After several years of quiet development, Apple is readying a major new iOS initiative codenamed “Proactive,” which will leverage Siri, Contacts, Calendar, Passbook, and third-party apps to create a viable competitor to Google Now for Android devices. Like Google Now, Proactive will automatically provide timely information based on the user’s data and device usage patterns, but will respect the user’s privacy preferences, according to sources familiar with Apple’s plans.
As an evolution of iOS’s Spotlight search feature, Proactive is the fruit of a long-term initiative that involved the acquisition of small app developers, and integration of core iOS apps. It will also work with Apple’s Maps application to display personally relevant points of interest using an augmented reality interface, and integrate with a third-party Siri API codenamed “Breadcrumbs”…
How Spotlight Will Become A Google Now Rival
Apple began to lay the groundwork for Proactive with its acquisition of a personal assistant app called Cue in 2013, seeking to relevantly broaden iOS’s Spotlight and Safari search results. iOS 8’s ability to display Wikipedia Search results within Spotlight was the first taste of the Proactive initiative, and was partially designed to reduce iOS’s search reliance on Google. Sources say that Apple’s internal iOS usage metrics indicate that Google clicks have indeed fallen since iOS 8’s release last fall.
Now Apple wants to take Proactive to the next level, and it may do so with iOS 9’s introduction at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8. While Apple has positioned Siri as an “intelligent personal assistant” since the fall 2011 launch of the iPhone 4S, Proactive will go much further to integrate with your data. To begin with, Proactive will become a new layer within the iOS operating system, replacing the pulldown Spotlight menu currently found on the iOS Home screen.
Interestingly, Proactive will be found to the left of the first Home screen, just as Spotlight was prior to iOS 7’s major redesign. According to sources, Apple’s usage metrics for iOS suggest that Spotlight is not used as frequently as it could be because it is hidden above the Home screen without any indication of its location. Adding the feature back to the left of the Home screen will presumably boost usage, and consequently, take searches away from Google’s window within Safari. Sources note that some builds of iOS 9 allow Proactive to be accessed both with pulldown and left-of-Home screen gestures, so it’s possible that pulldown Spotlight-style access will be retained.
Cue app bought by Apple
Within the new Proactive screen, users will have a dedicated Search Bar at the top to access the established features of Spotlight: users will still be able to search for names, launch apps, and find audio tracks. Sources indicate that Proactive will include a greater emphasis on displaying news stories as search results, and will more reliably display news results when you search for information, including news on current topics and famous people.
Below the search bar will sit a new user interface that automatically populates with content based around three key parts of iOS: Apps, Contacts, and Maps, effectively a considerably upgraded version of Siri’s existing “digital assistant” functionality. For example, if a user has a flight listed in her Calendar application and a boarding pass stored in Passbook, a bubble within the new Proactive screen will appear around flight time to provide quick access to the boarding pass. If a user has a calendar appointment coming up, a map view could appear with an estimated arrival time, directions, and a time to leave indicator based on traffic. Proactive will also be able to trigger push notifications to help the user avoid missing calendar events. Even with these new notifications, however, the existing Notification Center apparently isn’t likely to see major changes.
Beyond Calendar integration, the feature will be able to integrate with commonly used apps. For example, if an iPhone user typically opens the Facebook app when he wakes up around 9AM, a button to access Facebook will start to appear for the user around 9AM. If the user calls his mother every Tuesday at 5PM, a bubble to “Call Mom” could appear around that time every Tuesday. As this feature integrates deeply with a user’s contact list, it is likely that the Recent Contacts menu introduced to the top of the Multitasking pane in iOS 8 will be relocated to Proactive’s interface. Lastly, Proactive will be able to display restaurant suggestions and ratings around breakfast, lunch, and dinner times in Proactive, changing based on the user’s location. Some of these features come from Apple’s acquisition of Spotsetter, a social-based search engine company founded by ex-Google Maps engineer Stephen Tse and Jonny Lee.
