Can other apps make calls with App Intents
Asked on 2026-06-13
1 search
Yes — other apps can invoke your app’s actions with App Intents, but the intents themselves are defined by your app and exposed to the system.
Apple describes App Intents as a way for your app’s actions and content to be available across the system, including places like Shortcuts, Spotlight, widgets, Control Center, Siri, and the Action Button. In newer sessions, Apple also notes that Spotlight can invoke your app’s actions from anywhere on the Mac.
So the short answer is:
- Yes, other apps or system surfaces can trigger your app’s App Intents
- No, App Intents are not a generic way for arbitrary apps to directly make calls inside your app unless you’ve exposed that behavior as an intent
If you meant making phone calls, Apple’s sessions mention a Start Call intent for live communication experiences, where the intent is delivered to your app to continue the call flow.
Platforms State of the Union
Discover the newest advancements on Apple platforms.
Create live communication experiences
LiveCommunicationKit transforms your real-time communication apps into integrated experiences. We’ll show you how to deliver a rich, native conversation UI that puts your app right where people need it: from a full-screen presentation on the Lock Screen to seamless multitasking with the Dynamic Island. Join us as we step through integrating the framework for incoming, outgoing, and group conversations.
Get to know App Intents
Learn about the App Intents framework and its increasingly critical role within Apple’s developer platforms. We’ll take you through a ground-up introduction of the core concepts: intents, entities, queries, and much more. You’ll learn how these pieces fit together and let you integrate your app through Apple’s devices, from software features like Spotlight and Shortcuts to hardware features like the Action button. We’ll also walk through how App Intents is your app’s gateway to integrating with Apple Intelligence going forward.