Apple just updated your iPhone with new features – but you have to wait a bit longer for new AI Siri

iPhone users rejoice! There's a new software update which has arrived for Apple's handsets, which brings another significant suite of upgrades to the phones.

iOS 26.3 is the third major update in the iOS 26 family, and brings a handful of noteworthy changes. That includes a new way to switch between Android phone and iPhone, which should make the process of switching between ecosystems much easier.

Elsewhere, the update brings about some more minor tweaks to the Astronomy and Weather wallpaper gallery. If you're thinking that it seems like a more modest update, remember that we've already seen another pair of 26.x updates, which brought other changes in their wake.

However, there is one notable thing missing from the release. Apple's long-overdue AI-powered Siri was widely expected to arrive here, but there is no sign of it.

That was first announced at WWDC back in June 2024, and the subsequent period of almost two years has seen no end of pushbacks. Recently, it was announced that the feature would arrive powered by Google Gemini, rather than Apple's in-house Intelligence service.

AI-powered Siri hits another stumbling block

According to a new report by The Verge, the features in question have been delayed once more. Those are said to be coming in later versions like iOS 26.5, and even in the iOS 27 update.

The latter is a big deal, because iOS 27 is likely to only be mentioned at WWDC, with a full release later in the Autumn alongside new iPhone models.

That would mean some features will take more than two years from first announcement to final unveiling, which is a timeframe ill at ease with how Apple likes to work. The brand is more commonly known for only bringing things to market when they're good and ready, and this mishap seems to have cost the brand a lot in terms of reputation.

After a succession of recent mis-steps – Apple Vision Pro, Liquid Glass legibility issues and more – it feels like the brand really could use a win here. Each time it gets pushed further back, the pressure mounts even more, and the need for this upgrade to prove itself becomes greater and greater.

We'll be keeping a very close eye on proceedings over the next few months.