Apple 'Working With' True Knowledge to Address Concerns Over Evi's Similarities to Siri

Last month, we reported on Evi, an app from True Knowledge that offered some of the same features as Apple's Siri. While Evi lacks the system-level integration of Siri on the iPhone 4S, it does offer greater information content and expanded device compatibility.

evi screenshots
TechCrunch reported yesterday that Apple has now contacted True Knowledge with the suggestion that it will soon remove Evi from the App Store for duplicating Siri's functionality and confusing customers.

On Friday evening True Knowledge had a call from Apple representative Richard Chipman. (If you Google Richard Chipman’s name you’ll find he is also the Apple rep that does the controversial calls about apps).

He told True Knowledge that Apple was “going to pull Evi from the appstore” as it was similar to Siri.

The rule being cited is number 8.3 in the App [Store] T&Cs” “Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or advertising theme will be rejected”.

The publicity has caused a spike in Evi's sales rank as users have sought to purchase the app before it disappears, but The Verge now reports that Apple is not planning on removing the app from the App Store. Instead, Apple is said to be "working with" its developers to reduce potential confusion with Siri.

Despite what True Knowledge told TechCrunch, the app remains in the App Store, and according to sources familiar with the matter, Apple is attempting to work with the developers on bumping out those similarities, rather than just pulling the product. It's apparently standard practice these days for Apple to flag something that could be confusing to end users and then try to work with developers to alter the appearance and / or functionality of the app, and we're told that's taking place with True Knowledge right now.

It remains to be seen just what changes to Evi will come out of these discussions between Apple and True Knowledge, but it seems clear that Apple is concerned about Evi's parallels to Siri.

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

T-Will Avatar
174 months ago
Dear Mr. Chipman,

Please explain how Evi's functionality is confusingly similar to any app on the iPhone 4/3GS/3G/etc.

Sincerely,
T. Will
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Caliber26 Avatar
174 months ago
HUH???

So are they going to remove all the other calculator, weather, texting, note-taking, and mail apps from the AppStore because they're "confusingly similar" to the native ones?
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macmastersam Avatar
174 months ago
someone is iJealous because of this app....
i really dont want to see this go, as this is a great alternative for 3GS users like me who like to use something like siri, but don't want to spend at least $500 on a phone just for siri
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
j2-core Avatar
174 months ago
Is any body else getting sick of Apple calling us stupid? We do buy their products.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
174 months ago

My advice: Dump Apple's iOS gadgets and buy an Android product instead. Android is a free market and the platform is not owned by a bully.
Suggesting Google as you benevolent overlord is pretty delusional these days too.

I never thought I'd say it, but I honestly think Microsoft is the better bet in this particular arena. I'm a bit surprised to see someone with your attitude still backing Google.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RichardBeer Avatar
174 months ago
R.I.P Capitalism. Met it's death in the 20th century, this is all we have left; corporate bullies.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)