Smartphones are welcoming the agentic AI overlords.
OpenClaw announced that it has released standalone apps for both iOS and Android devices. The move officially brings AI agents to the App Store and Play Store marketplaces. Users can now use their smartphones to chat with the AI assistant and to grant it access to different components of the device, including the camera, screen, location, photos, contacts, calendar and reminders.
OpenClaw rather abruptly transformed from a minor to major player in AI. It's currently an open-source project being run by a foundation following founder Peter Steinberger's move to join OpenAI earlier this year. The apps are published by the OpenClaw Foundation, although the announcement of Steinberger's hiring said that OpenAI would provide some unspecified form of support for the organization.
Agentic AI has been a particularly gnarly topic over at the Apple camp, where the official review process is more stringent. Apple had blocked many agentic tools due to broader fears around the security of vibe coding. iOS users had to use chat apps like Telegram or WhatsApp to communicate with their agents.