Apple Secretly Tests ChatGPT-Style App to Power Next-Gen Siri – The Hans India
Live
Apple has quietly developed its own ChatGPT-style chatbot—but everyday users won’t see it on the App Store just yet. According to a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, the tech giant is currently using the tool internally as part of a larger effort to overhaul Siri.
The chatbot, codenamed Veritas, is designed as a testing ground for Apple engineers. Rather than being a consumer-facing product, Veritas helps the company’s software teams experiment with next-generation Siri capabilities. These include sharper contextual awareness, the ability to handle tasks across multiple apps, and more intelligent use of personal data like emails, music preferences, and in-app settings.
Think of it as Siri with a sharper memory, deeper integration, and a more proactive role in managing user requests. By stress-testing features internally, Apple is attempting to ensure the assistant meets its famously high standards before it’s rolled out to millions of iPhones worldwide.
Veritas reportedly mirrors the design of mainstream chatbot platforms, offering multiple parallel conversations, memory of past exchanges, and support for longer, more natural dialogues. Its foundation rests on a new Apple framework, dubbed Linwood, which blends Apple’s proprietary large language models with AI technologies from external partners.
Apple’s ambitions don’t stop at the chatbot interface. The company originally intended to debut a revamped “Apple Intelligence Siri” with iOS 18. However, after the features failed to meet performance expectations, Apple scrapped that version and pivoted toward a more robust architecture. This “second-generation” approach leans heavily on large language models (LLMs)—the same AI systems powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini.
The shift signals a dramatic change in direction. Instead of being limited to timers, reminders, or trivia, the future Siri will be capable of engaging in continuous, natural conversations and managing complex, multi-step requests. In short, Apple wants to evolve Siri from a reactive voice assistant into a genuine conversational partner.
Still, patience will be key. Reports suggest Apple plans to release the LLM-powered Siri in early 2026, likely timed with the iOS 26.4 update in March. That’s a year later than the company initially intended, underlining Apple’s cautious stance on rolling out unfinished AI features. Given the scale—hundreds of millions of active devices—the stakes are high.
Before then, Apple may preview a refreshed look for Siri toward the end of 2025. Described as more “humanoid” in appearance, the redesign could visually mark the assistant’s leap into a more advanced era—much like the Finder logo has long symbolized the Mac.
Interestingly, Apple isn’t ruling out collaborations. The company has reportedly held discussions with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google about integrating third-party AI models into Siri. If those talks bear fruit, the 2026 version of Siri could be powered by a hybrid of Apple’s in-house systems and external AI, an unusual move for a company that typically prides itself on building everything itself.
For now, the upgraded Siri remains behind closed doors, available only to Apple’s engineers. But if all goes according to plan, users may soon meet a Siri that finally catches up with—and perhaps even surpasses—its AI rivals.
© 2025 Hyderabad Media House Limited/The Hans India. All rights reserved. Powered by hocalwire.com
