This was certainly what Apple’s 2024 announcement of a smarter Siri promised. And while that work has been seriously delayed, the company recently said it is going well, and it hopes to introduce the new tools in spring.
Unlocking the apps
The sticking point for App Intents is that they require app functionality (those “verbs”) to be unlocked and made available using Apple’s own APIs. The problem there is that some developers might be resistant to making such functionality available outside of their own app, as they fear loss of user engagement.
I think that resistance is part of the reason Apple is working with the big name developers behind some of the world’s most widely used apps. Bloomberg’s senior Apple sleuth tells us it is working with Uber, AllTrails, Threads, Amazon, Temu, YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp on this, so once these new features do appear, the “verbs” for the most widely used apps will be supported by the system.
