Memory Framework: Third Party API

This page explores the product‑design implications of the Personal Deep Research project, which prototypes how devices can retrieve personal memories on demand.

Towards a more personal iPhone.

Many third‑party apps repeatedly ask for data your iPhone already knows. The Apple Memory & Understanding framework lets these apps—such as the sports app shown below—securely access that relevant personal data, reducing repetitive onboarding.

Through the framework, the sports app can query your iPhone for necessary information in a privacy‑preserving way, streamlining sign‑up and getting you to your teams more quickly.

For example, Spotify could request your current mood via the framework to tailor music suggestions without asking you directly.

All queries are anonymized—the system can obscure details like your current location. If it cannot immediately answer a complex request, your iPhone can automatically initiate a learning pipeline to handle similar questions in the future.

This opens new possibilities. In the example below, the system infers that the user is not technically literate and automatically presents a simplified interface—all prompted by the developer’s natural‑language instruction.