Apple is reportedly making third-party app support a central feature of its first smart glasses, betting that Siri AI will let wearers use familiar iPhone services without having to take their phones out of their pockets.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the smart glasses, internally code-named N50, are being developed around Siri AI and its ability to carry out actions in other apps. Apple wants developers preparing those integrations ahead of the glasses’ expected 2027 debut, even though full third-party Siri AI support is not due until next year.
The strategy would give Apple’s glasses a different selling point from simply having a camera and microphone built into a pair of frames. Instead of opening an app on an iPhone, someone could ask Siri to handle a supported task through a connected service while keeping their hands free.
Apple’s advantage, Gurman suggests, is the size of its existing iPhone developer ecosystem. Services that people already use could become available through Siri on the glasses, potentially helping Apple compete with products from Meta and Google. The exact apps and actions supported at launch have not been announced.
The report builds on Apple’s iOS 27.3 developer preview, which allows developers to begin testing more advanced Siri AI actions through App Intents. Apple has indicated that apps using the expanded capabilities will be able to reach the App Store in spring 2027. Those tools could therefore form part of the software foundation for the glasses.
Apple’s smart glasses will put Siri AI ahead of augmented reality
Apple’s first glasses are not expected to project augmented-reality graphics into the wearer’s field of view. Bloomberg describes the product as an AI-focused wearable rather than a miniature Vision Pro, with Apple employees reportedly comparing the concept to AirPods worn on the face.
That distinction matters for how the device would be used. With no visual app interface floating in front of the wearer, spoken requests, audio responses and information gathered through the glasses’ sensors would take on a much bigger role. Siri would need to make third-party services genuinely useful without relying on a touchscreen.
As explained in our complete guide to Apple’s rumored smart glasses, earlier reports have pointed to lightweight frames with cameras, microphones and speakers, with an initial launch targeted for late 2027. None of those details guarantees the final hardware or release timing.
Apple is also exploring camera-equipped AirPods that could give Siri information about the wearer’s surroundings. The projects share an emphasis on making Apple’s assistant more context-aware, though they are separate products. A supplier recently acknowledged work on projects involving AI glasses and earbuds, adding to the evidence that Apple is pursuing both categories.
The broader goal is to make Siri better at accomplishing tasks through apps. That is different from Apple’s separate exploration of an autonomous Siri AI agent, which could eventually continue working on goals without requiring individual instructions for every step.
For Apple, the challenge will be convincing developers to adopt the new Siri capabilities and ensuring they work consistently in situations where users cannot easily check an app’s screen. If the ecosystem develops as planned, the usefulness of the company’s first smart glasses could depend as much on what Siri can do with iPhone apps as on the glasses themselves.
