Last month, a report suggested Apple was working on a new AI-powered shopping assistant for the Apple Store app on iPhone and iPad. Apple's expected Virtual Shopping Assistant has begun to appear for some iPhone users, offering to answer questions about products or check on orders, although it won't do much about the rising prices.How the new Virtual Shopping Assistant looks in the Apple Store app - image credit: ShrimpApplePro.Apple has begun to get a reputation for leaking information in code references, but in July 2026 it did so in a public policy document. Key points and original sources are listed below.

• Last month, a report suggested Apple was working on a new AI-powered shopping assistant for the Apple Store app on iPhone and iPad. The company now appears to be rolling that out to select users as part of an “Early Preview.”S1

• Apple's expected Virtual Shopping Assistant has begun to appear for some iPhone users, offering to answer questions about products or check on orders, although it won't do much about the rising prices.How the new Virtual Shopping Assistant looks in the Apple S...S2

• In the Apple Store app on the iPhone, select users have received access to an "early preview" of a new AI-powered virtual shopping assistant. Once it is available, you can open the chatbot by tapping on the speech bubble with two sparkles in the bottom-right c...S3