One panel, three destinations
With iOS 27, Apple introduces 'Search or Ask', accessible by swiping down from the top center of the screen. Tom's Guide reports that from the panel you can do three distinct things: run on-device searches, launch system shortcuts, or forward complex queries to third-party chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It is not simply an enhanced version of Spotlight: it is an intelligent router for user intent.
Chatbot selection as a system-level feature
The most significant element is that third-party chatbot selection becomes a system-level integrated feature, no longer mediated by individual apps. The user can choose who to delegate the question to without leaving the main interaction flow. This extends what was already seen with ChatGPT integration in iOS 26, bringing the choice between multiple models directly into the heart of the interface.
The strategic implication is relevant: Apple positions itself as a neutral orchestrator between competing AI ecosystems, capturing the utility of openness without relinquishing control of the experience. It remains to be verified whether this architecture is genuinely open — who decides which chatbots appear in the list, by what criteria and with what underlying commercial agreements — but as an interface choice it is one of iOS 27's most concrete novelties.