Apple is preparing to open Siri to competing artificial intelligence services in iOS 27, ending the exclusive arrangement it has held with OpenAI's ChatGPT since 2024. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported the plans Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the plans have not been announced.
Under the reported plans, chatbots including Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, Microsoft's Copilot, Perplexity, Amazon's Alexa, xAI's Grok, and Meta AI would handle Siri queries directly alongside ChatGPT for the first time. Apple would collect revenue from third-party AI subscriptions processed through the App Store under the new arrangement, Bloomberg reported. Apple has not commented publicly about the report.
The change is built around a new feature currently called "Extensions" which would allow AI chatbot apps downloaded from the App Store to connect with Siri. Apple already collects payment processing fees when users sign up for ChatGPT's paid tiers through its billing system, and the new arrangement would expand that model across every competing AI service on the platform, Bloomberg noted.
Damilare Odedina
What Apple's Reported Extensions Feature Would Do
Right now, Siri can only route queries to ChatGPT, and only when users explicitly ask for it by name. Extensions would change that by letting users choose from any AI chatbot they have installed on their device, selecting their preferred service at the point of asking, rather than Siri defaulting to one provider.
Users would need the relevant chatbot app already installed on their device for it to appear as a selectable option. A new section of the App Store would let users discover and add additional AI services from within the Siri settings menu.
The reported system is expected to work across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. It remains unclear whether Apple would allow any AI app to join Extensions or whether there would be a specific approval process, Bloomberg noted.
Beyond Extensions, Apple is also reportedly developing a standalone Siri app, testing Dynamic Island integration for the upgraded assistant, and working on a merger of Siri with the iPhone's Spotlight search function.
How Gemini and ChatGPT Would Work Inside iOS 27 Siri
Alphabet shares fell 3.4% to close at $280.92 on Thursday following Bloomberg's report. The decline reflects a narrower concern than a complete loss of Google's position inside Apple's software, because Google's relationship with Apple in iOS 27 runs deeper than the Extensions feature alone.
Apple has been separately working with Google to rebuild the underlying technology powering Siri using Gemini's AI models, an arrangement that is entirely distinct from Extensions. Gurman described the difference directly: "The change is separate from Apple's work with Google to rebuild Siri using Gemini models. That arrangement is related to the underlying Apple technology for Siri. The new so-called Extensions system, meanwhile, would allow users to process requests via the actual Gemini service, assuming Google enables its app to do so."
Through Extensions, the Gemini app would compete as one of several chatbots users could select for Siri queries. The separate Google model arrangement relates to the technology powering Siri's core infrastructure, and that deal remains unaffected by the Extensions announcement.
Apple's Siri Overhaul Is Two Years Behind Schedule
The iOS 27 changes are part of a broader attempt to recover ground in artificial intelligence, an area where Apple has lagged behind its peers, Bloomberg reported. Features Apple announced for a more capable version of Siri at WWDC 2024 under iOS 18 have not been delivered. Those features are now expected to ship with iOS 27, a delay of roughly two years, according to MacRumors. Apple has committed to delivering them before the end of 2026, with its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8 as the formal announcement date.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