Yelp’s Monocle feature
Augmented Reality Maps, Browse Around Me
Beyond the new Spotlight interface, improvements to Maps will be a focal point for the Proactive initiative. In addition to a new public transportation service for bus, train, and subway routes, Apple is overhauling its Points of Interest (POI) system for the iOS Apple Maps application. While sources say Apple has explored new or expanded deals with Foursquare, Yelp, and Nokia’s HERE, the company ultimately decided to build its own new POI system for Proactive. Apple has developed a pair of new features around the POI system: an augmented reality view for local listings, as well as a feature dubbed “Browse Around Me.”
The augmented reality feature allows a user to hold up her iPhone in the Maps application, and point her camera toward a particular business or an area. Pointed towards a cafe, for example, the screen could show a virtual view of menu items or daily specials. If the user points her phone toward a street, a virtual outline of local businesses, restaurants, shopping stores, or coffee shops could appear. As a separate feature, the Browse Around Me button could simply show points of interest on an overhead map that are more tailored to previous searches and user preferences, a less flashy version of the augmented reality feature that’s similar to what Spotsetter was offering prior to its acquisition. Apple may choose to solely ship the Browse Around Me feature in iOS 9 and hold back the more extravagant augmented reality feature until later, the sources warned.
In order to develop this enhanced version of Maps into a small revenue source, Apple considered specifically highlighting points-of-interest that support Apple Pay transactions. However, this feature was cancelled amid development, according to a source with knowledge of the decision. Reports published during the initial launch of Apple Pay indicated that Apple takes 0.15% of every Apple Pay transaction conducted via an iPhone or Apple Watch.
“Breadcrumbs:” A Limited Siri API To Address User Privacy Concerns
Apple does not want to launch Proactive solely with support for its own apps and data. According to sources, Apple is preparing to allow developers to integrate their applications into both iOS’s search results and Siri, which has been redesigned to be more colorful in iOS 9, akin to its Apple Watch interface. While Apple has worked on a full Siri API that lets Siri access third-party app content, sources say the company is more likely to introduce a scaled-down service for developers codenamed “Breadcrumbs.” The decision is apparently based on a concern that a deeply integrated Siri will misinterpret words or contexts, sending personal data to the wrong third-party apps, and creating privacy issues, according to the sources.
Breadcrumbs allows Proactive and Siri to index parts of apps that have recently been accessed, and is apparently similar to the App Indexing feature Google announced previously for Android, and today for iOS. For instance, if a user typically watches certain genres of movies in the Netflix app, the ability to launch that particular section in the Netflix app could be opened by Siri. Eventually, Apple hopes to release a full Siri API for developers, but the company will not do so until all potential privacy concerns are sorted out. As one source said, “Apple’s talk about user-privacy is not marketing, it is core to [Apple’s] product development process.”
Executives Mixed on Rollout
While all of the aforementioned features are far into development, none of them as described are a lock for iOS 9.0 due to Apple’s new focus on maintaining (and improving) quality in iOS and OS X. According to sources, Vice President of Product Management for iOS and OS X Kim Vorrath has been reluctant to launch the new Proactive initiative with such an ambitious set of features.
Apple would rather launch scaled down incarnations of the aforementioned enhancements and then improve the feature over time, according to the sources. Nonetheless, these features are currently in development within Apple’s Software Engineering department, and the scale at which they launch will become clear at Apple’s June 8th Worldwide Developers Conference kickoff keynote. Sources indicate that Apple’s marketing department will determine whether the features are launched under the Proactive umbrella name, or described as upgrades to existing features such as Spotlight, Maps, Contacts, Calendars, and Siri.
In addition to developing its new Proactive features, Apple is working on a series of other updates for iOS 9. As we have reported, Apple is developing a new streaming music service based on its acquisition of Beats Electronics, a new Home app for managing home automation accessories, a refreshed look for iPhones and iPads with the new San Francisco typeface, new security and optimization features, iPad split-screen apps, a new keyboard, and iMessage improvements.
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This is some really interesting stuff, but like when Siri first launched, I think Apple wants to avoid overpraising and under delivering features like this. Predictive behaviors are some of the hardest problems in software to get exactly right, because getting what “feels right” into an actual written program is hard.
