Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Apple will allow millions of app developers to access its artificial intelligence models for the first time, as the tech group looks to capitalise on its vast hardware and software ecosystem to give it an edge over its competitors.
Yet the iPhone maker took a cautious approach to its annual developer event on Monday, unveiling a makeover to its operating systems and incremental new AI software features, while steering away from the blockbuster announcements that have characterised previous conferences.
Chief executive Tim Cook said the company was looking to “harness the power of Apple Intelligence”, referring to an AI overhaul of its software first announced at last year’s event.
Developers will be able to test the new software features starting on June 9, while a full rollout for consumers will follow in the autumn, Cook said. The AI features are only available on recent models of the iPhone.
Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi said opening its AI models to third parties would “ignite a whole new wave of intelligent experiences in the apps users rely on every day”.
The models run locally on Apple’s devices, meaning they do not need to access a cloud server or a network connection — something the company has emphasised as a significant privacy and security benefit.
Federighi gave the example of a puzzle app building a personalised quiz for a user based on the notes on their device, or a hiking app choosing a trail for a user based on their personal preferences when they do not have reception.
Access to Apple’s AI models will initially be limited to the smaller ones that work locally on its devices and are optimised for features such as summarising text.
Analysts have long questioned how Apple might integrate and eventually monetise AI features in its App Store business, which brought more than $30bn in revenue for the company in 2024, according to Bank of America estimates. One way could involve apps offering “premium” AI features for which Apple takes a cut, as it at present does on digital purchases through the App Store.
Apple is also introducing live AI translation of calls and messages using models running locally on the user’s device, as well as a number of other incremental updates such as allowing its “Visual Search” feature to engage with content on a user’s screen.
Visual Search functions will now allow a user to tap into Apple’s models to quickly add an event on their screen to their calendar, or direct them to a third-party app that offers a product they are looking at in an image. Competitor Samsung unveiled a similar “circle to search” feature, powered by Google’s models, early last year.
Separately, Apple is overhauling and unifying the look of its different operating systems in what it calls its “broadest software design update ever”. It uses an aesthetic known as “Liquid Glass”, inspired by the Vision Pro operating system.
Investors are concerned that Apple risks falling behind in a technological race with the likes of Google, Samsung and Huawei to offer “AI smartphones”.
The initial Apple Intelligence rollout has hit snags, and a more advanced and conversational Siri voice assistant, announced at last year’s conference, has yet to be rolled out. On Monday there was no mention of the updated Siri, widely seen as crucial to opening true “agentic” AI abilities on the iPhone.
The company is also facing setbacks in China because of geopolitical uncertainties that have prevented it from rolling out the features in a key market, where it is already losing market share to local rivals.
Apple shares ended 1.2 per cent lower on Monday.
“We note that expansion into China and the availability of certain Apple Intelligence features” [such as an upgraded Siri] were not announced,” UBS analysts wrote following the presentation, saying the announced features were “in line with our more modest expectations”.
Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush who has been bullish on the potential for Apple to be a leader in AI, described the event as a “yawner,” saying the company was “playing it safe” after mis-steps last year.