Apple is doing something it rarely does: handing control to the user. A new Bloomberg report from Mark Gurman says iOS 27 will let you choose which AI model powers your iPhone, and the change is bigger than a single settings toggle. Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT are all in the picture.
The decision you make in Settings will ripple across Siri, Writing Tools, and Image Playground at once. Apple is calling the framework Extensions, and the formal announcement is expected at WWDC on June 8, 2026.
TL;DR: iOS 27 is expected to introduce a system called Extensions that lets you set a preferred third-party AI model for all of Apple Intelligence, including Siri, Writing Tools, and Image Playground. Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude are already being tested alongside the existing ChatGPT integration. The change arrives in fall 2026 with iPadOS 27 and macOS 27.
What Extensions actually does inside iOS 27
The setup is straightforward. You install a supported AI app from the App Store, enable it as an Extension, and select it as your preferred model in Settings. From that point, everything routes through your chosen model.
Ask Siri to summarise an email. Use Writing Tools to rewrite a paragraph. Generate an image in Image Playground. The model you picked handles all of it, not Apple’s own system.
That system-wide scope is what makes this different from the existing ChatGPT tie-in. Right now, ChatGPT serves as a fallback for world-knowledge queries Siri cannot answer on its own.
Extensions is a layer change, not a fallback. You are not sending overflow to a backup. You are routing the entire experience through a different engine.
Apple describes the feature in test builds of iOS 27 as allowing users to access generative AI capabilities from installed apps on demand, through Apple Intelligence features such as Siri, Writing Tools, Image Playground and more.
The same framework will be available on iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 at launch.
Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT: what each one brings
Apple has already been internally testing integrations with Google and Anthropic, according to Gurman’s sources. ChatGPT stays in the mix, keeping the partnership that has been in place since iOS 18.2 in late 2024.
What changes is the competitive dynamic. Google Gemini brings deep integration with Google’s ecosystem. If you live in Docs, Maps, and Gmail, routing Apple Intelligence through Gemini makes a certain kind of sense.
For the Gemini-powered Siri deal specifically, there is an additional layer: Apple has reportedly signed a separate agreement where Gemini also powers native Siri and Apple Intelligence features, meaning some users may be routed to Gemini even without selecting it in Settings.
Claude is Anthropic’s model and has built a reputation for thoughtful, careful responses, particularly in writing and analysis tasks. If you use Writing Tools regularly, that distinction may matter.
iOS 27 also adds a small but useful signal: each AI provider can use a distinct Siri voice. A response from Claude would sound different from one generated by Apple’s own system. You will know, without looking at a screen, which model is talking.
The App Store angle and why Apple is doing this now
Extensions arrives through Apple’s existing App Store machinery. AI providers update their apps to support the standard, users install those apps, and the Extensions option appears in Settings. Apple is also reportedly building a dedicated section in the App Store for compatible AI apps, making discovery easier.
The financial logic is straightforward. Apple takes a percentage of any AI subscriptions purchased through the App Store. Keeping the system open is not just a user-experience decision.
It is a business decision. The more providers that participate, the more subscription revenue flows through Apple’s platform.
Earlier reporting from March covered how this framework would work with Siri specifically. What Gurman’s May report adds is scope: Writing Tools and Image Playground are now confirmed as part of the same routing layer, not separate integrations. If you want the full picture of what iOS 27 is doing with iOS 27 AI features beyond Extensions, the changes run deeper than this single report.
What the reports leave unanswered
Several questions are still open. Current reporting does not confirm whether prompts sent to third-party models are processed on-device or transmitted externally. Apple Intelligence runs private cloud compute for its own models. Whether Claude or Gemini would follow the same privacy architecture has not been addressed yet.
It is also unclear whether premium AI tiers like Claude Pro or Gemini Advanced would be required to unlock full functionality, or whether a free app install would be enough. If the better features sit behind a paid subscription, the real cost of choosing your AI is higher than it looks in Settings.
Apple has also not confirmed which providers can participate beyond Gemini and Claude, or whether smaller and open-source models could qualify.
What this means before WWDC
The announcement on June 8 will fill in the gaps. What Gurman’s report establishes is the direction: Apple is treating its devices as an AI platform, not an AI product. The model Apple ships is one option. The model you prefer is another. Both coexist in the same operating system.
That is a meaningful shift for anyone who has wanted more from Apple Intelligence than it has delivered so far. Whether it lands as cleanly as the reporting suggests depends on how Apple handles the setup flow, the privacy disclosures, and the voice experience in the actual betas. The pieces are there. How well they fit together is still a June question.
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