Apple’s upcoming operating system, iOS 18, has reignited the debate surrounding the tech giant’s practice of “sherlocking” — integrating features similar to those offered by popular third-party apps into its own ecosystem, often at no additional cost, resulting in the apps they copycat losing their appeal.
NPR reports that as anticipation builds for the release of Apple’s iOS 18 this fall, the company has come under scrutiny for introducing features that bear striking resemblances to existing third-party apps. This common practice by Apple, which earned the nickname “sherlocking,” has been a point of contention for years, with some app developers accusing Apple of unfairly leveraging its market dominance to undermine their businesses. The term sherlocking dates back to the 1990’s, when Apple created a search tool for its desktops called Sherlock that was…
