February 6 (Reuters) - Apple is preparing to allow voice-controlled artificial intelligence apps from other companies to be used in its CarPlay system, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

This change represents a strategic shift for Apple, which until now has only allowed its own assistant, Siri, as a voice control option. The report states that, thanks to this move, users will, for the first time, be able to ask questions of third-party AI-powered chatbots through the CarPlay interface in their vehicles.

Apple declined to comment on the report.

The report added that AI companies and service providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Alphabet-owned Google will be able to release CarPlay versions of their apps that include voice control mode.

The report also revealed that Apple will not allow users to replace the Siri button on CarPlay or use a wake word to activate the AI-powered service. Instead, users will have to open the app to activate voice control from a third-party application.

The report added that the iPhone manufacturer is working on supporting apps in CarPlay within the next month, allowing developers to design their apps to automatically activate voice mode when opened.