according to the latest report by bloomberg reporter mark gurman, apple plans to allow users to choose third-party ai models to power various on-device ai features in the ios 27, ipados 27, and macos 27 updates scheduled for this fall. this means that for tasks such as text generation and image editing, users will be able to flexibly select from a range of external models.
apple launched the apple intelligence platform as early as 2024, but so far it has only offered chatgpt as the sole third-party option for features like siri and the writing tools. in march of this year, gurman reported that apple was exploring replacing chatgpt in siri with other chatbots, and this upcoming system update will further expand that choice to include more ai capabilities. sources familiar with the matter say apple has already conducted internal integration tests with google and anthropic, and the ios update will enable users to select from ai model service providers whose offerings have been approved through the app store.
in the ios 27 beta, apple refers to this capability as “extensions,” allowing users to pick their preferred underlying ai model via the settings app. developers have already spotted a relevant prompt in the beta: “extensions let you access generative ai capabilities from installed apps on demand through apple intelligence features like siri, the writing tools, and image playground.” apple is also preparing to create a dedicated section in the app store to showcase compatible third-party ai apps, while continuing to offer its own in-house models and reminding users that the company is not responsible for content generated by third-party models.
this shift will break openai’s exclusive dominance. gurman notes that after apple integrated chatgpt, actual usage fell short of both companies’ expectations, and disagreements between the two have intensified—openai is actively poaching engineers from apple to develop ai hardware. in addition, apple will allow users to choose different voices for siri to distinguish between internal and external models. as part of the update, apple will roll out a completely revamped version of siri accompanied by a standalone app; other changes include a siri mode in the camera app and new ai-powered editing tools in the photos app. an apple spokesperson declined to comment on these developments.
