Apple is developing a framework that would let AI agents carry out tasks inside third-party apps distributed through the App Store, according to reports published in mid-May 2026, a move that would bring the company directly into the competition over AI assistants that act rather than merely answer.
The competition among large technology companies has moved beyond chatbots to agents: systems that can open apps, move between them and complete multistep jobs on a user’s behalf. OpenAI, Google and Anthropic have all shipped agent products over the past year. Apple, by contrast, has appeared cautious, and its long-promised Siri overhaul slipped repeatedly through 2025.
What the reports describe
According to the reports, the framework would allow an agent, whether Siri or a third-party assistant, to work across a user’s calendar, email, messaging, shopping and other apps, but only within Apple’s privacy and security rules and inside an environment the company controls. That approach is consistent with Apple’s App Intents system, which already lets developers expose app functions to Siri and Shortcuts, and with its practice of processing sensitive requests on device or through its Private Cloud Compute servers.
The reports also said some large Chinese developers, including Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, were wary of the plan. Their concern, as described, is that if Apple’s AI systems become the main way users reach apps, Apple could charge commissions or fees on transactions routed through Siri, much as the App Store does today. Apple has not commented on the reports.
WWDC on June 8
At the time, attention was focused on Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled for June 8, where the company was expected to show a rebuilt Siri, the AI features of iOS 27 and possibly details of the agent framework.
Apple did use the event to unveil what it called the next generation of Apple Intelligence and a new Siri capable of acting across apps, built on Apple’s own foundation models with support from Google’s Gemini. In its developer sessions the following day, Apple outlined new tools for making apps accessible to the assistant. Analysts noted, however, that third-party app integration was still limited at launch and would depend on developers adopting the new frameworks over the following months.
