Apple to lift restrictions on third-party apps using Siri
William Gallagher
A future iOS update will have Siri use whatever app a user prefers, meaning apps such as WhatsApp could effectively replace the default Apple apps.
Apple is reportedly planning to allow third-party apps to take the place of its own Messages or other software tools. It would mean specifically that if a user regularly uses WhatsApp to message a particular contact, Siri would automatically send via that app too.
The move follows recent criticism of how Apple's own apps allegedly dominate the App Store, and take default place on iPhones, iPads and through Siri.
Apple released the news in a statement to Bloomberg, which AppleInsider has confirmed is legitimate and accurate.
Apple offers our users an experience that is only possible from the integration of hardware, software, and services. From the very first iPhone, we have included apps to provide customers with a great experience right out of the box for making phone calls, playing music, surfing the web, and more.
With every generation of iPhone we have advanced the built in capabilities for our customers with a few default apps designed for great performance, long battery life, seamless integration, and industry-leading protections for security and privacy. We have also created the App Store, the safest place to get apps, so customers can choose from millions of apps to find the ones that further enhance their iPhone.
In the few categories where Apple also has an app, we have many successful competitors and we're proud that their success is responsible for almost 2 million U.S. jobs in a thriving multibillion dollar market for developers.
Our North Star is always to create the best products for our customers and that is why iPhone has the highest customer satisfaction in the industry.
The update to iOS is expected to be released later in 2019, though the functionality also requires app developers to add Siri functionality.
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15 Comments
The quoted statement and really the entire Bloomberg article don't provide any evidence that this is true. The only comment from Apple is what AI quoted here, which doesn't mention opening Siri to third-party apps at all. Why does Bloomberg think that the statement from Apple means what they think it means?
If it turns out to be true, I'm curious if it really will work the way that Bloomberg says it will. The way Bloomberg frames it Siri will automatically send a message to a specific contact using the service I typically use with that person. So, if I use Messages with friend A and WhatsApp with friend B, Siri will use the app associated with each friend accordingly. To me, that's different than "replacing the default app". If the WhatsApp replaced Messages as the default I would expect all messages to (attempt) to be sent via WhatsApp. Or maybe that's just me.
This is not news, Siri already does that via shortcuts,
The drama surrounding this Bloomberg article reminds me that B.S. is still alive and well in the states.
One would hope for Apple to have the user designate default apps. When I tap on an address Apple Maps opens. Which is quite useless over here.