At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled a massive suite of design and feature updates across its entire ecosystem. As has become tradition, the company integrated several capabilities previously only available through third-party developers—a phenomenon famously dubbed “Sherlocking.”
The term dates back to 2002, when Apple released Sherlock 3 for Mac, which effectively replicated the features of a popular $29 utility called Watson, forcing the original developer to shut down. Today, the label applies whenever Apple absorbs niche app functionality into its core operating systems.
The Evolution of Spotlight
Sherlocked apps: Raycast, Launch Bar
Apple’s revamped Spotlight search on macOS now mirrors the power-user functionality of apps like Raycast. Users can now access menu items for active windows and utilize custom strings to trigger specific actions—such as creating calendar events, generating GIFs, or building folders. Furthermore, the new Intents API allows third-party developers to inject their own app actions directly into the Spotlight interface.
Live Activities for Flight Tracking
Sherlocked apps: Flighty
With the arrival of iOS 26, the Apple Wallet app now supports flight status tracking via Live Activities. Additionally, Apple Maps is integrating granular airport navigation, including details on security gates, restrooms, and dining—features that have long been the hallmark of the award-winning app Flighty.
AI Integration in Xcode
Sherlocked apps: Alex for Xcode
Apple is doubling down on developer productivity by making ChatGPT the default assistant within Xcode 26. This native integration allows for seamless code analysis, terminal command execution, and codebase searching, directly challenging the utility of Y Combinator-backed tools like Alex for Xcode.
Podcast Recording and Watch Notes
Sherlocked apps: Riverside, Various Notes apps
The iPad now features native “Local Capture,” allowing users to record high-quality video calls—a space previously dominated by platforms like Riverside. Simultaneously, the long-awaited arrival of an official Notes app on watchOS 26 renders many third-party note-taking utilities for the Apple Watch redundant.
Advanced Call Screening and Parcel Tracking
Sherlocked apps: Robokiller, Truecaller, Package Trackers
iOS 26 introduces “Call Assist,” which silently screens unknown callers and summarizes their intent—a direct threat to services like Truecaller and Robokiller. Meanwhile, Apple Wallet is leveraging Apple Intelligence to parse emails for tracking numbers and order status updates, effectively “Sherlocking” dedicated package tracking apps.
The Future for Third-Party Developers
While Apple’s tendency to absorb third-party features poses an existential threat to apps with narrow functionality, history shows a nuanced outcome. Often, Apple’s native implementation acts as a catalyst, driving user awareness and demand for advanced features. As seen with Bezel and Unite, many developers respond to being “Sherlocked” by pivoting toward more specialized, power-user use cases that Apple’s generalized tools cannot match.