 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch panels, respectively – the same dimensions introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro series. iPhone 18 Pro models could drop the current two-tone look of the rear casing found on the iPhone 17 Pro in favor of a more seamless aesthetic. For the next-generation models, Apple has apparently updated the back-glass "replacement process" to minimize the color difference between the Ceramic Shield 2 glass and the aluminum frame, resulting in a more unified appearance.

Next-Level Battery Life

Thicker Chassis

The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, claims a Chinese leaker. The Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. (The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the biggest ‌iPhone‌ battery to date at 5,088 mAh. Apple says it has a battery life of up to 39 hours.) According to another rumor, the body of the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, raising the device's weight to around 243 grams. That would make the iPhone 18 Pro Max approximately 3 grams more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is currently the heaviest model Apple has produced. A larger battery is the most likely cause.

Smaller Dynamic Island

Under-Screen Face ID?

Rumors continue to circulate about whether the iPhone 18 Pro models will introduce under-display Face ID, but reports remain divided on when the technology will actually arrive. The feature would move the TrueDepth camera system beneath the display, eliminating the need for the current Dynamic Island cutout.

According to Wayne Ma of The Information, Apple is targeting a design without a Dynamic Island, replacing it with a single pinhole camera in the upper-left corner of the screen. However, other sources dispute that claim. Display analyst Ross Young believes under-display Face ID is possible for the iPhone 18 Pro, but says a smaller Dynamic Island will still be present. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has echoed this view, reporting that the new models will feature a slimmed-down Dynamic Island rather than removing it entirely. Apple is also said to be testing new camera miniaturization technology to reduce the size of the front-facing camera currently located within the Dynamic Island.

The Weibo leaker "Ice Universe" has claimed the Dynamic Island cutout on the iPhone 18 Pro models will be approximately 35% narrower than it is on the iPhone 17 Pro models. Specifically, they said it will have a width of around 13.5mm, down from around 20.7mm

Meanwhile, Chinese leaker Instant Digital has offered yet another version of events, saying the Dynamic Island will shrink in size, but that under-display Face ID and camera technology won't debut this year. Overall, the consensus suggests Apple may be refining the Dynamic Island before fully transitioning to an all-screen design in future generations.

A20 Pro Chip

2nm Process

The iPhone 18 Pro models will use Apple's A20 chip, based on TSMC's 2nm process for power and efficiency improvements. A move to 2nm fabrication increases transistor density, which will enable higher performance. The A20 series is expected to deliver roughly a 15 percent speed gain and about 30 percent better efficiency compared with the A19 series used in Apple's iPhone 17 models.

Apple's A20 chip will be packaged with TSMC's Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) technology, suggesting at least some A20 chips will have RAM integrated directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, rather than sitting adjacent to the chip and connected via a silicon interposer. This could contribute to faster performance for both overall tasks and Apple Intelligence, and longer battery life from improved power efficiency.

C2 Modem

Replacing Qualcomm

Apple plans to include its next-generation C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro models, according to supply chain analyst Jeff Pu. The chip will succeed the C1 modem, which debuted in the lower-cost iPhone 16e as Apple's first in-house cellular modem, and the C1X modem chip in the iPhone Air, which Apple says is up to 2× faster than the C1. The C2 is expected to bring faster speeds, improved power efficiency, and support for mmWave 5G in the United States – a feature missing from the C1 and C1X.

Apple's modem roadmap is part of a long-term strategy to reduce reliance on Qualcomm, which currently supplies 5G modems for the rest of the iPhone lineup. The company has been working on developing its own cellular chips for years, aiming for deeper integration and greater control over power management and performance.

New Camera Sensor

Samsung-Made

Samsung is working on a new three-layer stacked image sensor, reportedly intended for the iPhone 18. The sensor, referred to as PD-TR-Logic, integrates three layers of circuitry, which would improve camera responsiveness, reduce noise, and increase dynamic range. The leak comes from a source known as "Jukanlosreve," who claims the sensor is being developed specifically for Apple's 2026 iPhone lineup. Sony has long been Apple's sole image sensor supplier, so Samsung's entry would be a big shift in the iPhone's camera supply chain.

