Siri gets smarter: How Apple Intelligence can amplify your app

Apple Intelligence, the collection of new AI capabilities built into iOS and macOS, may revolutionize how we interact with apps. And at the center of it is Siri. This isn't just a minor Siri update; it's a fundamental reboot to a smarter Siri powered by generative AI models at the core of your Apple devices. 

In this post, we explore how Apple Intelligence is transforming Siri through expanded capabilities of the App Intents API. Most importantly, we’ll explain how these advancements can help companies amplify their app’s reach and increase user engagement. 

Siri powered by Apple Intelligence

Compared to some other intelligent systems — e.g. Alexa and the Google Assistant — Siri has always felt a bit limited. Those days are fading fast. Apple Intelligence gives Siri a significant IQ boost — and makes it functionally more useful.  

What does this mean for users?

• Natural conversations: Siri's language processing has been significantly enhanced, allowing for more natural and intuitive back-and-forth dialogue.

• Contextual awareness: Siri is becoming remarkably adept at understanding your needs based on your activity. With on-screen awareness, Siri can interact with parts of your app and offer relevant suggestions and actions.

• Enhanced action capabilities: The new App Intents API empowers Siri to take a wider range of actions within your apps, creating a more seamless and integrated user experience. For example, imagine Siri helping you book a flight directly in your travel app entirely by a voice conversation.

What does this mean for developers?

• SiriKit enhancements: If your app already uses SiriKit, you'll get all those improvements by default.

• Increased discoverability: Your app's features will be more discoverable than ever. Apple Intelligence integrates the app features developers choose seamlessly into Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, Control Center, and more.

New App Intents, Supercharged with Apple Intelligence

In recent iOS updates, Apple has offered developers new ways to engage with users outside of the full app experience. Lock Screen widgets, Dynamic Island provide glanceable and interactive elements on the phone’s home screen. App Intents allow developers to expose an app’s core functionality through voice-powered interactions. Together, these extend the reach of your app and create regular opportunities to raise awareness and encourage repeat usage.

The new and improved App Intents, supercharged by a smarter Siri and Apple Intelligence, take this even further and are the key to unlocking a broader range of voice-powered interactions. Think of App Intents as bridges that expose your app's functionality across the system services, making it more versatile, discoverable, and engaging.

Assistant Schemas for developers

Apple has also introduced Assistant Schemas, a standardized way to define your app's actions and data, allowing Apple Intelligence to understand and use them. The Assistant Schema types include:

• Books: To integrate your app's ebook and audiobook functionality.

• Browser: For actions such as bookmarking, managing tabs, and searching on the page.

• Camera: To integrate your app's camera functionality.

• Document reader: For opening, editing, and searching in documents.

• File management: For creating folders, and renaming or moving files.

• Journaling: For creating, updating, deleting, and searching journal entries.

• Email: For actions such as sending messages and managing inboxes

• Photos and videos: For actions including viewing, editing, sharing, and organizing.

• Presentations: For actions such as creating, editing, and presenting.

• Spreadsheets: For actions such as creating, editing, and deleting.

• System and in-app search: For searchable content within your app.

• Whiteboard: For creating, updating, and deleting a whiteboard canvas.

• Word processor and text editing: To add audio, images, text, or videos to a document.

You can see the full list here.

The more intelligent Siri should steer developers into supporting more intents in their apps. One Apple spokesperson said during a WWDC session on App Intents, “Anything your app does should be an App Intent.” 

A few examples of useful App Intents might include:

• Example One - Ask Siri to suggest a step-by-step recipe based on a photo of the items in your refrigerator using the McCormick Flavor Maker app.

• Example Two - Ask Siri to recommend a scary movie that's still family-friendly and currently available on the streaming services you subscribe to, using the Common Sense Media app.

App developers should focus on creating App Intents that represent clear, user-centric actions that enhance the overall user experience. Existing App Intents might overlap with the Assistant Schemas' functionalities. If you're able to make your existing App Intents conform to a schema without changing any parameters, simply do that – but be mindful about changing their implementations as it can cause existing shortcuts to stop working. Otherwise, create a new App Intent and mark it as available to Apple Intelligence by setting isAssistantOnly to true to avoid making them appearing as duplicates.

What does the smarter Siri mean for Shortcuts?

With the latest additions to the App Intents API, any App Intent that conforms to the new Assistant Schemas will automatically be recognized as an action within the Shortcuts app. This opens up a world of possibilities for increasing user engagement with your app. It gives your users the ability to effortlessly incorporate your app's functionality into their personalized automations, triggered by specific events or conditions, or directly from their home screen as a custom shortcut. (Read our blog series about App Shortcuts to learn more.)

But that's not all. This enhanced support is being extended to Siri as well. If you are a developer, you might be thinking, “That's great, but how can I integrate all of this with Siri?” 

You don't need to worry about adding support for it. The same App Intents that power Shortcuts will automatically work with Siri, allowing users to interact with your app using natural language voice commands. This deep system integration leads to a more powerful, intuitive, and connected experience for your users.

Amplify your app with Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence isn't just an upgrade for Siri; it's a paradigm shift. Companies can amplify their app’s core functionality through voice-powered interactions that boost user engagement.

Is your app ready for Apple Intelligence and iOS 18?

If you’d like to learn how to upgrade your app to leverage iOS 18’s new features, including the new Siri and Apple Intelligence, contact us for a free consultation.