Last year, at WWDC 2024, Apple made a lot of noise about Siri finally getting a brain as part of Apple Intelligence. The smart assistant was due to get Personal Context capabilities to better understand you, your life, and your device. It was one of the features that I was most excited for. As you most likely know (I’ll explain more later), Apple delayed the feature.

But I was holding out hope – foolishly, it turns out – that we’d see the long-promised Personal Context feature make its way to our iPhones at WWDC 2025. Unfortunately, Apple delivered a grand total of nothing on that front. Instead, what we got was Apple VP Craig Federighi, breezing past the subject like it was an afterthought.

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You’d be forgiven for missing it. Craig’s exact words were: “We’re continuing our work to deliver the features that make Siri even more personal. This work needed more time to reach our high-quality bar, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year.” That’s it. That’s all we got. A vague nod and a promise to maybe tell us more later. Sigh.

And this one really stings because last year’s WWDC sold me a dream. A Siri that finally understood who I am, what I do, who I talk to, and could actually act like a digital assistant instead of a glorified voice search box. I bought into the idea that Siri would start understanding my routine, messaging habits, and – dare I say – be helpful. But that dream is now lost somewhere in iCloud.

The delay was officially confirmed back in March, when Apple admitted it needed more time to work on the features. Fine. I get that. But perhaps the tech giant could have worked that out before debuting it to the world. And apparently debuting it to software teams at the same time.

Apple also shuffled leadership behind the scenes. That move alone screamed “we messed up” louder than any press release ever could. And the kicker? Bloomberg reported that the version of Siri with Personal Context was functional, just not reliable. It only got things right about two-thirds of the time. Which, while not great, is honestly probably better than current-day Siri.

It’s not just disappointing – it’s slightly embarrassing. Even Apple thinks so, having scrubbed all mentions of Personal Context from the web where it can. So here I am, still waiting for Siri to do something intelligent. At this rate, I’ll be asking her to remind me when Personal Context finally arrives. And I bet she’ll still respond with, “Sorry, I can’t help with that.”

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Connor Jewiss

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around nine years now across the web and in print too. Connor has attended the biggest tech expos, including CES, MWC, and IFA – with contributions as a judge on panels at them. He's also been interviewed as a technology expert on TV and radio by national news outlets including France24. Connor has experience with most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he's a fan of gadgets of all sorts. Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup and venture capital scene, which puts him at the front of new and exciting tech - he is always on the lookout for innovative products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home