In a surprising move that could signal escalating tensions between two of Silicon Valley’s biggest players, Meta has reportedly blocked Apple’s new AI features — dubbed “Apple Intelligence” — from functioning within its iOS applications. This development comes as Apple continues its push to integrate advanced generative AI capabilities system-wide across its devices.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Meta has deliberately restricted access to Apple Intelligence features in its suite of popular apps, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. The decision effectively prevents Apple’s AI services from analyzing or interacting with content within these apps — a step that insiders say is aimed at maintaining Meta’s control over user engagement and data usage.

Background: Apple’s AI Ambitions

Apple unveiled its Apple Intelligence initiative earlier this year, promising a privacy-first approach to generative AI that enhances user experience across messages, emails, photos, and more. Among its key features are smart summaries, contextual replies, and the ability to understand and interpret content across apps. Apple emphasized on-device processing and secure cloud infrastructure as pillars of its AI system.

However, for Apple Intelligence to function optimally, it requires a degree of access to app data — something not all developers are eager to permit.

Meta’s Concerns: Data and Ecosystem Control

Industry analysts suggest that Meta’s resistance stems from concerns over user data privacy, branding, and competitive dynamics. Allowing Apple’s AI layer to interpret in-app data could potentially weaken Meta’s ability to serve targeted ads or maintain insights into user behavior — critical to its core business model.

“This is as much about who controls the user experience as it is about data,” said Jamie Tanaka, a digital ecosystems analyst at Cipher Strategies. “Meta doesn’t want Apple’s AI agents rewriting the user experience or reinterpreting content inside its apps.”

Some reports also point to broader strategic frictions. Meta is investing heavily in its own AI and metaverse initiatives and may see Apple’s system-level AI as a threat to long-term platform independence.

User Experience Impact

For end users, the impact may be subtle but significant. On devices running iOS 18 and beyond, Apple Intelligence won’t be able to perform tasks such as summarizing chat threads or providing content suggestions within Meta-owned apps. This could lead to an inconsistent experience for users expecting system-wide AI capabilities.

Developers technically have the option to opt out of Apple Intelligence, and Meta appears to be among the first high-profile companies to do so explicitly.

A Growing Trend?

Meta’s move could pave the way for other tech companies to reevaluate their participation in Apple’s AI ecosystem. Questions around platform control, data access, and user privacy are becoming increasingly central in the AI arms race.

Apple, meanwhile, is expected to address the implications of this developer opt-out trend at its upcoming WWDC 2025 event in June.

Neither Meta nor Apple has released an official statement on the matter at the time of writing.