Variable Aperture

DSLR-Style

Apple intends to equip this year's iPhone 18 Pro models with a variable aperture lens, according to reports. Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station claims the main rear camera – what Apple calls the 48-megapixel Fusion camera – on both iPhone 18 Pro models will offer variable aperture, which would be a first for the iPhone. A variable-aperture system physically adjusts the lens opening, letting more light in for low-light shots or narrowing the opening for brighter scenes and deeper depth of field.

The main cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro, 16 Pro, and 17 Pro all use a fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture, where the lens is permanently set to its widest setting. With a variable lens, the iPhone 18 Pro would allow users to manually shift the aperture, similar to on a DSLR camera. This would mean more control over depth of field, enabling sharper focus on subjects or smoother background blur. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in November 2024 that Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models will get the feature.

5G Satellite Internet

Non-Terrestrial Data

According to a report by The Information, Apple plans to add support for 5G networks that operate via satellites rather than Earth-based towers as early as next year. This advancement would allow future iPhones to gain full internet connectivity through satellite, not just limited emergency features.

If Apple meets the 2026 target, the first devices to feature 5G satellite internet would likely be the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the long-rumored foldable iPhone. Apple partners with Globalstar for its iPhone satellite features, but there is currently no service that delivers full 5G satellite internet directly to a smartphone, and the report did not specify who would supply it.

Simplified Camera Control

New Design

Apple is reportedly working to simplify the Camera Control button's design on iPhone 18 models in order to reduce costs. The current Camera Control button on iPhone 17 models uses both capacitive and pressure sensors beneath a sapphire crystal surface. The capacitive layer detects touch gestures, while the force sensor recognizes different pressure levels for taps, presses, and swipes.

However, according to the Weibo-based account Instant Digital, Apple will remove the capacitive sensing layer and retain only pressure sensing recognition in the second iteration to achieve all Camera Control functions on the iPhone 18. The simplified version is not about reducing functionality in the button, but about saving money. The current solution is said to be very expensive for Apple and is generating costly after-sales repairs.

New Colors

Three in Testing

Apple is rumored to be testing three new color options for the iPhone 18 Pro models: burgundy, brown, and purple. A burgundy finish would mark the first time the Pro and Pro Max models have been offered in any shade of red, apart from the lighter (PRODUCT)RED used on earlier devices. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were previously available in Deep Purple, and Apple has never released an iPhone in a genuinely brown color.
This article, "10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple’s low-cost MacBook has been a long time coming, but it now seems clear that we can expect it to be launched in the first week of March.

Apple has a special event taking place on March 4, but a subsequent report says that this will not include a keynote presentation. Instead, it says we can expect a series of press releases along the lines of the ones we saw back in 2024 …

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Apple previously accused Qualcomm of “double-dipping” as a result of the company’s policies over selling radio chips for use in iPhones. The Cupertino company had also objected to Qualcomm charging a percentage of the price of an iPhone rather than a fixed fee per chip.

Apple withdrew its claims back in 2024, but an independent class-action lawsuit was still being pursued on behalf of iPhone owners. This lawsuit has now been abandoned …

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AI company Perplexity is stepping away from advertising over concerns that it will erode user trust, despite moves by rivals to introduce ads as an alternative money-making strategy.


Perplexity was one of the first AI services to embrace ads in 2024, after it ran tests where sponsored answers appeared under the chatbot's answers. That approach however was phased out last year, and executives at the company now say they don't plan to revisit it, according to the Financial Times.

"A user needs to believe this is the best possible answer, to keep using the product and be willing to pay for it," a Perplexity executive told the publication.

