Apple opens Siri AI to third-party apps with iOS 27.3 preview

Apple is opening up the capabilities of Siri AI to third-party apps. According to the company's announcement, the iOS 27.3 update, which began rolling out on Tuesday, allows developers to integrate Siri AI's new features into "all apps."

With the change, the voice assistant will be able to draw on a user's personal context, process natural-language commands and recognize what is on screen in order to carry out requests. For now, the update is being distributed as part of the Developer Preview, meaning the new capabilities are first reaching developers through that release.

What changes for third-party apps

Apple had previously offered third-party developers only a more limited set of features, and the new update widens that scope. Siri AI's ability to use personal context, handle natural-language requests and understand what is on screen is among the capabilities developers can now build into their own apps.

In practical terms, the assistant is no longer confined to Apple's own apps and can complete tasks inside third-party ones as well. Which apps adopt the integration, and when, is left up to developers.

App skills combine several tasks into one action

One of the update's notable additions is a feature called "app skills." With it, third-party developers can create skills that bundle several tasks into a single action.

According to Apple's developer documentation, users will not need to mention an app by name in their requests when the app is in the foreground, during a Live Activity, or within a conversation with Siri AI about that app.

Apple's example scenario

Apple illustrates the idea with a ride-hailing app. In the documentation's example, a user requests a ride through the app, follows its Live Activity updates until the car arrives, and can then say, "Hey Siri, change my pickup location to a new address."

The scenario shows how a request can be made in natural language without naming the app.

Expanded capabilities in Apple's own apps

Siri AI's expanded capabilities are also coming to Apple's first-party apps, including Calendar, Files, Finder, Journal, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Preview, Reminders, Safari, Shortcuts and Weather.

According to Apple, users will be able to ask Siri AI to find a cafe they visited last week or to archive files that have not been opened in more than a year. The company also says users can ask Siri AI what it can do in each app.