Apple is accelerating the breaking of the closed boundaries of its AI ecosystem. According to the latest industry news, Apple plans to introduce a major change in the upcoming iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 systems released this fall: allowing users to independently choose third-party AI models to power smart features on their devices according to personal needs.
This new feature, called "Extensions," means that in the future, when users perform text generation, editing, or image creation, they will no longer be limited to the default options provided by the system. Users can switch the underlying support of Apple Intelligence to other AI service providers already installed, such as Google's Gemini or Anthropic's Claude, through the settings interface.
Currently, Apple has already conducted integration tests on these third-party models. To support this shift, the App Store is expected to establish a dedicated area to showcase compatible AI applications. In addition, to help users clearly identify the source of services, Apple also plans to introduce a variety of new voice options for Siri, providing intuitive audio differentiation when using different external models.
Since the launch of Apple Intelligence in 2024, OpenAI's ChatGPT has been its only third-party partner. However, reports indicate that the actual usage of ChatGPT on Apple devices has not met expectations. Moreover, due to OpenAI's frequent recruitment of Apple engineers to develop hardware, the relationship between the two companies is subtly shifting toward competition.
In addition to opening up model selection, iOS 27 is expected to bring a more "independent" upgraded version of Siri. The new system is expected to deeply integrate Siri into the camera application, enabling intelligent recognition and recording of food labels, business cards, and event tickets. Additionally, the AI editing tools in the Photos app and the customizable credentials feature in the Wallet app will also be upgraded simultaneously.
Although Apple will continue to promote its self-developed models and will remind users in prominent positions that it is not responsible for responses generated by third parties, this move undoubtedly provides users with greater flexibility and signals that mobile AI competition will enter a new era of coexistence among multiple models.
