Big apps are blocking phone AI agents from tapping through their screens
A tmtpost.com commentary says phone AI agents are now held back less by chip power than by apps refusing to let them in.
The short version
- A protocol called SAEP lets app developers declare whether an AI assistant may operate their app by controlling the screen.
- The notice period for SAEP has ended, and many major apps appear on the refusal list, including WeChat, Taobao and Meituan.
- Developers can still file a refusal at any time, and the assistant will then switch off the feature for that app.
- The commentary argues that the app makers' business models, not chip power, now cap phone AI agents.
- This is opinion and analysis, not a new measurement or product launch.
Why it matters
If you hope an AI assistant will one day book, compare and buy across your apps with one sentence, this piece suggests the main obstacle is business, not technology. Agents may end up working well in some apps and stopping at the door of others. When judging any agent, ask which apps it can reach.
What the apps decided
As tmtpost.com reported, the official account of the Doubao phone assistant said the public notice period for its Screen Automation Execution Protocol (SAEP) is over. The assistant will now gradually open up screen automation, meaning an AI that reads the screen and taps buttons for you, in third-party apps.
The list of apps that refused is long. It includes Pinduoduo, Kimi, DeepSeek, Xiaohongshu, a major bank, and large app families from Alibaba and Tencent, such as Taobao, Alipay, WeChat and QQ.
How the opt-out works
SAEP is a declaration system. App makers state whether an AI assistant may operate their app, and they can set limits. Even after the notice period, they can send a refusal at any time and the assistant will turn the feature off.
The author compares it to robots.txt, the file websites use to tell search crawlers what to leave alone. It only works if developers cooperate, and many big ones have not.
Why the argument is about money
The author says phone chips and on-device models have improved enough that raw computing power is no longer the main worry. The sticking point is the business model: apps earn money when users open them, browse, see ads and buy inside the app.
An agent that does all of that for you could skip the ads and search rankings. The piece says each kind of app has its own reason to refuse, from lost screen time to rival AI products, and from payment responsibility to data exposure.
What may come next
The author expects a middle path. Apps that welcome agents would offer proper connections, called APIs, and the agent would hand control back to you at the closed apps.
This is one outlet's reading, so treat it as an argument, not settled fact.
What to watch
- Will large platforms offer official connections and revenue sharing to AI assistants instead of refusing?
- Will more app makers file refusals, or will some reverse course?
Try it
When you test any AI agent, list the apps you actually use and check which ones it can operate. Note where it stops and asks you to take over.
Sources and links
- Reportingtmtpost.com: the article we sourced
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Listen to the daily showsFirst reported by tmtpost.com · Read the original. Written by the SI Agent News Desk from the reporting above.Written with AI from the source above. Every number is checked against the source. Spot a mistake? Corrections.