--- title: Sherlocking, explained - The Hustle description: When it comes to Apple, Sherlocking is a nail-biter for app developers. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1113427454-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay2016202023sherlock.webp --- # Sherlocking, explained ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: June 03, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 You might assume “sherlocking” means using deductive reasoning skills, and that’d probably be true most of the time — but when it comes to Apple, in particular, that’s not the case. ![Sherlocking, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1113427454-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay2016202023sherlock.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1113427454-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay2016202023sherlock.webp) Sherlocking is when Apple introduces a new feature that renders a third-party tool irrelevant. #### **How it started** Mac OS 8 and 9’s Sherlock feature could search for content on a user’s computer, but with OS X, it could also pull info from the internet using plug-ins, [per](https://www.howtogeek.com/297651/what-does-it-mean-when-a-company-sherlocks-an-app/) *How-To Geek*. In 2001, developer Dan Wood made Watson, a complementary $30 app that expanded what Sherlock could pull — movie showtimes, exchange rates, weather reports, and more. But when Apple unveiled Mac OS X 10.2, Sherlock could do nearly everything Watson could. Wood [claims](https://www.karelia.com/blog/the-long-story-behind-karel.html) Steve Jobs himself called, comparing devs like Wood to someone pumping a handcar along railroad tracks — tracks Apple owned. #### **From that point on…** … Apple upending a third-party tool has been known as “sherlocking.” Other examples: - **Apple’s Pay Later,** a [potential replacement](https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/13/all-the-things-apple-sherlocked-at-wwdc-2022/) for services like Klarna - **Medication and sleep-tracking tools,** sherlocking… a whole bunch of apps, actually - **Sidecar, **which sets up iPads as second monitors, [upsetting](https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/06/developers-talk-about-being-sherlocked-as-apple-uses-them-for-market-research) Duet Display and Luna Display Apple isn’t alone in this, and the term has been used when other large companies do it — like when Google [dropped](https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/20/23563696/microsoft-windows-11-audio-eartrumpet-feature-sherlock) a volume mixer akin to EarTrumpet. #### **In some cases…** … new features may simply be the natural progression of a company’s offerings. Yet many smaller companies, including Luna Display maker Astropad and [multiple](https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-watch-patents-5b52cda0) health-monitoring companies, say Apple took meetings with them first or, worse, poached employees or tried to invalidate their patents. Apple is frequently under antitrust scrutiny from regulators worldwide. In the US: - The DOJ is investigating if Apple [favors](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-escalates-apple-probe-looks-to-involve-antitrust-chief-2fa86ddf?mod=article_inline) its own products (e.g., AirTags over Tile). - Sherlocking came up in a [2021 Senate hearing](https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/21/apple-and-google-pressed-in-antitrust-hearing-on-whether-app-stores-share-data-with-product-development-teams/). Apple’s chief compliance officer Kyle Andeer said it wasn’t copying or killing apps, but offering “a new choice and… innovation.” But what will regulators say? **BTW:** Astropad published [some tips](https://astropad.com/sherlocked-by-apple/) for sherlocked companies. Topics: [Apps](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/apps) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Screen time slowing you down? Try ‘monk mode’](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1516654296-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-MonkMode_20231004230113.webp) ### Screen time slowing you down? Try ‘monk mode’ - ![Yelp vs. fake reviews](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1980373282-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-yelp_20230925214718.webp) ### Yelp vs. fake reviews - ![Do dating apps decide who we get to date?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1112282225-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-dating-app_20230822212519.webp) ### Do dating apps decide who we get to date? - ![The next big app is here — until it isn’t](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1978269103-final_size-apps_20230426005628.webp) ### The next big app is here — until it isn’t - ![Why do our weather apps betray us?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/680786209-19-News-Brief_2023-04-12T221618.806Z.webp) ### Why do our weather apps betray us? - ![Whether or not it’s the answer we want, Microsoft has one for Zoom fatigue](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/999514725-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMarch2028202023microsoft_teams.webp) ### Whether or not it’s the answer we want, Microsoft has one for Zoom fatigue - ![Whatever happened to Groupon?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/GIFs/885947250-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesApril203202023groupongif.webp) ### Whatever happened to Groupon? - ![Do we need another newsreader?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1969515777-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-01T015321.243Z.webp) ### Do we need another newsreader? - ![Can Zmail become the new Gmail?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1987875948-HS-News-Brief_2022-11-22T234553.739Z.webp) ### Can Zmail become the new Gmail? - ![More apps, more problems](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/710904728-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-20T003808.051Z.webp) ### More apps, more problems Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. 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