Apple recently pushed back its plans for an upgraded Siri, which in turn has forced the company to postpone the launch of its rumored smart home hub. The AI-driven enhancements to Siri, initially slated for release with iOS 18.4, had been pushed back indefinitely, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. As a result, Apple’s foray into the smart home space with a dedicated device akin to Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub has also been postponed.
Apple first announced its plans for an upgraded Siri at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024, and planned to roll out these capabilities with iOS 18.4 this year, but technical difficulties have prevented the company from meeting that deadline. According to Gurman, Apple engineers have been working to fix various issues plaguing the AI-driven Siri upgrade, but persistent bugs and performance inconsistencies have hindered progress. The delay has been severe enough that Apple has now postponed the release to an unspecified date in “the coming year.” This suggests that the Siri update could be pushed beyond iOS 18.5, which is expected in May, and might not arrive until sometime in the iOS 19 development cycle, which extends into 2026 (if that is not pushed back further).
Now, the delay of Siri’s AI advancements has directly affected Apple’s rumored smart home hub, a device that was originally planned for an early 2025 release. The smart hub was intended to serve as Apple’s first dedicated smart home controller, featuring a screen for video calls, app integration, and smart home automation. Apple never officially announced the product, but reports suggest it was designed to be a smaller, more affordable alternative to an iPad, equipped with a 6-inch or 7-inch display and powered by an A18 chip. The device was expected to run a version of tvOS, support key Apple apps such as Calendar and Notes, and provide deeper integration with HomeKit and the Matter smart home standard.
Considering that Apple’s upcoming smart home hub was heavily reliant on the new Siri capabilities, it is no surprise that the delay in Siri’s upgrade has affected the smart home hub. Without the AI-driven Siri improvements, the smart hub would lack features that were meant to differentiate it from existing smart home solutions offered by Amazon and Google. Despite the delay, Apple has reportedly begun an internal testing program for the smart home hub, allowing select employees to use pre-release versions of the device at home.
The smart home hub was considered one of Apple’s most significant upcoming hardware releases, marking a shift towards more dedicated smart home products. Unlike previous HomePod models, which relied solely on voice commands, this device was expected to include touchscreen controls and enhanced AI-driven automation. The Cupertino-headquartered tech enterprise, according to reports, aims to integrate it with its ecosystem, allowing users to control appliances, conduct FaceTime calls, and interact with apps using an advanced version of Siri.
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