Siri 2.0 Skips the First iOS 26.5 Beta as All Eyes Shift Toward ‘Campo’ and iOS 27
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With iOS 26.4 now available to the public, Apple kicked off the iOS 26.5 beta cycle this week with the first developer beta. However, contrary to what many were hoping for, the initial test release doesn’t include any new Siri functionality, making it look more likely that we won’t see any of the promised features until the release of iOS 27.
While Apple had reportedly planned on adding new Siri features in iOS 26.4, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in February that the Cupertino company was going to miss that self-imposed deadline, due to development and testing issues. While Apple is much further ahead than it was last year, when many expected the promised improvements to arrive in iOS 18.4, the company is still said to be running into unforeseen problems getting Siri fully ready for prime time. In testing, the voice assistant often improperly processes queries and takes too long to respond to requests. As a result, Gurman said Apple would likely postpone some or all of the new Siri features until iOS 26.5 or iOS 27.
At the time of Gurman’s comments, Apple engineers were reportedly internally testing the new Siri on iOS 26.5, and employees told Gurman that the updates included all of the Apple Intelligence Siri features Apple had promised during its June 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). However, we have yet to see any of the new features, even in yesterday’s initial beta.
As iOS 27 will be unveiled in June at WWDC 2026, it’s looking more and more like the features won’t appear until the new operating system debuts.
Last week, Gurman shared that Apple is likely to offer a standalone Siri chatbot app in iOS 27, which will include an even more advanced version of Siri that’s capable of rivalling ChatGPT and Gemini. However, that version — code-named “Campo” — was always planned for the next major release; many expected iOS 26.4 or iOS 26.5 to simply deliver what Apple promised at WWDC 2024, with a next-generation version of Siri in iOS 27 that would go beyond that.
In January, Gurman said that Apple will take Siri to the next level in iOS 27, making it a full-blown chatbot.
According to Gurman, the “Campo” app’s design will resemble Apple’s Messages app, meaning users should be more comfortable chatting with Siri in the same manner they already use to text their friends. A voice mode toggle, as well as an option to upload documents and photos for analysis by the Siri AI, meaning it will basically operate the same way ChatGPT and Gemini apps already do today.
Gurman says Apple’s development of “Siri 2.0” is much further ahead than it was last year, undoubtedly thanks to the Google Gemini deal it closed in January. The project is much more developed than the barely functioning prototype Apple was believed to have basically mocked up at WWDC 2024. While we could still see the new Apple Intelligence Siri features launch in iOS 26.5 (or iOS 26.6), we should likely look to iOS 27 to deliver those features later this year.
When Apple first unveiled Apple Intelligence and a more personalized Siri during its WWDC 2024 Keynote, it promised the new features would debut alongside an iOS 18 update in 2025. However, once spring arrived, Apple admitted that the new version of Siri was taking more time, and we wouldn’t see full functionality until 2026.
While behind-the-scenes reports indicated Apple was targeting iOS 26.4, the company has been careful not to publicly mention that update specifically, saying only that the new features will launch before the end of 2026. So, Apple would still be keeping its word even if the new features don’t show up until iOS 27.2, which is likely to arrive in December.
