Key Developers Hold Back Siri AI Support as Gmail and WhatsApp Stay Offline in Early Tests
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 8
Key Developers Hold Back Siri AI Support as Gmail and WhatsApp Stay Offline in Early Tests
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 8
Summary
Gmail and WhatsApp were still not working with Apple’s early Siri AI build as of last week, leaving the assistant unable to search those apps or act on their content.
That gap matters because Apple pitched Siri in June as an AI agent that can pull information across apps and complete tasks such as finding a text and adding details to a shared plan.
Third-party support is central to the rollout expected later this year, but companies such as Amazon, Google and Meta risk weakening their own assistants if they give Siri deeper access.
The standoff highlights a broader industry fight over AI agents: Apple needs outside apps to make Siri useful, while major developers are weighing how much control to hand over.