Updated
Updated · Lifehacker · Sep 24
Apple Watch Siri AI Frustrates on Series 12, Taking 5 to 10 Seconds for Many Requests
Updated
Updated · Lifehacker · Sep 24

Apple Watch Siri AI Frustrates on Series 12, Taking 5 to 10 Seconds for Many Requests

3 articles · Updated · Lifehacker · Sep 24

Summary

  • Apple’s new on-wrist Siri AI often lagged, crashed, or returned weak answers in a hands-on test on an Apple Watch Series 12 after waitlist access opened.
  • Many requests took 5 to 10 seconds, and some basic tasks misfired: a 325-calorie Move goal became 320, a podcast resume request surfaced the wrong show, and the Conversations view often showed no history.
  • The watch handled a few simple commands well, including a five-minute timer, weather, calendar events, and sleep times, but it struggled to search messages and emails as accurately as the iPhone version.
  • Siri AI on Apple Watch requires Apple Intelligence on both devices—an iPhone 15 Pro or newer and a Series 9 or newer watch—yet the reviewer found regular Siri or a phone search faster for many tasks.

Insights

Is Apple's highly anticipated wrist AI actually worth the forced hardware upgrade, or just a buggy mess?
Can Apple fix Siri's embarrassing memory failures before the final smartwatch software release?
Why is Apple's smartest wearable feature currently blocked for millions of users worldwide?