Siri’s Ongoing Struggles: Why Apple’s AI Still Falls Short in 2025

A Decade of Promises, But Siri Still Fails Basic Tasks

Apple recently confirmed the delay of its highly anticipated “more personalized” Siri, originally teased at WWDC 2024. While the world debates whether Apple Intelligence can compete with other AI tools, one fundamental issue remains: Siri still struggles with even the most basic questions. A recent discovery highlights that Apple’s virtual assistant cannot correctly answer a simple query like “What month is it?”—a glaring failure that has sparked frustration among users.

14 Years Later, Siri Still Can’t Get the Basics Right

The issue came to light when John Gruber of Daring Fireball pointed out a Reddit post demonstrating Siri’s inability to recognize the current month. When users asked, “What month is it?” Siri responded with, “Sorry, I don’t understand.” A similar query, “What is the current month?” led to an even stranger response: “Saturday, March 1, 2025.”

The inconsistency and inaccuracy of Siri’s responses have left Apple users baffled, especially when compared to other AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, which answer such queries effortlessly.

This isn’t just a minor glitch—it’s a reflection of Siri’s long-standing issues. When Apple first introduced Siri in 2011, it was marketed as a revolutionary voice assistant that would allow users to communicate naturally with their devices. Yet, 14 years later, Siri still struggles with fundamental queries, raising serious concerns about Apple’s AI capabilities.

The Promise of Apple Intelligence vs. Reality

At WWDC 2023, Apple promised a major AI-driven revamp of Siri, featuring deeper personalization, better context recognition, and improved natural language processing. Demos showcased Siri pulling information from personal data sources like emails, text messages, and photos, with seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem.

However, fast forward to 2025, and users have yet to see these promised features materialize. Instead of a groundbreaking AI upgrade, all Apple has delivered so far is a new Siri animation—an aesthetic tweak that does nothing to address the assistant’s core performance issues.

Many Apple fans had hoped that Apple Intelligence would finally close the gap between Siri and competitors like Google Assistant or ChatGPT. But with continued delays and Siri’s persistent struggles, faith in Apple’s AI future is dwindling.

What Undercode Says: Apple’s AI Crisis and What Needs to Change

Apple’s Siri dilemma is more than just an inconvenience—it’s a reflection of the company’s broader AI struggles. Despite its massive resources, Apple has repeatedly failed to deliver a competitive AI assistant. Here’s a deeper look into why Siri still lags behind and what Apple needs to do next.

1. Apple’s AI Approach Is Too Cautious

Unlike Google and OpenAI, which aggressively push AI innovation, Apple has been notoriously conservative. While this ensures privacy and security, it also means Apple’s AI development is slow and reactive rather than proactive. Siri’s lack of real-time updates and its reliance on outdated voice recognition models show that Apple isn’t evolving fast enough.

2. On-Device AI vs. Cloud-Based AI

Apple emphasizes privacy, which is why it prefers on-device AI processing rather than cloud-based models like ChatGPT. While this is great for security, it severely limits Siri’s capabilities. Modern AI models require vast amounts of data and real-time training, something Apple’s current approach cannot support effectively.

3. Siri Lacks a Real Competitive Edge

Voice assistants today do more than answer questions—they help automate tasks, control smart devices, and integrate with productivity tools. Google Assistant and Alexa excel in these areas, but Siri remains limited. Even basic automation in the Apple ecosystem is frustratingly inconsistent, with Siri Shortcuts requiring manual setup rather than intuitive learning.

4. Apple Intelligence Was Overpromised and Underdeveloped

At WWDC 2024, Apple marketed Apple Intelligence as a revolutionary AI shift. Yet, here we are in 2025 with no real progress. This pattern of overpromising and underdelivering damages Apple’s credibility. Instead of flashy keynote presentations, Apple needs to focus on fixing Siri’s core functionality.

5. Consumer Trust Is Declining

Apple’s ecosystem is built on user trust, but Siri’s failures are starting to erode confidence. If Apple can’t even get simple date recognition right, how can users rely on it for more complex AI-driven tasks? With Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI making rapid AI advancements, Apple risks being left behind.

6. What Apple Must Do Next

To salvage Siri’s reputation and make Apple Intelligence a success, Apple must:
– Adopt a hybrid AI model: Combine on-device processing with cloud-based AI for better intelligence.
– Release frequent updates: Move away from annual updates and deploy AI improvements in real-time.
– Improve contextual awareness: Siri should understand user behavior and adapt dynamically.
– Enhance third-party integration: Open Siri up to better app and smart home integration.

If Apple doesn’t act fast, it risks making Siri completely irrelevant in the AI-driven future.

Fact Checker Results

Siri’s month recognition issue is real – Multiple reports confirm that Siri struggles to answer date-related questions accurately.
Apple Intelligence is delayed – Apple has not yet released its promised AI upgrades for Siri, despite showcasing them in 2024.
Competitor AI assistants perform better – Google Assistant, ChatGPT, and Gemini consistently outperform Siri in answering basic and complex queries.

Apple has spent over a decade refining Siri, but recent failures show that it’s still not where it needs to be. Whether Apple Intelligence can turn things around remains to be seen.

References:

Reported By: https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/19/siri-cant-answer-what-month-is-it
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