Cupertino, CA – Apple to Open On-Device AI Models to Third-Party Developers with New SDK at WWDC 2025

Strategic Shift Toward AI Developer Enablement

Apple is reportedly preparing to take a major step in its artificial intelligence strategy by allowing third-party developersto integrate its on-device AI models directly into their applications. According to a Bloomberg report, the tech giant plans to unveil a new software development kit (SDK) at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2025.

This initiative would mark a significant departure from Apple’s historically closed AI ecosystem, signaling the company’s growing commitment to fostering a developer-centric AI platform across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

High-Efficiency On-Device Models, Built for Privacy

The forthcoming SDK will provide access to Apple’s compact, highly optimized AI models, designed to run efficiently on-device without cloud processing. These models offer capabilities such as advanced natural language processing, image recognition, and real-time voice interaction, and are reportedly comparable in performance to Meta’s Llama family of models.

Apple’s AI is expected to power tasks like photo enhancement, context-aware voice assistants, smart suggestions, and real-time content classification—all while upholding its privacy-first architecture by keeping user data localized to individual devices.

Empowering AI-Native Apps Without Cloud Dependency

For developers, the SDK represents an opportunity to build AI-native applications that don’t rely on server-side computation or external APIs, reducing latency and infrastructure costs. Apple’s tools will allow third-party apps to offer offline intelligence, bringing powerful machine learning features directly to users’ fingertips without compromising data privacy or requiring constant internet access.

This could prove transformative for developers in areas such as health & fitness, creative design, education, and personal productivity, where real-time AI enhancements can add immediate value without offloading sensitive user data to external servers.

Aligning with Industry Trends in Edge AI

Apple’s move mirrors a broader industry trend toward edge AI computing, where companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, and Google have already begun optimizing AI workloads for mobile hardware. By enabling on-device AI access at scale, Apple is positioning its ecosystem for the next generation of privacy-preserving, context-aware apps that work smarter—right out of the box.

Maintaining Control While Opening the Ecosystem

While the SDK will offer greater flexibility to developers, it is expected to operate within Apple’s tightly controlled development environment, likely incorporating App Store review policies and sandboxing rules to prevent misuse or unauthorized data access.

Looking Ahead to WWDC 2025

This anticipated announcement could become a centerpiece of WWDC 2025, as Apple aims to catch up with—and potentially outmaneuver—its rivals in the fast-moving AI space. With Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Copilot integrations, and OpenAI’s growing ecosystem, Apple is under pressure to show that its AI offerings are not only secure and private, but also accessible, practical, and developer-ready.