As a developer, I just don’t want Apple to sit on a feature until it’s perfect which may take years, these features are best built as iterations that are in development continuously. Most disappointing thing about iOS releases is that if something doesn’t make iOS 9.0, we have to wait a year for release.
That needs to change. And maybe we’re starting to see it with the new music app coming in 8.4. I’m a bit nervous about all this predictive stuff. Some of it will be good, other stuff sounds like technology getting more intrusive rather than out of the way,
yea, but new music app is apple software and doesn’t effect developer apis. I think the introduction of force touch api with the MacBooks was kind of a rare case where new code was made available before wwdc.
Are we sure that the music app/streaming service is coming in 8.4 and not 9??
Agree with many of your points
“Apple would rather launch scaled down incarnations of the aforementioned enhancements and then improve the feature over time, according to the sources.”
And I fully support that. Quality, reliability, stability trump features for the sake of features. Good for Kim Vorrath.
They should really keep spotlight/proactive as pull down. I see the discoverability issue, but I think going back to not being able to launch it from any home screen is a mistake. I guess they can do both, but I hope they don’t make the home button go to it ever. I found that behavior really annoying with spotlight. People press home subconsciously, even when they are on the first screen. When it pulled you over to spotlight it was jarring.
I was just talking about how now with apple watch, an siri api would be pretty damn useful. I wonder how dependable the whole breadcrumbs thing would be and if the watch activity would play a more crucial role in determining what actions to give siri access too.
Agreed. Additionally, the Continuity feature now uses the “left” to home screen one in the multitask view. If you have Dashboard active on a Mac, but when you go to Mission Control view, you see it in the similar view as the multitask view on iOS. They could do the same
Ditto. I loved the fact it became a drop down and didn’t require to lose my position on the home screen to access search results.
I never used Spotlight when it was to the left of the home screen, and as my collection of regularly used apps has grown, I use the pulldown Spotlight all the time. It’s my launcher!
To be honest – not that keen.
Just sounds like apple following google down the route of making dosh from advertising and surveillance dressed up as a fake ‘free service.’
The relative absence of this ‘leveraging’ of me as a product is/was one reason why I prefer apple over google.
Should we continue to pay a premium for apple hardware if apple is also going down the route of selling us as their product?
Apple has privacy settings. If you don’t like the services that point you to apps and search results you can turn them off. Apple isn’t making money off of it, so they don’t care. I mean I guess they might make some money because they get a cut of 3rd party app sales but I don’t think it’s the same thing as advertisers paying apple for your info.
I don’t think apple will be selling my personal info to outsiders. But it’s still unfortunate apple are going down the route of leveraging their customer base as a target for ads. I still think it brings into question why I am paying a premium for their hardware if they are now intending to copy google by using me as a product.
Yes, I will be using the privacy options – which I agree are better on apple – most of my devices already have siri turned off and spotlight search is limited to my device, not external suggestions.
No one said anything about Apple selling user data… what are you going on about?
Michael Perry
I’m replying to Greg Kaplan, who does mention selling personal information.
I said – ” I DON’T think apple will be selling my personal information ” Have another look. It’s there in writing.
Neither myself or Greg Kaplan said we think that is what is happening. Have another look. It’s there in writing.
If you are going to make this type of comment you need to … (a) read (b) think
Well, to be fair, let’s see how it’s actually implemented. The odds that Apple is going to sacrifice a key value – privacy – are low. Basically, expect a creative way to solve the problem which, however, might be inferior (hopefully not) to Google, since Google ingests everything (and is best at processing it).
What it “sounds like” is neither here nor there. What matters is what is. And what is is that Apple is not making significant income (and none directly) from pushing advertising. You have no evidence to back up this concern, let alone to base it on.
Apple makes money from phone and app sales directly, and a MINUSCULE amount from their take from the revenue from app developers that do make money from ads.
These services exist no to push ads but to provide essential, location-based services. If you don’t want that, don’t blame Apple, blame the third party devs who design ads whose revenue stream is ads/ Or better yet, just don’t buy those apps!
The idea that Apple is “selling us as their product” here is ludicrous and baseless.
i bit disappoint with apple Siri. Hope it is not just a good catchup game this time.
