Apple tests Veritas, a ChatGPT-style app

In its ongoing effort to deliver the long-promised overhaul of Siri, Apple is experimenting with a new internal app modeled after OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to Bloomberg, the app — dubbed “Veritas” — is being used by Apple employees to test the next generation of Siri’s capabilities before its public release in 2026.

Siri’s Training Ground

Veritas is unlikely to ever reach consumers in its current form, but it serves as a proving ground for Apple’s AI ambitions. Employees can use the app to test Siri’s ability to:

• Search through personal data stored on an iPhone, such as emails or messages.
• Perform actions within apps, like editing photos.
• Respond in a conversational, chatbot-style format.

The app also provides Apple with valuable feedback on whether this conversational interface — which has become the default way many people interact with generative AI systems — has lasting value.

A Delayed Vision

Apple first showcased its vision for a smarter, more capable Siri at WWDC 2024, promising a contextual voice assistant that could seamlessly handle tasks across apps while protecting user privacy. But when “Apple Intelligence” finally shipped, the features fell short of expectations. The update delivered a handful of AI-powered tools, but not the deeply integrated, life-aware Siri Apple had demonstrated.

By March 2025, the company acknowledged delays, pushing back Siri’s most advanced features. The emergence of Veritas suggests that Apple’s work has reached a more advanced stage, even if the release timeline remains uncertain.

Partnerships in Play

To achieve its goals, Apple isn’t relying solely on its in-house AI models. Reports indicate that the company is preparing a hybrid approach, blending its own technology with at least one third-party large language model. Early discussions included OpenAI and Anthropic, but as of late summer 2025, Apple is said to be leaning toward a partnership with Google.

The Road to 2026

Apple now expects the fully realized Siri — one capable of understanding personal context and acting on it — to debut in 2026. If successful, the update could finally deliver on Apple’s promise of an AI assistant that combines powerful functionality with the company’s hallmark emphasis on privacy and polish.

Until then, Veritas offers a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work required to reinvent a voice assistant that has long lagged behind its rivals.