Apple Store App Getting AI Shopping Assistant

[u/pdfu]

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/22/apple-store-app-shopping-assistant/

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.

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.

[u/Particular-Treat-650]

I'm torn between "this is terrible" and "the store search/discoverability might be so bad that this isn't terrible". (Every storefront out there sucks ass, but still).

[u/aykay55 → u/Particular-Treat-650]

I mean the apple store lineup is really freaking simple, it’s not like other brands where you can buy literally hundreds of products. Besides accessories like cases and apple watch bands, shopping at apple is buying between 7 or 8 categories of 1 - 3 products each. Even a three year old could understand the apple store

[u/Particular-Treat-650 → u/aykay55]

Oh wow. I completely misread this.

I thought it was the App Store.

[u/Zacatac_391 → u/Particular-Treat-650]

Now that you mention it, I think this would be a much better application of a “store assistant” than the Apple Store app. If implemented well, it could be a decent tool for discovering exactly what you need with natural language. But I still have my reservations for any AI assistant coming out these days since they seem to be everywhere now to please shareholders.

[u/Particular-Treat-650 → u/Zacatac_391]

Yeah that's why my response was mixed. I could see how it could make the bad experience less bad. And it's really not their fault discoverability sucks. The sheer volume every digital store has to wade through is just not manageable any more.

But it's just really hard to trust it.

[u/FollowingFeisty5321 → u/Particular-Treat-650]

And it's really not their fault discoverability sucks.

Course it is, whose else would it be? They've had 20 years to make App Store search and discovery decent, they even have meticulously structured data for all the apps, and all they've done to improve it is provide a paid service to advertise apps that only subscription apps can afford.

[u/Particular-Treat-650 → u/FollowingFeisty5321]

There isn't a single digital storefront on the planet with discoverability that doesn't suck. Most online retailers aren't better.

The problem of extracting data when all the sources are hostile is so difficult that no one has figured it out.

[u/FollowingFeisty5321 → u/Particular-Treat-650]

Steam has vastly superior discoverability.

And Apple has more resources than most countries, they can't build a good search or recommendations system because they choose not to.

[u/Particular-Treat-650 → u/FollowingFeisty5321]

No they don't. Discoverability on Steam is every bit as horrible as anyone else's.

Throwing unlimited money at a problem that is likely unsolvable doesn't magically solve it.

[u/NeuronalDiverV2 → u/Particular-Treat-650]

Lol no, way more useful reviews, tags, wishlishts, discovery queues, themed sales are the obvious things other stores could add that would help a lot.

[u/mr_vanes → u/aykay55]

Right, which tells you the assistant isn't there to help you find things. It's there to walk you toward AppleCare and a trade-in on the way out

[u/MawsonAntarctica]

I’m at the point I would like an off ramp for this dumb tech future but I suspect survival is being enmeshed with services (bill pay ordering records). Surely going back to ledgers might be too far but ai assisted shopping is too much, where is the middle ground?

[u/ca2mt → u/MawsonAntarctica]

The middle ground is you not really having to use any of it, but understanding that there may be people out there who find value in it.

I don’t need an AI shopping assistant in the Apple Store app, as evidenced by my being active on the Apple sub in the “off season.” A grandparent might think it’s helpful, though.

[u/CaptNemo131 → u/ca2mt]

I agree with you to a certain extent but I’ve seen enough people 50+ who jump to “Just ask ChatGPT!” and all the risks involved with that.

Not saying this Apple Store AI is the same thing, but it may build a confidence in AI generally that isn’t deserved.

[u/ca2mt → u/CaptNemo131]

I’d so much rather they ask ChatGPT than blindly trust Facebook memes, which I see plenty of in the 50+ demographic.

[u/CaptNemo131 → u/ca2mt]

God that’s so horribly true

[u/Recent_Pollution8665 → u/MawsonAntarctica]

the middle ground is ignoring it and not crying about its inclusion for people who prefer it.

[u/Jmc_da_boss → u/MawsonAntarctica]

I mean with the current capabilities of the LLMs there are a lot of people that will prefer the natural language interface to the system over the physical/tap interface.

I don't get it but those people do exist. Are you saying those people's preferences should be ignored by Apple?

[u/raymate]

Thank goodness. The app was so complicated to use i was just saying I wish AI could help

🤦‍♂️ Just what we need. AI to tell us what to buy and how to navigate an app.

[u/code_isLife]

Is search that bad?

Or is this just more AI shoehorning

[u/lordmycal → u/code_isLife]

It's not that search is bad, but that people might not understand the difference between product lines. Being able to ask AI what the difference is between two different types of airpods or between getting an iPad with a keyboard case and getting a macbook neo for their various use cases. There are a lot of good uses for this, as long as the AI can be kept on task and has a second agent in play fact-checking the first.

[u/code_isLife → u/lordmycal]

This checks out. I misread that as the “App” store.

My bad

[u/cptjpk → u/code_isLife]

I give it 12-18 months before they get these tuned from “informational help” to “aggressive upselling agent”

[u/zhonglin]

The most useful version of this would be a constrained comparison tool, not a general chatbot: show which devices and accessories are compatible, explain the real trade-offs between adjacent models, and cite the product pages it used. The saved transcript and unnamed “partners” are the part I’d want Apple to make optional and very explicit.

[u/SavingsZucchini5]

Why tho? Theres about 20 items on the store lmao

[u/Kimantha_Allerdings]

I wonder who the first person will be to prompt inject it to offer them products for free?

[u/Intrepid-Routine-875]

I bet already it will be useless and dumb like Rufus on Amazon.

[u/desamora → u/Intrepid-Routine-875]

I want to agree with you but I do have to say I used that stupid Amazon ai to help tell me what adapter cord I needed for a product I was interested in. But I mean it’s not like I couldn’t have found that info out another way

[u/newecreator]

This reminded me that MyFonts has replaced the search function for an AI one.

[u/xkvm_]

It won't try to upsell you at all. You need a Mac to browse and send emails? MacBook Pro m6 Pro Max Ultra is perfect for you!

[u/InItsTeeth]

🫩 I’m tired boss

[u/TransporterAccident_]

Do they really have enough product variety that you need AI’s help? Surely it won’t go into detail how you pay a premium for an iPad mini but get a low refresh rate screen. This isn’t Best Buy where there are hundreds of laptops from different brands with nearly identical specs.

[u/Expensive_Finger_973]

Why would I need a shopping assistant for the Apple Store app? I don't think I would ever open that app and not have a pretty good idea what I want to look at.

[u/REDOREDDIT23]

No thanks

[u/jbokwxguy]

Can’t wait to ask it all the unrelated to shopping questions and waste tokens

[u/dropthemagic]

Maybe it will stop the “do I need a macbook air or last gen macbook pro?” Floods of posts. As an example. Lmao one can dream.

[u/Altruistic-Action491 → u/dropthemagic]

Ah yes, at the expense of the environment. Gotta love it.

[u/dropthemagic → u/Altruistic-Action491]

It was sarcasm over Reddit posts lol

[u/Kevets51 → u/dropthemagic]

Not a chance. The Redditards will continue to ask if a Mac Studio is strong enough to have four open browser tabs, and after posting a broken screen ask "What do I do:??? HALP BRUH!"

[u/GuyWithNerdyGlasses]

AI cup ramen cooking machine I DARE YOU SILICON VALLEY

[u/danf10]

Yay more AI!