01
A system-wide entity graph, not app silos
AOS-ARCH-009Data ownership moves from the app to a shared, provenance-carrying graph the whole system can query. Views and providers are replaceable.
Evidence map · AOS-RES-013
iOS, Android, and Agent OS — on the record.
An evidence map, not a feature-scoreboard. iOS and Android cells point to vendor security or developer material; Agent OS cells point to canonical target specifications. Inferences are labelled as such.
| Dimension | iOS | Android | Agent OS |
|---|---|---|---|
| System object model | App-siloed; system-visible through selected App Entities | App-siloed; ContentProviders, Intents and App Actions | System-wide durable entity graph with provenance and shared identity [AOS-ARCH-009] |
| Action / intent APIs | App Intents expose developer-selected typed operations | Intents + App Actions / AppFunctions expose developer-selected operations | Typed action providers, common executor, receipts and compensation across every caller [AOS-ARCH-010] |
| User-composed interfaces | Widgets, Shortcuts and App Intents remain bounded by app-exposed surfaces and actions | Widgets, shortcuts, intents and AppFunctions remain bounded by app-provided contracts | Text/block/source builder composes signed micro-apps across AI, documents, notifications, widgets and focused modes [AOS-PROD-018] [AOS-ARCH-026] |
| Agent authority model | Apple Intelligence reaches app functions through App Intents; per-intent authority | Gemini reaches app functions through AppFunctions; OS-mediated | Five-rung trust ladder, explicit capabilities, budgets, previews and effect receipts [AOS-ARCH-010] |
| Global history / provenance | Per-app history; no documented system-wide semantic effect log (inference) | Per-app history; no documented system-wide semantic effect log (inference) | Append-only semantic event log with provider, agent, delivery and compensation receipts [AOS-ARCH-009] |
| Sandboxing / capabilities | App Sandbox, signed entitlements and TCC | Per-UID sandbox, SELinux and runtime permissions | Object-capabilities; authority absent unless granted; micro-app and agent quotas [AOS-ARCH-004] [AOS-ARCH-026] |
| Peer / off-grid connectivity | AirDrop and peer features exist inside Apple-defined workflows; no general DTN object layer | Quick Share and nearby APIs exist; no general system object/receipt layer across constrained transports | One encrypted envelope and receipt model over local IP, Wi-Fi Direct, BLE, LoRa, gateways and delayed relay [AOS-ARCH-024] |
| Update model | Signed System Volume and sealed platform image | A/B seamless updates and Project Mainline modules | Verified compatibility set with package provenance, rollback and recovery [AOS-ARCH-013] |
| Privacy posture | On-device processing, Private Cloud Compute and TCC/ATT | Private Compute Core and Privacy Dashboard | Local authority, field-level capability grants, declared destinations and journal exclusion [AOS-PROD-013] [AOS-ARCH-012] |
| Offline behaviour | Per-app; cloud-dependent capabilities vary by feature | Per-app; cloud-dependent capabilities vary by feature | Offline correctness for entities, actions, history and micro-apps; Mesh adds delayed peer paths [AOS-ARCH-009] [AOS-ARCH-024] |
| Extensibility | App Extensions and App Intents; core semantics remain platform-controlled | Intents, providers, App Actions and services; app package remains primary unit | Providers publish data, actions, components and transports; portable semantics remain provider-independent [AOS-PROD-003] [AOS-ARCH-005] |
| Interop / cross-device | Closed native runtime with Continuity and AirDrop | Open runtime with Quick Share and vendor ecosystems | Encrypted sync, shareable micro-app manifests and transport-neutral peer bundles [AOS-ARCH-009] [AOS-ARCH-024] |
| Identity / accounts | Apple Account, Sign in with Apple, iCloud and passkeys | Google Account, Credential Manager and passkeys | Global Account with local-first user authority and opaque per-provider identities [AOS-PROD-014] |
| Developer distribution | App Store and notarization; EU alternative marketplaces under DMA | Play, sideloading and developer verification requirements | Signed providers and micro-app packages discovered by capability and context, not a mandatory monolithic-app funnel [AOS-PROD-003] [AOS-ARCH-026] |
Source: AOS-RES-013 · baseline 2026-07-16. iOS/Android cells cite vendor security/developer docs; Agent OS cells cite internal specs.
The structural wagers
What Agent OS changes below the feature layer.
The incumbents already have typed intents, widgets, on-device AI and nearby sharing. Agent OS makes different units primary: shared entities, user-composed micro-apps, semantic receipts and transport-neutral peer delivery.
02
Text-to-micro-apps instead of fixed feature gates
AOS-PROD-018When data and typed actions exist, the user can compose the missing safe interface rather than waiting for a platform vendor to expose one widget shape.
03
Peer delivery is a system capability
AOS-ARCH-024One signed envelope can move over direct IP, Bluetooth, LoRa, gateways or delayed relays while retaining one identity, receipt and policy model.
04
A five-rung agent trust ladder with no unlogged action
AOS-ARCH-010Authority climbs from observation to bounded autonomy. Every effect records interpretation, capabilities, data, destination, cost and result.
05
Object-capabilities as the base layer
AOS-ARCH-004Authority is absent unless granted. A radio-less mode has no radio capability; a micro-app cannot silently acquire sockets or private health data.
06
Offline-completeness as an invariant
AOS-PROD-013Entities, actions, history, micro-apps and capture remain correct with zero connectivity. Remote compute and gateways are optional accelerators or transports.
Interface composition
A missing interface is not automatically a missing app.
The text-to-micro-app builder composes declared data, actions, views and policy into one inspectable instance that can render inside AI, documents, notifications, widgets or focused modes.
Peer connectivity
Nearby and off-grid delivery share one system model.
Agent Mesh uses one signed envelope and receipt model across direct IP, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, gateways and delayed relays instead of fragmenting identity and status by transport.
Use it first.
For people who create and change things — not the mass market. Join the waitlist to hear when the first builds open up.