Apple Opens Siri AI to Third-Party Apps in iOS 27.3 Developer Preview

The change is part of the iOS 27.3 update, which is rolling out as a Developer Preview. Apple said developers can now integrate Siri AI's newer capabilities in "all apps," so the assistant can use a person's personal context, understand natural-language requests and draw on what is shown on screen to complete tasks inside third-party software. According to 9to5Mac, as cited by The Verge, Apple had previously opened only a narrower set of features to outside developers.

The update also introduces "app skills," which developers can create to bundle several tasks into one action that Siri can carry out.

Fewer Spoken App Names

Apple's developer documentation says users will not need to name an app in a request when that app is in the foreground, when it is showing a Live Activity, or when they are already talking to Siri AI about it. Apple gave the example of a person booking a ride through a ride-share app, watching the Live Activity while waiting, and then asking Siri to change the pickup to a different address without mentioning the app again.

Apple is bringing the same expanded capabilities to its own apps, including Calendar, Files, Finder, Journal, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Preview, Reminders, Safari, Shortcuts and Weather. The company said users could, for instance, ask Siri to find a coffee shop they visited the previous week or to archive files that have not been opened in more than a year. Users can also ask Siri AI what it is able to do within a given app.

Why It Matters

The developer opening follows Apple's earnings call this week, at which the company said it plans paid tiers for expanded access to Siri AI and sees AI driving device upgrades and App Store revenue, while keeping its infrastructure spending well below that of rivals. Apple's strategy rests on running AI with data held on the device, and the value of that approach depends heavily on how many apps Siri can work with.

The move also comes as Apple, in its annual filing published the same day, warned investors that AI agents can act in unintended ways and that its ability to control third-party agents may be limited. The app skills framework keeps actions inside developer-defined routines rather than letting Siri operate freely across apps, a more constrained model than the autonomous agents offered by OpenAI and Meta.

For companies with consumer iPhone apps, the update means voice and natural-language commands could become a new route by which customers reach their services, which may reduce how often users open the app directly. Developers can begin building against the new interfaces now, though Apple has not said when the features will reach the general public.