Apple will let iOS 18 users choose on-device AI models
apple plans to let iphone users select third-party ai models for on-device tasks in ios 18. the feature, codenamed extensions, allows models from google and anthropic to power siri and writing tools. the strategy focuses on integrating ai into existing hardware rather than building new infrastructure.
Apple plans to introduce a feature in iOS 18—reportedly dubbed 'Extensions'—that permits users to select third-party large language models to power on-device AI functions. Bloomberg reports that Apple is currently testing models from Google and Anthropic to integrate with system-level features like Siri and Writing Tools, moving away from a single-model provider approach. This strategy leverages Apple's existing hardware install base to generate AI revenue rather than spending capital on new data center infrastructure, a shift that will be central to incoming hardware chief John Ternus's leadership.