Apple is making one of the most significant strategic pivots in Siri’s history. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, iOS 27 will introduce an Extensions system that allows third-party AI chatbots โ including Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT โ to integrate directly with Siri. The change is expected to be announced at the WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, with iOS 27 shipping in fall 2026.
How the Extensions System Works
Currently, Siri can only hand queries off to ChatGPT โ a specific bilateral deal Apple struck with OpenAI as part of the Apple Intelligence launch in 2024. The Extensions framework replaces that model entirely. Instead of negotiating one-off deals with individual AI providers, Apple is building a standardized integration layer:
- Users install a preferred AI chatbot app from the App Store โ Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, or others
- A dedicated Extensions menu in Apple Intelligence and Siri settings lets users enable or disable which installed AI agents can interact with Siri
- Queries can then be routed to the user’s chosen AI directly from within Siri, via voice or text, across iPhone, iPad, and Mac
- Apple will link to a dedicated App Store section for discovering and installing compatible AI services
Test versions of iOS 27 already contain the system, with text reading: “Extensions allow agents from installed apps to work with Siri.”
Two Separate Things: Extensions vs. Gemini-Powered Siri
It’s worth being precise about what’s happening here, because there are actually two distinct AI initiatives running in parallel at Apple. The Extensions framework โ which lets Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT apps process specific user queries โ is separate from Apple’s deeper partnership with Google to rebuild Siri’s core intelligence using Gemini models. That arrangement affects Siri’s underlying technology. Extensions affect which external apps users can route specific requests to. They operate at different layers of the stack.
Why Apple Is Making This Move
The strategic reasoning is multifaceted. Apple has been criticized for falling behind competitors in AI assistant quality โ Siri’s limitations compared to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are widely documented. Rather than betting that any single internal or partner model can compete across every category, Apple is repositioning the iPhone as an AI platform and distribution channel rather than an AI model provider.
There’s also a clear revenue angle. Apple plans to collect its standard App Store commission on third-party AI subscriptions purchased through the Extensions ecosystem โ applying the same proven model it uses for streaming apps, games, and software subscriptions to the rapidly growing AI subscription market. For Apple, this turns a competitive weakness (Siri’s AI quality) into a distribution moat.
What It Means for Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT
For AI providers, distribution through Siri Extensions is a meaningful opportunity โ and a meaningful concession. Access to Siri’s user base across a billion-plus Apple devices is enormous. But Apple’s standard 15โ30% commission on subscriptions is a real cost, and routing queries through Siri means Apple sits between the AI provider and the user at the interface level.
OpenAI loses its exclusive position but gains broader integration. Anthropic and Google gain distribution they didn’t previously have on Apple devices. The net effect accelerates adoption of all major AI assistants on iPhone โ which benefits the category as a whole even as it intensifies competition within it.
What’s Still Unclear
Apple has not officially confirmed the Extensions system, and several important questions remain unanswered ahead of WWDC. How will user privacy be maintained when queries are routed to third-party servers? Will the handoff between Siri and external AI be seamless, or will users need to explicitly specify which AI they want per query? And how will Apple handle cases where multiple Extensions are installed โ will Siri decide which one handles a given request, or will users always choose manually?
Conclusion
If the Bloomberg reporting holds, iOS 27 will mark the moment Apple stopped trying to win the AI race with a single model and started trying to own the platform through which everyone else’s models reach iPhone users. That’s a meaningfully different strategy โ and one that could reshape how AI assistants reach consumers faster than any individual model launch. Browse our directory to explore Claude, Gemini, and every other AI assistant that stands to gain distribution through Siri Extensions.