Siri has improved tremendously. I just re started using it and am impressed with how quick and accurate it is. As well as the breadth of subjects it now covers…
How can the Siri API ‘breadcrumb’ be described as ‘third party’? If it’s a Siri API, its part of Apple’s product…
Apple API services in general are made to be ‘used’ by third party Developers. It’s not a third party api itself.
Exactly. A better word, in developer parlance, would be a “public” API.
No mention that Spotlight Search currently uses Bing results. Which is incredibly icky. If it would give me Google, maybe I’d use it more.
Never thought I’d be standing up for a Microsoft product, but nothing currently is ickier than Google and its creepy business model.
I’m not saying that it is better than Google (because it is not), but Bing search results are really very good. If you don’t want Google looking over your shoulder, then Bing is a good substitute (though admittedly, the average consumer should choose Duck Duck Go if they want to avoid their data being tracked).
They have a long way to go to catch up. A bridge that had been closed for a time and then reopened about a year ago still shows as closed on Apple Maps. Google is lightyears ahead of them with regard to getting accurate and timely real-world information. Not sure how Apple competes without a huge commitment. Maybe it’s time to tap that $180B in the bank and put it to good use.
Nonsense. Please cite actual data to support this position. The studies that actually have been done have shown that all the major map data providers have about the same number of errors.
Now I’m beginning to comprehend the subtle improvements to Siri, especially noticeable since the most recent iOS upgrade: for years now, I have used Siri to set an evening alarm for silent contemplation, followed by a request to run Night Stand, an old favourite app that has not seen an update in years.
Prior to the last iOS update, the app would always open in portrait mode, whereupon I would have to manually rotate my iPad to change orientation to landscape. But nowadays, the app will launch in portrait mode and then “autorotate” itself to landscape mode without my intervention, which suggests to me that Siri has learned one of my usage traits and “autocompleted” it for me – brilliant!
I guess (and hope) that this is a foretaste of things to comein the realm of script and macro auto-execution…
I think Siri is still sub par. I have a contact named “Ely Dunn.” No matter what I do or how I pronounce the name or even if I put the name in phonetically into the address book, Siri never recognizes it. I have the same problem with several other contacts. This is on the latest phone with latest iOS (8.3.3).
If Apple can’t recognize the name from a predefined list of a few hundred contacts, that means Apple hasn’t nailed the basics down.
You need to read up how to coach Siri through pronunciations. Very simple, and she’ll listen to your corrections and adjust. Google “How to correct Siri”. That’s so 2013, sheesh..,
Been through all that, several times. Didn’t work.
“Google how to fix Siri”
That is a classic right there. The irony.
Devil’s advocate much, @maisonpulaski? And yes, Google’s still my fave search engine…
It also helps clear up your acne.
I stopped reading this shameful misinformation at:
“Like Google Now, Proactive will automatically provide timely information based on the user’s data and device usage patterns, but will respect the user’s privacy preferences”
I’m pretty sure that Google Now respects the user’s privacy preferences as well…
I think it stems from articles and details like this;
“Google Now aggregates the information Google already collects about you on a daily basis: accessing your email, your calendar, your contacts, your text messages, your location, your shopping habits, your payment history, as well as your choices in music, movies and books.”
Source: http://readwrite.com/2012/06/29/google-now-knows-more-about-you-than-your-family-does-are-you-ok-with-that
Sorry but you didn’t make any point my friend. Of course, just like Apple is going to do, Google Now aggregates the information from different sources “with the user’s privacy preferences”. In order to use Google Now the user has to opt-in. So as I said, this article is a lie.
That was sarcasm, right?
Awwwwwwww!!!!!! That’s simply ADORABLE that you think that! Lol, Apple CAN leave all of your data and privacy unraped. They made $ off the device… and a cut off the apps you buy. Google simply CANNOT leave your data alone. That’s the ONLY way they get $. Derp. That’s why they gave you the service for “free”. If you really think that Google is going to create a system for the sole purpose of gleaning user data, but leave a way for the user to disable that, while still using the service- you’re either naive to the nth degree, or at the very least, willfully ignorant.
