Applebot

Last updated 15 hours ago.

What is Applebot?

About

Applebot is a web crawler used by Apple to index search results that allow the Siri AI Assistant to answer user questions. Siri's answers normally contain references to the website. Set up Dark Visitors agent analytics to see how often Applebot visits your website.

Detail

Operator Apple
Documentation http://apple.com/go/applebot

Type

AI Search Crawler
Indexes web content for AI-powered search results

Expected Behavior

AI search crawlers do not adhere to a fixed visitation schedule for websites. The frequency of visits varies widely based on many factors, and can even happen on-demand in response to a user query.

Analytics

Visits to Your Website

Half of your traffic probably comes from artificial agents, and there are more of them every day. Track their activity with agent analytics.

Set Up Agent Analytics

Other Websites

4%
4% of top websites are blocking Applebot
Learn How →

Robots.txt

Should I Block Applebot?

Probably not. AI search crawlers power AI search engines, which are a useful way for users to discover your website. AI search engine assistants usually cite their sources and provide links to their results.

How Do I Block Applebot?

You can block Applebot or limit its access by setting user agent token rules in your website's robots.txt. Set up Dark Visitors agent analytics to check whether it's actually following them.

User Agent Token Description
Applebot Should match instances of Applebot
# robots.txt
# This should block Applebot

User-agent: Applebot
Disallow: /

Recommended Solution

Instead of doing this manually, use automatic robots.txt to keep your rules updated with the latest AI scrapers, crawlers, and assistants automatically.

Set Up Automatic Robots.txt