Apple Store app points to a new AI shopping helper
A privacy policy update spotted by MacRumors says Apple plans a Virtual Shopping Assistant for the Apple Store app.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
Apple appears to be preparing an AI-powered shopping helper for the Apple Store app, according to MacRumors, which spotted new language in Apple’s privacy information for the app.
The feature is described by Apple as a “Virtual Shopping Assistant” in the Apple Store app privacy policy. The wording says Apple collects and stores several categories of data tied to the assistant, including account information, device identifiers, carrier information, chat information and, where enabled, location data.
Apple says that data is used to personalize the chat experience and provide relevant responses. The policy also says users can opt in to let Apple use their chats to improve the virtual shopping assistant.
The assistant does not appear to be available in the Apple Store app yet, according to MacRumors. Apple’s privacy language, however, gives a clear sign of what the company is preparing: a chat-based tool meant to help customers make buying decisions inside the app.
The Apple Store app is Apple’s shopping app for products and accessories, separate from the App Store. The planned assistant would place a conversational layer inside that retail experience, using information from the user’s Apple account and device context to tailor responses, based on the privacy policy language.
Apple’s policy also addresses how chat data may be shared. According to the document, Apple removes personal identifiers from chats before sharing them with partners. The policy says the data is used so the assistant can provide better conversational responses.
Users do not appear to have a way to reject all data use tied to the assistant, based on the policy language reported by MacRumors. The optional part is the use of chats to improve the experience.
That setting can be changed inside the Apple Store app. Apple says users can go to Account, then Settings, and tap Chat Improvements to opt in or out of having their chats used for improvement of the assistant.
The move would not be Apple’s first use of an AI bot inside one of its apps. The Apple Support app also has an AI bot, though MacRumors noted that the feature is not live for all users.
Apple has been rolling out AI features across its software and services in stages. In this case, the most concrete sign is not a splashy product announcement, but the paperwork: a privacy policy entry that spells out what the Apple Store app’s assistant may collect, how it may use chats and where users can control one improvement setting.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.