This is a great start I guess. Better than nothing. The only issue I see is it appears to be very app centric rather than service/information centric. For example the beauty of Google now is that you will get your flight itinerary and boarding passes as Google now cards just by virtue of those things being emailed to you. That works for all kinds of things like package deliveries etc… The way this sounds, it will try to give you those bits of information ONLY if apps to corresponding information types are installed. So for instances I’ll need to have an american airlines app installed for occasions when my flight is AL and also a southwest earliness app installed for occasions when I fly southwest, or a Unite app installed for cases…. well you get the picture. Also if I want tracked deliveries to show up then I’ll have to have a delivery tracking app installed to feed “Proactive” with the information for me to glance at. Everything with iOS seems to be more and more and more apps installed for single use cases and that’s exactly what Google now was designed to prevent. It’s a single service serves you information without those single use apps installed. I guess it makes sense… Apple doesn’t really ‘get’ the web and services. Their strength is single platform based apps, Googles strength is services and web based (read multi platform) services.
I see your point, but I think it makes sense to see what Apple puts out there first. For instance, you are saying that Apple couldn’t do the same as Google does with Gmail, but last time I checked my phone has mail on it also so Apple could do the same thing if you give it access to your email.
Apple could easily do the same thing, but they won’t. This is an ethical issue, not a technological one. Apple has stood up time and time again for user’s privacy. It would be hypocritical of them to start mining your personal data, especially without consent. Not saying Google doesn’t have consent; their users give it to them simply by using their “free” services.
@ Tomlin: The BIG difference of course, would be that Apple isn’t mining your data for the express purpose of aggregating it into a pool to help them sell targeted advertising. If they mine your data it’s for making their service (and your experience) better on their device. That’s just a side benefit of Google’s strategy (selling targeted ads).
This is something I’ve always liked from Android, not a fan of the virtual voice assistant part and never use Siri but displaying useful info, expected delivery times, directions, relevant news stories that might be of interest is great imo. Hope they release a stable version and build on it, quality over quantity.
Really looking forward to WWDC now, so much planned and it all looks great.
The worst part about Google is that you’re the product. Apple is completely different, they protect privacy as opposed to selling it.
Siri API will be a huge thing guys.
The Proactive feature looks like very much of all the things tried in the past by Nokia and others. Didn’t take off. It was hard to use, confusing and not intuitive at all. Especially in crowded areas with hundreds of shops, restaurants et al.
The one thing I really want to see is transit directions in Apple Maps.
If Apple made it’s own search engine, it would solve lots of issues.
what ever happened to Samsung purchasing the company that Siri was based on, I was hopeful that this would mean Apple would have to rebuild Siri from the ground up and maybe finally get some more accuracy. Although pronunciation has gotten better it is still atrocious by comparison.
I am most excited to see the maps additions.
I am a casual rumor watcher so please try to be kind :}
Nothing has happened with it. The company is Nuance, and Apple has made several key moves to bring voice recognition in house.
It’s crazy how everyone claimed that Google Now was nothing compared to Siri, which we all know was a lie, and now Apple admits that it needs a Google Now. Copying the Android features, bit by bit. What’s next, the notification bar? Oh wait…
I wonder if you’re an android fan. I mean obviously you’re an apple fan or you wouldn’t be here, because obviously you’re interested in Apple. If you were only interested in android you’d stay on sites devoted to that.
Hahahaha….
Yup. Mmmmm hmmmm. Copy, copy… yup.
Like when Apple Pay years ago copied Samsung Pay & the newly announced at Google I/O, Android Pay…. oh wait.
Oh yeah, that never happened & you’re a trolling douchebag.
There will ALWAYS be feature creep between the two OS’, anybody could spend all day going back and forth tallying minute details of such. However, it’s pretty ridiculous pointing out teeny things like that, when there’s huge glaring instances of laziness and copying like the one I just mentioned…. or Lollipop suddenly needing “material”…. a flatter approach to th OS, upon the coat tails of iOS 7 getting its flatter revamp.
Please… refrain from chucking rocks there pal…. I’m concerned about your glass house.
iOS9 brings Proactive to the forefront of how Apple will play a major part in your working life….