Tim Cook at D11: Apple to Open Up APIs in the Future, but No Chat Heads - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Tim Cook at D11: Apple to Open Up APIs in the Future, but No Chat Heads

At this year's annual All Things Digital conference hosted by AllThingsD, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook, where he revealed that Apple is planning to open up additional APIs in the future, giving third party developers more control over iOS.

According to Cook, while Apple will open up more APIs, it will continue to protect customers from the "risk of bad experiences."

Always a fine line, or maybe not so fine. The customer pays us to make choices on their behalf. But you'll see us open up more.

When Facebook released its Home software for Android phones in April, Facebook director of product Adam Mosseri mentioned that the company was in ongoing talks with Apple about bringing Home (and its Chat Heads functionality) to iOS.

facebookhome.jpg
According to Cook, while Chat Heads were not the ideal choice, Apple will allow third party apps to take over some iOS features in the future, allowing developers to build better and more versatile experiences.


During the question and answer session, Cook also mentioned that Apple had no issue with porting Apple apps to Android or other platforms should the need arise in the future, though such functionality doesn't make sense at the current point in time. Full coverage of Tim Cook's comments can be found here.

Popular Stories

iPhone Ultra Fold Feature

Foldable iPhone Development History and Price Revealed in New Report

Tuesday September 8, 2026 5:55 am PDT by
Former Apple CEO Tim Cook played a major role in the development of the foldable iPhone, which could reach around $3,000 with storage upgrades, according to new details shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Early in the development of the foldable iPhone, the company reportedly targeted a starting retail price of $1,999, hoping to come under the "potentially controversial $2,000 barrier." The...
tim cook john ternus apple ceo

Tim Cook Comments on His Final Day as Apple CEO

Monday August 31, 2026 8:39 am PDT by
Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO on September 1, with the company's hardware engineering John Ternus set to take over. With the transition set to take place tomorrow, there have been quite a few headlines about Cook lately. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The latest story comes from 9to5Mac, which said it has obtained Cook's full memo to Apple...
Tim Cook Apple Logo

Tim Cook Won't Appear in Apple's September 9 Event Video

Monday September 7, 2026 2:27 am PDT by
Tim Cook will attend the screening for Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event this Wednesday, but he will not feature in the event video itself, according to sources cited by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Cook stepped down as Apple CEO on September 1 to become executive chairman of the company, paving the way for John Ternus to take over the top job. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that...

Top Rated Comments

ArtOfWarfare Avatar
174 months ago
So then don't use it.

Also, I absolutely do not pay Apple to make choices for me. That is profoundly asinine.
Except you do. That's how they manage to keep the experience of using their products so simple. They go through every UI dialog and say, "Do we really need to give the user this option, or are they going to want to hit this button 99+% of the time?" and if the answer is that the user is generally going to want to hit that button, then they'll remove the dialog and just have that be the default behavior.

The alternative is to have endless popups. IE, what should happen when you download a file? The answer, 99% of the time, is it should go into downloads, TYVM, get out of my way. Other OS's and browsers will present other options when you want to download a file. You as the user may not even understand the implications of certain choices.

If you don't like Apple making the choices for you, you should ditch iOS and get pure Android, and you should ditch OS X and get pure Unix or Linux. Then you can begin to understand the choices that Apple has made on your behalf and the time and frustration they've saved you in doing so. Or maybe you really like all that control, and you don't like Apple making those choices, in which case, good for you, stick with those other platforms where you can make your own choices.

I, for one, think the choices that have been made tend to be pretty good... there's a few exceptions... Mission Control really sucks and I can no longer organize 90% of my windows because I no longer have a grid of spaces to work with... the only organization I have is Spotify is always full screen to the right of my main space, and everything else is piled up in my main space.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TennisandMusic Avatar
174 months ago
I have a HTC One. Chat head sucks. Facebook ruins things.
So then don't use it.

Also, I absolutely do not pay Apple to make choices for me. That is profoundly asinine.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A MacBook lover Avatar
174 months ago
best thing I read all day
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
174 months ago
I have a HTC One. Chat head sucks. Facebook ruins things.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
174 months ago
I would love to see a screenshot of this. Surely there is one somewhere on the web.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
174 months ago
Who the fk cares about Tim Cook at ATD. He can't top Steve's legacy, why even try? He is trying to be too much like Steve, especially with the comment on wearable watches: "nothing good on the market right now".

