Apple Tests Personal AI Shopping Assistant in Apple Store App
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24.08.2026 18:16
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2 min read
Apple has launched limited testing of a generative AI-powered virtual shopping assistant inside the Apple Store app for iOS. Marked as an Early Preview, the feature is designed to help customers choose products, pick out accessories, estimate Trade In values, and track order status.
The tool is currently being tested with a small group of users and has not been publicly announced.
Conversational Shopping and Device Personalization
A chat icon with a sparkle symbol appears in the app interface. Users can ask open-ended questions — for example, requesting a comparison of MacBook configurations for video editing, finding a case for a specific smartphone model, or calculating an estimated Trade In discount for an older device.
According to 9to5Mac, the key advantage of the AI assistant is its deep integration into the user’s ecosystem. Based on an updated Apple Store privacy policy, the assistant factors in devices linked to the user’s Apple ID as well as their past purchase history. This allows the bot to offer personalized recommendations while automatically verifying accessory compatibility with devices the owner already has.
Chat History and Request Processing
The chat retains consultation history, allowing users to return to their preferred configuration after closing the app. Account settings feature a Chat Improvements toggle that lets users prevent their chat history from being used to train algorithms.
As noted by MacRumors, documentation indicates that anonymized query data may be shared with partner AI platforms to generate conversational responses without disclosing personal client identifiers.
Apple previously introduced a similar internal chatbot called Ask inside its Sales Coach app to assist retail store employees. The company has not yet disclosed a timeline for the full global rollout of the consumer AI assistant in the App Store or a list of supported languages.
