Apple will roll out its upgraded AI-powered Siri this fall, but only certain iPhone models will receive the feature. Older devices will be left without access to the intelligence upgrades.
Apple's redesigned Siri with advanced AI capabilities will launch this fall as part of iOS 18.1, but the company is restricting access to recent iPhone models.
The new Siri leverages Apple Intelligence, the company's on-device AI system, requiring significant processing power and neural engine capabilities. This limits availability to:
- iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models
- iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Select older Pro models with sufficient hardware specs
What's changing
The upgraded Siri will understand context better, handle more complex requests, and integrate deeper with Apple's ecosystem. Users can interact with Siri through natural language, and the system will process information on-device for privacy.
Apple has emphasized that Apple Intelligence features process most data locally on the device rather than sending information to servers, distinguishing its approach from competitors.
The exclusion impact
Users with iPhone 15, iPhone 14, and earlier standard models won't receive the new Siri this year. They'll continue using the current version of Siri with existing capabilities.
This marks a departure from Apple's typical update pattern, where major iOS features roll out across a broader range of devices. The hardware requirement reflects the computational demands of running advanced AI models locally.
Apple has indicated that additional iPhone models may gain access to Apple Intelligence features over time as optimization continues, though no timeline has been specified.
Timeline
The rollout begins in fall 2024 with iOS 18.1, initially available to Apple Developer Program members, followed by broader public release.
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