OpenAI is preparing legal action against Apple over ChatGPT's buried Siri integration
OpenAI is considering suing Apple over how ChatGPT was integrated into Siri, Bloomberg (Mark Gurman) reported on May 14. The company expected the 2024 partnership to drive billions of dollars in new subscriptions — a target it hasn't come close to hitting. Lawyers are now working with an external firm on breach-of-contract options, though OpenAI still hopes for an out-of-court settlement.
The deal that didn't deliver
When Apple announced ChatGPT integration at WWDC 2024, it looked like a win for both sides. OpenAI got distribution across hundreds of millions of iPhones; Apple got an AI story to tell. The reality landed differently.
To get a ChatGPT response through Siri, users have to explicitly name the chatbot — saying something like "what does ChatGPT say about solar eclipses" — rather than Siri routing queries there automatically. Responses appear in a small, constrained window that 9to5Mac describes as showing ChatGPT poorly. Many iPhone users reportedly had no idea ChatGPT was on their device at all.
OpenAI says Apple failed to make an "honest effort" on integration. Renegotiation attempts stalled. Now it has lawyers involved.
Google moved in while OpenAI stalled
While OpenAI's position in Siri grew more marginal, Apple signed a reported $1 billion-per-year deal with Google to make Gemini the cognitive backend for Siri — a deal that reportedly closed in January 2026. The arrangement mirrors Apple's long-running search deal with Google (worth $18–20 billion annually), except this time OpenAI is the one watching from the sidelines.
iOS 27 is expected to go further, offering users a choice of AI models — Claude, Grok, and Perplexity are all named alongside Gemini. ChatGPT may be in that lineup, but it will no longer be the default or primary integration.
More than a contract dispute
The conflict runs deeper than integration terms. OpenAI is actively hiring Apple engineering talent, including designers brought over as part of Jony Ive's team, as it builds its own consumer hardware. Apple executives are reported to be unhappy about the recruitment. Neither company has made any public statement on the dispute.
No lawsuit has been filed. The current status is "preparing options" — not litigation. But the gap between what OpenAI expected from Apple's platform and what it got is now wide enough that lawyers are at the table.