The report follows OpenAI's move earlier this month to show ads to ChatGPT users who have a free account or a low-cost Go subscription. OpenAI has said ads will not influence the answers that ChatGPT provides, nor will it provide advertisers with content from ChatGPT conversations.

Anthropic, the makers of Claude, recently mocked OpenAI for its decision to show ads to users and has said it has no plans to do the same. The company argues that including ads in Claude would not be in line with its mission of creating a helpful assistant for work and deep thinking, and that users should not need to second-guess whether an AI is being helpful or "subtly steering the conversation towards something monetizable."

Google features advertising in AI mode and in its AI Overviews summaries on traditional search results. However, Google has not introduced ads into its Gemini chatbot so far.

Ad strategies are one way that AI companies have been looking at as a way to generate revenue from users and reassure investors while spending heavily to train and operate large language models. Meanwhile, the cost of training and running large language models continues to climb, with no profit to show for it.
This article, "Perplexity Abandons AI Advertising Strategy Over Trust Worries" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has launched Apple Music Connect, a new resource for labels, distributors, and partners to manage promotional assets, upload press photos, and help coordinate how artists' music and marketing materials are presented across the streaming service.


The new online hub includes a range of tools and services for music labels, including:

• Promote: Creates promotional artwork and visual assets to support releases across Apple Music surfaces and external channels.


• Apple Music Pitch: A way to submit detailed information about upcoming releases for editorial and playlist consideration.


• Media Requests: A place for uploading and managing press photos and assets requested by Apple Music for editorial use.


• Social Assets: Generates shareable templates for announcing placements, milestones, and releases on social platforms.


• Console: A central dashboard to access and manage Apple Music Connect tools and permissions.


• Marketing Tools: To generate affiliate links, badges, embeddable players, QR codes, and related promotional materials.

The new Apple Music Connect hub shouldn't be confused with the ill-fated Apple Music Connect social platform, which was shut down in 2018. The social engagement feature let artists directly share content with their fans, but it suffered the same fate as Ping, the company's previous social network for music removed from iTunes in October 2012.
This article, "Apple Music Connect Launches as Promotional Resource for Labels and Distributors" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple on Monday invited selected journalists and content creators to a "special Apple Experience" on Wednesday, March 4 in New York, London, and Shanghai. And now, rumors are surfacing about Apple's broader plans for that week.


Daring Fireball's John Gruber today guessed that Apple will announce new products on a day-by-day basis from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4:

What strikes me is that March 4 — the "experience" day — is a Wednesday. So my spitball guess is that they announce all these products via Newsroom press releases, day-by-day. Like, say, the iPhone 17e on Monday, new iPad(s) on Tuesday, and new MacBooks on Wednesday. And then the "experience" will be a hands-on thing with in-person demos.

In response to Gruber's post, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said product announcements on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of that week is indeed "exactly" what he is expecting, based on what he has heard from his sources.

Gurman does not expect a typical Apple Event live stream for the new products, with the announcements likely to occur in the form of press releases on the Apple Newsroom website instead. However, there could still be a short video prepared for each new product, and the media would get hands-on time with the new products.

Apple has announced new products on a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday basis multiple times in the past, including in March 2019 (new iPad mini and iPad Air, iMac, and AirPods models) and in October 2024 (new iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models).

The following Apple products are rumored to be coming soon:

• Lower-Cost MacBook: A18 Pro chip, 12.9-inch display, and fun color options.


• iPhone 17e: A spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e, with rumored upgrades including an A19 chip, MagSafe, and Apple's C1X and N1 wireless chips. The device will apparently have a notch despite earlier rumors mentioning a Dynamic Island, and pricing will continue to start at $599 in the United States.


• iPad Air: M3 chip → M4 chip.


• iPad: A16 chip → A18 chip or A19 chip.


• MacBook Air: M4 chip → M5 chip.


• MacBook Pro: M4 Pro and M4 Max chips → M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and PCIe 5.0 support for faster SSD speeds.


