Craig Federighi explains: Why did Apple backtrack and decide to launch the Siri app as a standalone chat platform?

In the world of technology, the golden rule is “never say never,” and it seems Apple is no exception. After mocking the idea of “side-chat bots” last year and dismissing them as an impractical approach, the company surprised us at the recent WWDC developer conference by launching a standalone app for its smart assistant, Siri, in iOS 27. This sudden shift has led many to wonder about the reason behind this radical change in strategy, which Craig Federighi, the company’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, volunteered to clarify quite candidly.

Why did Apple backtrack on its previous stance?

The story begins last year, specifically after WWDC 2025, when Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak went on a media tour where they passionately defended Apple’s vision for “Apple Intelligence.” At the time, Apple described standalone chatbots as merely “marginal add-on tools” that held no real value compared to integrating artificial intelligence directly into system interfaces and the user’s daily workflow.

However, this week, during a media discussion held at the “Apple Park” headquarters, Federighi faced a direct question about this reversal. Craig explained that the decision was driven by an urgent practical need from users: the desire to return to previous conversations, follow up on them, or refer back to them. After careful consideration, Apple found that the most natural way for users to access and manage these conversations on its systems was to have a dedicated app on the home screen that they could launch at any time.

Siri App: An extension of the system, not just a companion for chatter

Despite the launch of the new app, Federighi insists that Apple’s vision has not fundamentally changed. He does not view the new “Siri” app as a separate, non-integrated chat platform that you go to just for random chatter, but rather as a comprehensive conversational tool that you use at the right moment, deeply integrated into the operating system.

The primary goal remains the same; Siri is distinguished by its ability to understand what is on your iPhone screen, interact directly with the documents you are editing, and provide assistance with proofreading or offering advice without the need to move to a “separate world.” The new app is simply an interface to re-embody these deep system capabilities and facilitate returning to them.

System integration and the expected launch date

Apple’s true strength does not lie in providing the best large language model, but in the operating system infrastructure that allows apps to communicate and work together seamlessly. This integration is what will make Siri an intelligent agent capable of controlling your device and completing complex tasks instead of just answering questions.

The developer beta version of iOS 27 is available now, and testing the new Siri capabilities requires joining a waitlist within the settings, while the public beta version is expected to be released to users next July, in preparation for the official launch next fall.

Do you think the existence of a standalone Siri app will convince you to rely on it instead of apps like ChatGPT and Claude? Share your opinion in the comments!

Source:

macrumors.com