Apple is testing new features for its Siri assistant with popular apps — including Uber, Facebook and YouTube — that would make it possible to use third-party app features with voice commands, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The testing is being done with the goal of releasing a revamped Siri in the spring of 2026 that uses Apple’s App Intents to expand what Siri can do outside of Apple’s own OS and first-party apps. For instance, people might be able to post Instagram comments or make purchases using only their voice, something Siri can’t yet do with most apps that Apple didn’t develop itself, according to the report.
A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple showed off a demo of this type of functionality last year, but the overhaul might not arrive until 2027. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, there are some internal doubts among Apple engineers as to whether the functionality will work well enough, especially in apps where mistakes could be costly or harmful, such as health or banking apps.
Gurman points out that if the company gets it right, it would be a major feature that could give Apple, “a new, voice-first interface… it could potentially be a hit that many users didn’t see coming,” he writes.
Creeping competition
Even if Apple succeeds in revamping Siri with new features that customers find to be a big improvement, the company will be doing so under pressure from competitors on the artificial intelligence front.
“Apple should be worried, and it appears they are,” says Vikas Sharma, senior director of patent services at Quandary Peak Research. “ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Alexa are all ahead of Siri in the AI race.”
Sharma expressed doubts that a spring 2026 release would include everything users might expect from a major Siri revamp. “At this point, there’s no update on any exciting upcoming capabilities, so the release may end up being incremental rather than revolutionary,” Sharma says.
But if Apple can work its magic and make good on some of the features that it gave a glimpse of last year, the effects could be profound.
“Imagine booking rides, flights, cars and hotels seamlessly through third-party apps; ordering from Amazon; sharing files through Slack/email; or finding emails with specific attachments, all through voice commands,” says Sharma. “With these capabilities, Siri could become a true AI assistant.’
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