• Mac Studio: M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips → M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips.


• Studio Display: 27-inch screen with mini-LED backlighting, up to 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support, and either an A19 chip or A19 Pro chip.


• Home Hub: An all-new smart home hub featuring the more personalized version of Siri, a 6-inch to 7-inch square display, an A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, FaceTime, and more. Place it on a table or mount it on a wall.


• Security Camera: Apple-designed, HomeKit-enabled security camera accessory to be sold alongside the new smart home hub.

In addition, rumors about new Apple TV and HomePod mini models have been circulating for more than a year, but there is still no sign of them.

In the end, we might only get three of these new products in the first week of March, with the most likely possibilities being the lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, the iPhone 17e, and perhaps either an updated iPad Air or entry-level iPad.

The invite graphic for the upcoming "Apple Experience" includes a colorful Apple logo with yellow, green, and blue discs, and Gurman previously reported that Apple has tested those three colors plus pink for the MacBook with an iPhone chip.

MacRumors will be attending the "Apple Experience," so stay tuned for our coverage.
This article, "Rumor: Apple to Announce Multiple New Products in First Week of March" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Yesterday, Apple announced a “special experience” for March 4 at 9 a.m. ET, inviting members of the press to New York, London, and Shanghai.

The question right now is what format this “special experience” and the associated product announcements will take.

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Update 9:21pm ET: YouTube appears to be coming back online now for most users. If you’re still having problems, let us know down in the comments.

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If you’re having problems accessing YouTube this evening, you’re not alone. YouTube is experiencing a widespread outage, and there’s no estimate on when it will be fixed.

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There is a long list of new features in the iOS 26.4 beta, many of which we highlighted yesterday, but we've since discovered several other smaller changes that Apple made in the software.

Health App

iOS 26.4 includes a new Average Bedtime metric for the sleep section of the Health app, providing a better idea of how bedtime can impact sleep quality.



Apple also updated the Vitals section of the Health app in the U.S., and now includes blood oxygen level on the line graph overview that's available each day. In iOS 26.3 and earlier versions of iOS 26, there was a section for the blood oxygen level, but the graph did not include a blood oxygen measurement.

Camera

In the Settings section of the Camera app, there is a new "Audio Zoom" option. The feature causes recorded audio to focus on the subject when the camera is zoomed while recording a video. It can be turned on or off, depending on the audio settings you prefer.

CarPlay

We found mentions of Apple TV support for CarPlay, indicating that Apple will eventually allow users to watch Apple TV content through their car's dashboard when the vehicle is not in motion.



At WWDC 2025, Apple said that it would add support for AirPlaying video content to a CarPlay display, and it appears that feature could come in the near future.

Apple Music

A song can be added to multiple playlists at the same time in the Apple Music app. In the add to playlist interface, there is a list button, and tapping it allows you to select multiple playlists at the same time.

Hotspot Data

Apple moved the location of hotspot data usage. Rather than having data usage metrics tucked away under Cellular, you'll see how much data you've used right in the Personal Hotspot section.

Live Captions

Chinese (Taiwan) is a new language option for Live Captions in the Accessibility section.

Passcode Settings

In the Face ID and Passcode section of the Settings app, when you enter a passcode to access your options, the text is now center aligned instead of left aligned.

Shortcuts

Apple added a Set Charge Limit action to the Shortcuts app. It sets a battery charge limit for the iPhone.

Read More

For more on all of the new features in iOS 26.4, we have a dedicated iOS 26.4 features guide.
This article, "iOS 26.4 Beta Tidbits: Hidden Features You May Have Missed" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Anthropic today updated its Sonnet model to version 4.6, and the company says it is the most capable Sonnet model to date with upgrades across coding, computer use, long-context reasoning, agent planning, knowledge work, and design.


Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the default for users who have Free and Pro plans, and it has an updated 1M token context window.

