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Apple Store App Getting AI Shopping Assistant

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Apple's privacy policy for the Apple Store app suggests it will soon get a virtual shopping assistant to help users decide what to purchase.

Apple-Store-App-Liquid-Glass-Feature.jpg

The app will have a chat interface where users can ask questions about Apple products, with Apple using data like account information, device identifiers, chat information, carrier information, and location data to offer a personalized experience. Transcripts of chats are saved for later reference.

Apple says that information is sent to its "partners" to help Apple provide a conversational response, which suggests Apple might be using a third-party AI model for the virtual assistant.
Where the Apple Store app virtual shopping assistant is available, Apple collects and stores your account information, device identifiers, carrier information, chat information, and where enabled, location data to personalize the chat experience, provide relevant responses, and if you opt in, to improve the virtual shopping assistant. Before sharing the chat with our partners, Apple scrubs personal identifiers from it. These partners will use this information only to help Apple to provide a conversational response. Apple will save these transcripts to make them available when you return to the Apple Store app, for our business analytics, and if you opt in, to improve the virtual shopping assistant.
Click to expand...
The virtual shopping assistant interface is not live in the Apple Store app yet, though it is possible Apple is testing the feature with some users. Apple also added a virtual assistant to its Apple Support app, but that feature still hasn't rolled out to everyone.

Article Link: Apple Store App Getting AI Shopping Assistant
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/22/apple-store-app-shopping-assistant/
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Me: “AppleBot Pro Max, which of these devices is not now way overpriced and possibly facing a new round of impending price hikes due to the massive AI push that nobody is actually subscribing to?”

AppleBot Pro Max: “Here’s some things I found on the web for you to check out…”

🍏
 
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Reactions: vikingar, devkix, Huck and 2 others
I always wanted a virtual shopping chat assistant that uses my Apple account information, device identifiers, carrier information, chat information, and location data to personalize what it suggests to me from an algorithm.

If I don't feel like enough people are looking at my shopping habits, I'm glad to know I can opt in to share my data to improve the automated tool and help the company sell better.

Yay.
 
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Reactions: vikingar, 01cowherd, clg82 and 15 others
But something something privacy.
Where the Apple Store app virtual shopping assistant is available, Apple collects and stores your account information, device identifiers, carrier information, chat information, and where enabled, location data to personalize the chat experience, provide relevant responses, and if you opt in, to improve the virtual shopping assistant. Before sharing the chat with our partners, Apple scrubs personal identifiers from it. These partners will use this information only to help Apple to provide a conversational response. Apple will save these transcripts to make them available when you return to the Apple Store app, for our business analytics, and if you opt in, to improve the virtual shopping assistant.
Click to expand...

Also no such thing as scrubbing personal identifiers. Every point of data is an identifier especially when used with several other point of data, that is why ads personalization works even when these companies claim no personal identifiers are used.
 
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Never had a problem, over years and years, finding anything I needed on Apple's website.

This sounds like a solid-step towards enpoopification. Hoping for the best, expecting the worst.
 
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Honestly, this seems like a great use for LLM inference and is probably a dataset small enough to run on device.

People have been complaining for years about how the App Store search is useless and ineffective. Finding apps in the current App Store is a horrible user experience right now. A local LLM sitting in front of the entire corpus of available Apps and all the app metadata sounds like a really great approach for providing personalized app recommendations.
 
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As long as frustrated customers can request to talk to a human. Bot can't fix everything. Companies using bots for front-line customer service is nothing new. I had to deal with one today when I decided to delete an account I created years ago for a movie theater. I don't go to the movies anymore. Too expensive. When the bot realized it couldn't help me, it connected me with a human. I'm ok with that.
 
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Nugget said:
Honestly, this seems like a great use for LLM inference and is probably a dataset small enough to run on device.

People have been complaining for years about how the App Store search is useless and ineffective. Finding apps in the current App Store is a horrible user experience right now. A local LLM sitting in front of the entire corpus of available Apps and all the app metadata sounds like a really great approach for providing personalized app recommendations.
Click to expand...
This is for the Apple Store app --> https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/id375380948

Not the Apple App Store app --> https://apps.apple.com/us/iphone/apps
 
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sw1tcher said:
This is for the Apple Store app --> https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/id375380948

Not the Apple App Store app --> https://apps.apple.com/us/iphone/apps
Click to expand...

Ah, big distinction, thanks. I can see the same dynamic working for the Apple Store app, just less need for improvement. Even more clearly a candidate for on-device inference. Consider it more like an alternative interface to the same APIs that the current, interactive Apple Store app is using.

There's some segment of the Apple customer base who would rather text or talk to the store "I want a new Apple Watch with a green band" instead of navigating the menus and clicking the buttons. As a pipeline into a shopping cart it seems like a cool feature to me and I definitely know people who would love it.

I'll bet it's a great approach for many accessibility affordances also.
 
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Reactions: HazeAndHahmahneez and Ct applefan
Me, possibly: "Please list any devices and apps that contain no AI and collect no personal data."

AI, eventually: "Thought-crime detected! Report immediately to Room 101 in the Ministry of Love for discipline and disposal!"
 
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macaddiict said:
I always wanted a virtual shopping chat assistant that uses my Apple account information, device identifiers, carrier information, chat information, and location data to personalize what it suggests to me from an algorithm.

If I don't feel like enough people are looking at my shopping habits, I'm glad to know I can opt in to share my data to improve the automated tool and help the company sell better.

Yay.
Click to expand...

Funny thing is, the Store app already did all that stuff. It'll likely just have the same "recommendations" it always had, only "AI Powered" this time.
 
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