WHAT??? I can't see Steve saying half the stuff Tim says... porting Apple apps to Android?? Steve was probably rolling in his grave.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple CEO John Ternus Talks iPhone Duo Design, Siri AI, and Becoming CEO
Apple CEO John Ternus Talks iPhone Duo Design, Siri AI, and Becoming CEO
3 hours ago
You Can No Longer Downgrade From iOS 27 to iOS 26
You Can No Longer Downgrade From iOS 27 to iOS 26
4 hours ago
macOS 27.2 Beta Brings New Volume and Brightness Sliders
macOS 27.2 Beta Brings New Volume and Brightness Sliders
4 hours ago
GM Wants You to Know It Still Plans to Ditch Apple CarPlay in Future EVs
GM Wants You to Know It Still Plans to Ditch Apple CarPlay in Future EVs
7 hours ago
iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
8 hours ago
Apple Seeds Second macOS Golden Gate 27.2 Beta to Developers
Apple Seeds Second macOS Golden Gate 27.2 Beta to Developers
9 hours ago
Apple Releases Second iOS 27.2 Beta
Apple Releases Second iOS 27.2 Beta
9 hours ago
Apple Releases Second watchOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2 Betas
Apple Releases Second watchOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2 Betas
9 hours ago
M4 iPad Air Now Starting at $649 on Amazon, Save Up to $149
M4 iPad Air Now Starting at $649 on Amazon, Save Up to $149
9 hours ago
New Mac Mini Reviews: A Good But No Longer 'Insanely Great' Deal
New Mac Mini Reviews: A Good But No Longer 'Insanely Great' Deal
9 hours ago
Some iPhone 18 Pro Users Experiencing Face ID Issues
Some iPhone 18 Pro Users Experiencing Face ID Issues
10 hours ago
Pin Music to the Top of Your Apple Watch Music Library
Pin Music to the Top of Your Apple Watch Music Library
10 hours ago
Apple Smart Home Display Coming as Soon as Next Month
Apple Smart Home Display Coming as Soon as Next Month
11 hours ago
OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
12 hours ago
New Mac Studio's Biggest Upgrade Isn't the M5 Ultra Chip, Review Says
New Mac Studio's Biggest Upgrade Isn't the M5 Ultra Chip, Review Says
12 hours ago
How to Force Quit Apple Watch Apps in watchOS 27
How to Force Quit Apple Watch Apps in watchOS 27
13 hours ago
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Launch Tomorrow
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Launch Tomorrow
13 hours ago
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 May Have Hidden Flash Storage
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 May Have Hidden Flash Storage
13 hours ago
iPhone 20 Pro Display Sizes Leak Ahead of 2027 Launch
iPhone 20 Pro Display Sizes Leak Ahead of 2027 Launch
15 hours ago
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Owners Report Unexpected Reboots
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Owners Report Unexpected Reboots
17 hours ago
iFixit Shares iPhone 18 Pro Teardown With Inside Look at New Features
iFixit Shares iPhone 18 Pro Teardown With Inside Look at New Features
22 hours ago
Apple Fitness+ Layoffs Reported Ahead of Potential 'Major' Changes
Apple Fitness+ Layoffs Reported Ahead of Potential 'Major' Changes
23 hours ago
A Shorter Apple Pencil Was Supposed to Launch Alongside iPhone Duo
A Shorter Apple Pencil Was Supposed to Launch Alongside iPhone Duo
23 hours ago
Siri AI Settlement Website Now Live: Apple to Pay Some iPhone Owners
Siri AI Settlement Website Now Live: Apple to Pay Some iPhone Owners
1 day ago
M6 Pro Chip Result on Geekbench is Likely Fake
M6 Pro Chip Result on Geekbench is Likely Fake
2 days ago
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Sees First Discount After Launch, Now $779.99 on Amazon
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Sees First Discount After Launch, Now $779.99 on Amazon
2 days ago
Top Stories: iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate Out Now, Siri AI Waitlist, and More
Top Stories: iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate Out Now, Siri AI Waitlist, and More
3 days ago
Apple Exec Says 'Hold Us Accountable' on iPhone Duo Crease
Apple Exec Says 'Hold Us Accountable' on iPhone Duo Crease
3 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Max Requires 'Prepare to Ship' Battery Drain Before Shipping
iPhone 18 Pro Max Requires 'Prepare to Ship' Battery Drain Before Shipping
3 days ago
Hands-On With the Apple Watch Series 12
Hands-On With the Apple Watch Series 12
3 days ago