Apple's Siri overhaul and AI agents hit roadblocks as developers worry about future fees

Apple wants apps to integrate with Siri in iOS 27, but one fear holds some back: report

Apple's major Siri overhaul will be unveiled on June 8, and the company is reportedly already working with developers to get apps integrated, but it's facing concerns over a key point: money. Today The Information published a report that says Apple is working to better incorporate AI agents on the App Store. An announcement on this front might be coming at WWDC. But the report also highlights Apple's efforts to court developers to support its new Siri in iOS 27. Aaron Tilley writes: In some cases, developers are dragging their feet at taking advantage of the new Siri. In China, for example, Apple has been encouraging app developers to integrate with the new Siri...However, some of those developers are hesitant to do so because they're concerned it could lead to Apple imposing fees on their apps, said people familiar with the talks. Apple has told some of the developers it won't charge a commission in the early stages of the partnership, but it also told them it hasn't ruled out introducing one later...Among the Chinese developers Apple is courting to integrate their apps with the new Siri are Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, according to employees at those companies. It's not surprising that Apple is working with developers in advance of WWDC to get their buy-in with Siri's new capabilities. However, it's interesting that Apple reportedly told some prominent developers it "hasn't ruled out" introducing a commission on Siri integration in the future. It's unclear exactly what such a fee structure might look like. Presumably, the Siri integration being discussed is the app intents feature Apple previously announced for Siri, but never shipped. App intents will give Siri the ability to perform hundreds of new in-app and cross-app actions without users needing to open those apps. But if that's all that's being discussed, it's hard to see how any sort of fee might come into play in the future. So perhaps there's more to the Siri developer story than we've heard so far. What are your takeaways from this report? Let us know in the comments.

After flubbing with Siri, Apple plans to host AI agents on the App Store

One problem is about money Apple won't commit to not charging. The other is about AI agents Apple can't figure out how to control. WWDC needs to solve both. Apple WWDC This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage Updated less than 3 minutes ago Apple is currently facing a Siri problem that has nothing to do with Siri at all. With WWDC 2026 just weeks away, The Information reports the company is actively courting developers to integrate their apps with the new Siri coming in iOS 27. The mechanism powering the overhauled Siri, App Intents, is an API that lets Siri execute actions inside third-party apps without you actively opening them, which sounds quite useful, I'd say. However, some of the world's largest developers are dragging their feet on it, not because it's tough, but because Apple left the door open on charging for it later. Why are developers hesitant to integrate the new Siri? Apple has reportedly told developers not to charge a commission, but only in the early stages of Siri integration. However, the company hasn't ruled out introducing one later, when the APIs are in place, and Siri is working just fine. To me, that sounds more like a legal hedge than a reassurance. Recommended Videos Among the Chinese developers being courted by the company are Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent, and employees at all the companies are feeling hesitant about it. The concern is that if Siri becomes the primary assistant through which users complete tasks in the apps, developers who integrate the assistant are handing Apple a new chokepoint over their customer relations. To summarize everything in one line, Apple wants the ecosystem benefits of deep Siri integration, but it isn't committing to the commercial terms that would actually encourage developers to integrate the overhauled Siri (with App Intents) in their apps. Apple's App Store AI agent problem is even messier than the Siri one Separately, the iPhone-maker is reportedly working to incorporate AI agents into the App Store itself, and this is where things might get thorny. AI agents can spin up smaller apps on the spot to complete tasks, which creates a real problem (via The Information). The App Store publishing process might have approved a parent agentic app, but it might not have any visibility into what the agent creates inside it. An example cited in the report is about OpenClaw, an agentic system where agents went haywire and deleted all of a user's emails. Engineers at the company are believed to be working on a security system that prevents AI agents' freewheeling behavior while keeping agents within its privacy framework. While the company might announce the integration of AI agents in the App Store at the WWDC 2026 keynote, it might not be entirely ready with it. WWDC is right around the corner During the last earnings call, Tim Cook briefly acknowledged the AI agent trend, citing how people are buying the Mac mini and Mac Studio to run local agents on them. So, Apple knows that the wave is here, but it hasn't figured out how to create a product or service out of it that generates profits without breaking everything else. The fee ambiguity, I'd say, is Apple's own making. The company built the App Store on clear commission terms that developers clearly understood, even though they don't really like it. Leaving Siri integration commercially undefined is an invitation to stall, which is something that Apple can't afford right now, especially after The Android Show 2026. Elsewhere, the App Store AI agent problem is arguably worse. The company has spent years building the world's most controlled app marketplace, and yet somehow, it is planning to integrate AI agents that spin up unapproved apps on the fly. At WWDC 2026, Apple needs to answer both these questions, both for stakeholders and end users.