WWDC 2026's keynote address was packed, and it's clear that Apple Intelligence was the real star of the show. After essentially skipping over AI at WWDC 2026, Apple's pushing artificial intelligence harder than ever — and every Apple device you have is going to be involved. But there's one long-rumored AI feature that was noticeably absent.
I'm talking about Siri Extensions, a feature that technically already launched in 2024 in order to link Apple's assistant with ChatGPT. However, rumors suggested that Apple could open this feature to other AI chatbots and let users choose which one they actually use. Sadly, if this is something Apple is working on, it's not divulging any details just yet.
How Siri Extensions would work
The idea behind Extensions is to natively link AI chatbots into iOS and Siri's voice controls. This effectively hands off certain AI features to a third-party service, without sacrificing the convenience of native voice controls.
Reports suggested that Apple was working on adding support for Google Gemini and Anthropic's Claude. However, other rumors suggested that Apple could launch a whole new area of the App Store, specifically designed to let people download their own choice of chatbot and integrate it with Siri controls.
This means that just about any AI company could submit its chatbot to the App Store and let users integrate it with Siri on their own devices. So if you really wanted Meta AI, Alexa, Grok, or Copilot running on your iPhone, then it might be an option in the near future.
If reports are accurate, Extensions would effectively supersede Siri and take control over different Apple Intelligence features on your phone. Features like Writing Tools and Image Playground have been cited as examples of how this would work. It's also claimed that you can use these third-party services for more generic chatbot features, as is currently possible with ChatGPT, provided you specify which AI you actually want to use.
It's another way for Apple to emphasize user choice
Back in the day, Apple was not exactly known for letting people choose the way things were done. Instead, it felt more like a "you'll get what you're given, and that's final," while Android was more of a bastion of user freedom. Things have changed a lot, and these days iOS is a lot more flexible in what you can do — even if the walled garden is still standing tall.
So far, AI has been a very different story. With no dedicated AI of its own, thanks to the various longstanding issues involved with transforming regular Siri into Siri AI, Apple forged a deal with OpenAI and ChatGPT to fill that void. In simple terms, Apple outsourced AI chatbot support and ensured users had access to more robust AI features if they wanted them.
This was a good thing for iPhone users, and meant the platform wouldn't be outpaced by Android rivals in the ongoing AI arms race. Though admittedly, this wasn't such a good deal for people who weren't happy having ChatGPT as their chatbot of choice.
This is why Siri Extensions are such an important thing for Apple to add to iOS in the near future. With the sheer number of AI services out there, there are guaranteed to be people who would prefer to have native access to other services, and it makes sense to make sure they're happy.
Android already does this, after all, and there's little reason why Apple shouldn't give its users the same benefit. This could also mean being able to earn a slice of extra revenue when iPhone users sign up for AI subscriptions via the App Store, which is an additional boon for Apple.
There are other factors to consider
There is the issue of privacy, of course, as Apple was keen to point out during the WWDC 2026 keynote. While different chatbots do offer privacy options, they're typically not easy to find and are rarely switched on by default — which is why it's doing things differently with Siri AI.
That's definitely going to be a point of contention if Siri Extensions make it to a future version of iOS 27. But as long as Apple makes users aware that they're handing over their data to a third-party company, there shouldn't be any reason why they can't give users that choice. We are all adults, after all, and I would be surprised if chatbots are allowed on one of those new Apple Child accounts.
We also have to remember that Apple and ChatGPT developers OpenAI could face some kind of legal action in the near future, according to a report from Bloomberg. Apparently, OpenAI has been unhappy with its Apple partnership, and has been exploring its legal options — including a possible breach of contract notice.
Apparently, OpenAI expected ChatGPT to be more deeply embedded within iOS and Apple's app ecosystem, with "prime placement" within the Siri assistant. However, Bloomberg's report notes that "Apple’s use of OpenAI technology across its operating systems remains limited, and features can be hard to find."
Needless to say, OpenAI would be even less impressed with ChatGPT losing its exclusive position within iOS. I don't know whether the possible threat of legal trouble will have affected what Apple announced during the WWDC 2026 keynote, but the last thing it wants is its big AI reset sitting in the shadow of a major lawsuit.
Bottom line
WWDC 2026 was Apple's chance to show that it wasn't letting its AI dream die, and it definitely feels like it succeeded in that area. Apple Intelligence dominated the majority of the keynote address with the sheer number of new features and improvements that are on the way.
Not only did Apple unveil the new Siri AI features and a bunch of the long-awaited AI upgrades coming to its assistant, but we also got to see game-changing features like Reframe, which lets you change the perspective of photos after they've been taken.
It would have been nice to have confirmation that iOS 27 will open up to other chatbots, though. User choice is always a good thing, and when it comes to something as important as your phone, it's crucial that people are happy with the services they're able to use.
While the cards are never truly off the table when it comes to this sort of thing, it's a lot harder to get excited about something Apple hasn't officially commented on. I just hope that it happens eventually, regardless of the potential privacy implications.
