Internal Apple code hints improved Siri will land next spring with ‘HomePad’ hub

Macworld

Apple first unveiled Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024 with the promise of transforming Siri into a far more capable, contextual assistant. But as 2025 comes to an end, those headline features are still nowhere to be seen. The new contextual Siri is one of the most anticipated features of Apple Intelligence, and it has yet to be released.

Now, Macworld has found new evidence suggesting that the long-delayed Siri overhaul is set to arrive next spring. Internal Apple code from a leaked build of iOS 26 seen by Macworld references components tied directly to the revamped Siri experience, confirming that development is ongoing and advancing.

According to the code, Apple has long been targeting spring 2026, likely coinciding with the release iOS 26.4, as the window for rolling out the contextual version of Siri promised nearly two years ago.

‘HomePad’ at last

This upgraded Siri is expected to behave very differently from the assistant we know today. Instead of relying solely on predefined voice commands, the new Siri will reportedly be able to understand what the user is doing on their device. This includes things like what’s on the screen and which apps are open.

Interestingly, the leaked iOS 26 code also points to something else: the new Siri won’t be exclusive to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Macworld identified references indicating that Apple is bringing the new Siri experience to at least one smart home device, with the most likely candidate being the long-rumored “HomePad.”

According to references in the code, users should be able to have natural conversations with Siri and even access features such as contextual reminders right from Apple’s new smart home hub. This aligns with our earlier report about the HomePad (codenamed J490) having the A18 chip inside, which is capable of running Apple Intelligence features.

Of course, as this information is based on internal code from an early build of iOS 26, Apple’s plans could still change.

For now, the company is gearing up to release iOS 26.2 to the public within the coming days. While the update doesn’t have any new Apple Intelligence features, it does come with some improvements, such as a new slider to adjust Liquid Glass on the Lock Screen and automatic chapters in the Podcasts app.