Prioritize Progress: Apple Must Revamp Siri Before Redesigning iOS

With Apple’s recent series of hardware launches wrapped up, last week brought some updates regarding software. The company publicly confirmed it was postponing the enhanced, more personalized version of Siri, which is set to be driven by Apple Intelligence. Shortly after, speculation arose that Apple is planning a significant visual overhaul of its software platforms, namely iOS 19 and macOS 16, which are anticipated to be unveiled at WWDC in June.

The sources behind this redesign speculation are reputable. Jon Prosser shared a video on his YouTube channel Front Page Tech back in January, indicating that he encountered a revamped Camera app for the upcoming version of iOS with numerous interface adjustments that made it resemble a visionOS application. He believes that Apple would not revamp a fundamental app like Camera without making corresponding changes to other parts of the OS.

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reported on that, stating that iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 “will significantly alter the appearance of the operating systems and enhance the consistency of Apple’s various software platforms.” He explicitly mentioned visionOS, which operates Apple’s premium ($3,500) Vision Pro headset, as a source of inspiration for the refreshed design.

There is certainly potential in this rumor. Although visionOS doesn’t appear significantly different from Apple’s other software, it would make sense for the company to unify visual styles across all its platforms and devices, as has been its custom. However, given the current struggles with the rollout of Apple Intelligence and the postponement of the new Siri (which seems to represent the most impactful enhancement the company could offer), simply applying a new visual layer to iOS and macOS might be seen as a diversion at best and a sign of misguided priorities at worst.

The holdup regarding a more intelligent Siri represents a substantial setback for Apple’s AI plans. Since it was first unveiled at WWDC 2024, it’s been the primary factor that would encourage me to upgrade my device to one compatible with Apple Intelligence. The promise is of an assistant that comprehensively understands the applications on your device and can leverage them more effectively on your behalf; for instance, it could automatically incorporate addresses into a contact entry. Another scenario Apple demonstrated involved requesting Siri to locate an image of your driver’s license, extract the ID number, and fill it into a form you’re completing. Additionally, it would show a better awareness of your screen content and enhance natural language comprehension.

That’s merely a promise at this point. Apple analyst John Gruber, who usually maintains a rather optimistic perspective on the company, didn’t hold back in criticizing the company harshly for the Siri delay. He mentioned that during WWDC 2024, he and other press members witnessed controlled demonstrations of Apple Intelligence features, yet no evidence of a smarter Siri was presented — everything shown were promotional materials illustrating what it could accomplish. In hindsight, Gruber refers to a more capable Siri as nothing more than “vaporware.” “They were attributes Apple claimed existed, which they asserted would be available in the following year, and which they depicted effectively during the signature ‘Siri, when is my mom’s flight landing?’ segment of the WWDC keynote itself,” he states. “Apple was either unwilling or unable to showcase those features in practice back in June, even though Apple product marketing representatives conducted the demonstrations from a prepared script using designated devices.”

Apple’s presentation of Siri at WWDC 2024 is available above.

This paints a negative picture for Apple, especially when Bloomberg released an article detailing the chaos within the Siri team following the announcement of delays. The article stated that Apple’s senior director Robby Walker convened an all-hands meeting for the Siri crew, stating that the delays are “ugly and embarrassing,” and that the decision to unveil these features prematurely exacerbated the problems. While it’s fair to note that Apple has delivered a few updates to Siri since the fall (notably the ChatGPT integration), these changes have not drastically addressed the assistant’s most evident shortcomings.

Moreover, Gurman’s insiders suggest that we might not see these features until 2026 at the earliest, well after the release of iOS 19. Considering all this, the rumors of a redesign seem like an attempt to distract from the fundamental issues with Apple Intelligence overall and the postponements surrounding a critically important feature.

The timing also feels peculiar. While Apple hasn’t undertaken a full-scale redesign of iOS since the debut of iOS 7 back in 2013, the company has consistently introduced incremental yet significant updates and refinements each year, culminating in software that has become much more customizable and sophisticated than over a decade ago. Since iOS 14 in 2020, Apple incorporated home and lock screen widgets, substantial customization options for lock screen visuals, and introduced the innovative idea of not being restricted to a rigid grid for app alignment. The capability to alter icon colors to match the background or to tweak them individually (light or dark) has also been added. All of these enhancements have made iOS significantly more visually customizable than ever before.

While Android has provided such features for years, I’m not suggesting that Apple deserves accolades for being a champion of user liberty. However, it’s evident from these changes that Apple is increasingly willing to allow users more flexibility in how their devices appear. Given these modifications, along with various smaller visual enhancements made over the years, it’s reasonable to assert that the design philosophy of iOS 18 has developed significantly from the stark and sudden transformation of iOS 7.

Regarding macOS, Apple has implemented several significant visual updates over the last decade. In 2014, OS X Yosemite transferred the flatter design concept from iOS 7, eliminating skeuomorphic features that had previously been prevalent in both iOS and Mac. Apple continued making adjustments in the years following before executing another major visual redesign with macOS Big Sur in 2020. This version marked the initial OS that supported Apple’s M-series Macs, leading to the rebranding from OS X to macOS alongside the fresh design.

While I was initially doubtful about a major visual update for macOS, I’m slightly taken aback to realize that it has been almost five years since Big Sur launched — perhaps we are overdue for a visual refresh. Recently, Apple has aimed to maintain alignment across its platforms, both in features and appearance. It’s not difficult to envision designers striving to unify aesthetics across platforms once more.

Since the user interface represents the primary means by which we interact with these devices, a design update can certainly reinvigorate the experience, even if the functionality remains relatively unchanged. And with a smarter Siri not on the horizon for WWDC this year, a fresh visual approach might be Apple’s best strategy to refresh the appeal of its forthcoming software updates. However, I don’t intend to imply that the team responsible for the visual design of Apple’s platforms should abandon their focus to hastily deliver a better Siri — surely, the expertise and priorities of these two teams differ completely. Nevertheless, Apple must confront the undeniable issue surrounding Siri more directly than ever before attempting to promote a new design.