Apple’s revamped Siri is no alpha
Despite spending the last few years in the cooker, Apple’s major Siri overhaul may not even be (technically) ready by the time iOS 27 ships. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said as much in his weekly Power On newsletter, alongside the earth-shattering news that Genmoji was due an upgrade. Screw Siri and focus on the big stuff, Apple.
Gurman reckons that the revamped Siri experience, which Apple first began punting back in 2024, will launch alongside iOS 27 but, notably, with a big ‘beta’ label attached. “Given that we’re only a month out from WWDC, there is a strong chance that this approach will be used in developer beta versions and even when iOS 27 ships this fall,” Gurman wrote. Sound familiar? Apple originally slapped a beta tag on Siri when it launched in 2011.
It took two years for Apple to remove the thing with the release of iOS 7. Apple, it seems, won’t have the same time here. As the competition drives the space forward, Apple is left to chow down on their fumes. This revamped Siri may even deliver on the Fruit Company’s initial promises, thanks to Google doing all the work.
When it does arrive — June’s WWDC seems a likely option — it’ll bring auto-deleting chats along for the ride. Within the Siri app, users will have the option to keep messages for 30 days, a year, or forever. This is just one part of Apple’s stab at conversational AI, which reportedly emphasises privacy — more than the competition.
Bolt will finally live up to its name in South Africa
One of South Africa’s larger ride-hailing services, Bolt, is getting an upgrade. Rather than chauffeur customers around with a traditional engine, Bolt will use a fleet of new EVs, starting first in Cape Town. The Estonian-based company has teamed up with Dongfeng to make it happen, specifically using the ‘Box’ hatchback and 007 sedan.
“With the investment we are making, and the platform we are building, South Africa remains a strong strategic priority for us,” said Simo Kalajdzic, manager of Bolt’s local operations.
A company named Yugo Ride will manage the company’s EV fleet in South Africa. It’s easy to see why the company is placing such a large focus on an electric future, after the abomination that was May’s fuel price adjustments. A charge-up that’s cheaper than a tank of petrol may also help Bolt improve driver earnings, according to Kalajdzic.
For the time being, it’ll only be the company’s Capetonian drivers seeing the change. Bolt has opted for a more gradual rollout, eyeing the country’s still-wavering charging infrastructure before committing to a larger expansion within the country. There are easier ways to test-drive a Dongfeng, anyway.
YouTube will help creators root out their AI doppelgangers
With the advent of AI, it’s becoming easier to stick someone into a video after the fact. It’s an even bigger deal when those faces are continually being plastered over YouTube, doing things they never actually did. In an announcement, YouTube confirmed it was expanding its AI likeness detection tool beyond celebs and select creators. Instead, it’ll be given to all “eligible” creators aged eighteen and over in the coming weeks.
The tool lives inside YouTube Studio and is always on the lookout for videos that include the creator’s face that weren’t created by them. If the system detects something suspicious, it’ll show the creator the offending video and offer them the option to request the video’s deletion if it violates YouTube’s privacy policies.
Once likeness detection becomes available on your account, visit YouTube Studio and:
- From the left menu, select Content detection > Likeness > then Start now.
- Give YouTube permission to use likeness detection technology,
- Take a few minutes to complete a one-time verification process.
There’s an NBA Jam successor in the works, finally
It’s been fifteen years since NBA Jam last graced our eyes, which offered a wholly cartoonish depiction of B-ball. Now, a spiritual successor by the name of NBA The Run is bringing back the fiery nets, shaky cam, and — we hope — big heads of the best arcade basketball sim out there. There’s a trailer out now, and the game is out on 9 June.
It’s not everything we’d hoped for from the return of the 3v3 gameplay. For one thing, it looks clapped. The cel-shaded graphics may appeal to some, but they make us want to drop our eyes into a glass of bleach. As long as the gameplay is fun, though, we won’t need to be quite so dramatic. The trailer, at least, doesn’t worry us there.
You’ll be dropped into courts from all around the world, with either your own custom character or one of more than 30 real-life players, including Steph Curry, Luka Dončić, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid. There are three modes to choose from. Knockout Squads lets the player take on the role of a single player in the team. Knockout Solos lets ’em play as the whole team. Or Knockout Friends, which… well, we think you can guess.
Because it’s 2026, NBA The Run won’t launch without microtransactions, evidenced by the game’s $40 (R665) deluxe edition, which adds three playable characters and a bit of spending money. Regular folk can likely get by just fine with the standard, $30 (R500) edition when it launches next month. See you on the court.
