Here’s all you need to know about sherlocking, Apple’s way of making apps redundant almost overnight.
Recently, Apple let users download the beta version of iOS 18 and get an early look at the upcoming features. (Express Photo)Every year, iPhone users are excited about the slew of new features that are coming to their devices as part of the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system. For example, at this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in the US, Apple announced its much-hyped iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 with new features that allow users to manage passwords, customise emojis, record calls, transcribe notes, and much more.
However, are these capabilities actually new? Or could they have already existed on users’ Apple devices in the form of standalone, third-party apps? If so, what happens to these apps now that Apple is offering the same features natively?
What is sherlocking?
Simply put, sherlocking is when Apple introduces a new feature or app that offers the same functionalities as an existing third-party app. As a result, there is no longer any use for the third-party app since the same features are easily accessible on the Apple device.
There is an interesting history behind the term ‘sherlocking’. In the late 1990s, Apple had launched a desktop search tool called Sherlock which was named after the popular fictional British detective in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. But Sherlock could only look for files on the desktop and translate content, along with a few other basic functions. It wasn’t long before a developer built Watson, a programme that made it possible to access information on the internet through Sherlock.
Watson’s popularity soared but it was short lived because Apple released an updated version of its in-built search tool that had all of the same capabilities. Hence, Watson became obsolete and was the first software programme to get sherlocked.
Decades later, Apple continues to sherlock apps with every iOS, MacOS, or iPadOS upgrade. For instance, third-party apps that let users impose parental checks were shut down after Apple launched its own parental controls systems. Third-party apps meant for medication tracking, sleep tracking, mood tracking, journaling, etc, have been sherlocked by Apple in the past, according to a report by TechCrunch.
This year, a major class of applications to get sherlocked was password managers and authentication apps. At WWDC 2024, Apple unveiled a free-to-use Passwords app that stores login credentials while also serving as a two-factor authenticator app. It is built on top of the iCloud keychain and is secured by end-to-end encryption.
Is sherlocking a problem?
Since most third-party apps tend to be subscription-based, one could argue that sherlocking is a good practice as it saves Apple customers from shelling out for basic features such as accessing the calculator or flashlight.
Even if third-party apps are free to use, they are usually infested with ads which becomes an annoyance for users. Furthermore, Apple has a loyal customer base which means that if given a choice, users would trust and prefer to use Apple’s in-built fitness app over a third-party health app with the exact same capabilities.
On the other hand, Apple has repeatedly been accused by developers of rolling out copycat apps that are developed based on proprietary data only the tech giant is able to access in its role as owner of the App Store, a marketplace for all apps.
Meanwhile, Apple allegedly limits app developers’ access to crucial information pertaining to their own apps such as customer and pricing data. In this way, Apple is allegedly able to sherlock third-party apps because it knows what to build next based on this data.
What is the fallout?
Sherlocking can have a massive impact on the revenues generated by third-party apps. A recent analysis by app intelligence firm Appfigures shows that apps that were downloaded over 58 million times and generated an estimated revenue of $393 million could be sherlocked as a result of Apple’s 2024 changes.
Trail apps that manage to generate a significant amount of revenue ($307 million) every year stand to lose the income due to sherlocking. Similarly, Apple’s new AI features are expected to eat up $35.7 million revenue generated by grammar helper apps such as Grammarly, the report said.
“Math-solving apps, which generate about $23 million in yearly spending and 9.5 million new installs based on our estimates, and emoji makers with their relatively small $7 million grossed annually with 10.6 million downloads, are also poised to compete with Apple Intelligence features,” the Appfigures report said.
Many of these app categories were growing quickly, the report added.
Do sherlocked apps have a lifeline?
It is important to note that trail apps and password managers are app categories that are only “at risk” of being sherlocked. Appfigures states that these apps won’t be made obsolete overnight as “Apple’s features largely won’t be as fully featured as third-party alternatives – they will “just” be integrated directly into the operating system.”
To avoid being sherlocked, app developers could work towards ensuring that their products have dedicated user bases. They could achieve this by continuing to innovate and upgrading their apps with new features while evolving the business model so that it doesn’t revolve around a single offering.
On the regulatory side, Apple has come under increasing antitrust scrutiny by European Union (EU) authorities over how it runs its App Store and the restrictions it places on app developers. Closer home, Reuters reported that a probe by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) found that Apple engaged in “abusive conduct and practices” by unfairly requiring app developers to only use its payment and billing system.