Apple seeks to integrate AI agents into the App Store, Siri revamp bets on Google Gemini
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AI agents are forcing Apple to rethink the fundamental logic of the App Store.
According to The Information, Apple is exploring ways to integrate AI agents into the App Store. Meanwhile, Apple is set to unveil a heavily revamped Siri next month at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)—this new version will be powered by Google’s Gemini model and will be capable of executing complex tasks across apps.
The rise of AI agents has left Apple in a dilemma: blocking them risks angering developers; allowing them could upend the App Store’s review system.
The App Store is one of Apple’s most important cash cows. According to analytics firm Appfigures, Apple's global App Store commission revenue is estimated to reach $50 billion in 2025, up 20% year-over-year. This revenue is not something Apple can easily risk.
Why AI agents are giving Apple a headache
AI agents, simply put, are AI programs capable of autonomously completing complex tasks on behalf of users—for example, automatically booking flights, replying to emails, coordinating across multiple apps.
The problem is that the behavior of such agents fundamentally conflicts with Apple's existing rules.
The App Store's review mechanism is built on the logic of “one app, one set of rules”. However, AI agents can dynamically generate new mini-programs during operation to complete tasks—meaning the reviewed app could actually “grow” new functions on a user's phone, completely bypassing the review process.
This is not just a technical issue, but also a regulatory loophole. Apple is concerned about: malicious software, bypassing commissions, loss of user data control.
According to insiders cited in reports, Apple’s internal team is designing a new system aimed at setting boundaries for AI agent behavior while preserving privacy and security standards—to prevent runaway cases like "OpenClaw" (a system that once had an agent automatically delete all user emails).
Currently, Apple has blocked the “vibe coding” tool (an AI-assisted coding tool) from entering the App Store for policy violations. But according to reports, most developers use such tools on desktop computers, so Apple’s restrictions on mobile have limited impact.
New Siri: Betting on Gemini, can it turn the tide?
The new Siri is the core of Apple’s AI strategy this time.
This version will be powered by Google’s Gemini model and can process tasks across apps, such as directly extracting flight arrival times from emails. Apple has started reaching out to developers, inviting them to integrate booking, calendar invites, and other functions into the new Siri and Apple Intelligence ecosystem.
There’s a convoluted internal history behind this.
As early as 2023, a team within Apple’s software division called “Proactive Intelligence” began secretly testing—connecting an internal version of Siri directly to ChatGPT, bypassing the entire original Siri architecture. This allowed Siri, for the first time, to understand and execute complex instructions.
This demo impressed Apple software chief Craig Federighi, and the project was approved for further development, becoming an early prototype for Apple Intelligence. To maintain secrecy, the team was even moved out of Apple’s main campus to a satellite office in Cupertino.
But by spring 2025, Apple announced Siri's upgrade was postponed—due to internal disagreements over model technology roadmaps. At last year’s developer conference, Apple almost avoided the AI topic entirely.
According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to allow users to choose their preferred AI models (no longer limited to OpenAI) for some iOS 27 functions such as writing tools and image generation.
Developer Concerns: The Commission Shadow
Apple wants developers to integrate with the new Siri, but not all developers are on board.
The core concern is singular: money.
Some developers worry that once their apps are interoperable with Siri, Apple will have new reasons to charge commissions. Apple tells developers that there will be no charges in the early stages, but hasn't ruled out fees in the future.
Apple is actively courting Chinese developers like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent to integrate with the new Siri. But according to employees at these companies, negotiations are slow and developers are wary of commission issues.
Apple’s collaboration with OpenAI also serves as a cautionary tale. After ChatGPT was integrated into iOS, it was actually “hidden” deep in system settings, meaning users rarely found it on their own—leaving OpenAI disappointed. Apple also limited ChatGPT’s permissions, not allowing it to access user calendars or emails.
Platform Battle: App Store or “Agent Store”?
A longer-term question is: will AI agents make the App Store itself less important?
Former Apple Siri engineer Igor Naverniouk (who left in December 2025 and co-founded startup Oscar Kilo) directly articulated the industry’s ultimate vision:
"AI agents are the Holy Grail—everyone’s chasing it. Whoever achieves it, wins. Think about the billions spent on app stores. If you could just tell your phone ‘do this for me’ and never install an app again, wouldn’t that be great? That’s the hope."
But some believe Apple may not be the loser in this transformation.
Sophia Velastegui, who led AI initiatives at Microsoft and worked on Apple’s platform architecture, says:
"There will be millions of agents in the future. How do you know which is good? Which is safe? I think there’s a huge opportunity here—to become the ‘Agent Store’."
Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed similar confidence on last month’s earnings call, saying Apple is “attracting developers and researchers to use our products as a powerful platform for building and running agent AI, thanks to our unique combination of performance efficiency and on-device capabilities.”
Next month’s WWDC will be a crucial moment for Apple to prove this vision to the market.
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