Sonnet 4.6 improves consistency and instruction following for coding, it's better at computer use tasks, and it can complete office tasks that previously required an Opus model. Sonnet 4.6 has human-level capability for tasks like navigating a complex spreadsheet or filling out a multi-step web form.

According to Anthropic, Sonnet 4.6 has a "a broadly warm, honest, prosocial, and at times funny character, very strong safety behaviors, and no signs of major concerns around high-stakes forms of misalignment." It offers Opus-level intelligence at a more affordable price point, so it is practical for a wider range of tasks. Opus 4.6 is still the better option for agentic coding, agentic code use, and multidisciplinary reasoning, but Sonnet 4.6 offers measurable improvements over Sonnet 4.5.

Claude 4.6 is available as of today for all Claude plans, and Anthropic has also provided file creation, connectors, skills, and compaction to free users.
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In addition to removing the iTunes Movies and TV Shows apps from Apple TV, tvOS 26.4 also includes a new setting for “Continuous Audio Connection.”

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Apple says car keys in Wallet are set to expand significantly soon, and one major new automaker—Toyota—appears to have just launched support.

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Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Stuff: Stuff helps you get everything out of your head and into a simple, elegant system—closing open loops and reducing mental stress. Use code 9TO5 at checkout for 50% off your first year.

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The first beta of iOS 26.4 is available to developers and public beta testers, and the software includes no new Siri features. There were expectations of at least some new Apple Intelligence ‌Siri‌ capabilities because of how long the delays have been and persistent rumors suggesting Apple was targeting an iOS 26.4 release, but we'll have to wait longer for ‌Siri‌ updates.


After Apple announced a delay for the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ version of ‌Siri‌ in March 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple had set an internal launch target for iOS 26.4. He repeated the iOS 26.4 timeline in several subsequent reports, and even at the end of January, he suggested that Apple would unveil the more personalized version of ‌Siri‌ in February.

Apple seemed to be aiming for an iOS 26.4 launch until right before the first beta came out, because just last week, Gurman said the ‌Siri‌ update wouldn't be coming in iOS 26.4 after all. Apple apparently ran into development issues and the new version of ‌Siri‌ has reportedly been delayed until iOS 26.5 or iOS 27.

Gurman said the ‌Siri‌ features will be spread across several upcoming iOS releases. Some or all of the new ‌Siri‌ features could be introduced in iOS 26.5, or Apple might wait for iOS 27, which will be previewed in June 2026 at WWDC.

Apple first showed off the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ version of ‌Siri‌ at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, and it was supposed to come in iOS 18. Apple had to upgrade ‌Siri‌'s architecture to make the promised functionality work, and so far, that's taken over a year.

‌Siri‌ is apparently taking too long to respond to requests, and some queries aren't processed properly, which is what led to the iOS 26.4 ‌Siri‌ delay. Engineers are apparently using iOS 26.5 for further ‌Siri‌ testing right now, so some functionality could come in that update. There's still a possibility that new ‌Siri‌ features will be introduced in a later iOS 26.4 beta, but that's not guaranteed.

Apple has been working to add personalization, onscreen awareness, and the ability for ‌Siri‌ to do more in and between apps. Not all of the features are working reliably and Apple is said to be having continual issues with accuracy.

After the report about the missed iOS 26.4 timeline, Apple confirmed to CNBC that the new version of ‌Siri‌ would still be coming at some point in 2026. Apple has never given a timeline more specific than 2026, so there hasn't been a second actual delay, just a disappointment based on rumors of an iOS 26.4 launch.

Since it's only February, Apple has until December to meet the 2026 launch target that it publicly promised. Even if the new ‌Siri‌ features are delayed until iOS 27, Apple will still meet its goal. Gurman claims that Apple executives are reluctant to push the new ‌Siri‌'s debut beyond spring 2026, so an iOS 26 launch could still happen.
This article, "iOS 26.4 Beta Launches Without Apple Intelligence Siri Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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