Apple’s Siri Isn’t Just Going to Use One Chatbot. It’s Going to Use All of Them
Siri will let users choose their AI chatbot, ending OpenAI's exclusive deal and opening a new App Store revenue stream.
Apple is fundamentally changing its AI strategy by opening Siri up to multiple third-party chatbots. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is forgoing an exclusive partnership with OpenAI to introduce a new 'Extensions' feature in the upcoming iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. This feature, expected to be announced at WWDC in June, will let users download their preferred chatbot's app and set it as Siri's primary AI model within the Apple Intelligence settings. This ends the exclusive, non-monetary deal with OpenAI that began in 2024, which gave Apple instant chatbot functionality and OpenAI massive user access.
Apple's shift is a strategic play to drive subscriptions through the App Store, where it can collect commissions of up to 30%. While users can choose Claude or ChatGPT as their primary provider, Google's Gemini retains a deep integration, reportedly handling specific Siri tasks as part of a separate $1 billion deal. This multi-model approach serves as a crucial short-term fix for Apple, which has faced significant delays and internal strife in developing its own capable large language model for Siri. The move allows Apple to immediately offer a smarter AI assistant while building a new revenue stream and avoiding being locked into a single AI provider.
- Siri's new 'Extensions' feature in iOS 27 will let users choose between OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini.
- Apple ends its exclusive, $0 deal with OpenAI to create a new App Store subscription channel, taking up to a 30% commission.
- Google's Gemini maintains a key role via a separate $1B deal, handling specific Siri tasks even if users choose a different primary chatbot.
Why It Matters
This democratizes AI access on iPhones, creates a major new App Store revenue model, and reduces platform risk for Apple.