AI Voice Assistant To Launch in iPhone

“Hey, Siri, please make this phone call.” As soon as we hear this statement, we instantly think about Apple products. But don’t you think it’s been ages since Siri has been the only voice assistant for the Apple ecosystem and its million users? So, to bring a change, Apple has unveiled an interesting launch, Perplexity- A new AI voice assistant for iOS apps, said CEO Aravind Srinivas.

Summary:

1. Apple has unveiled Perplexity, an AI voice assistant for iOS apps, aiming to redefine the user experience and bring more intuitive features.

2. It works on older iPhone models like the iPhone 13 and Apple Intelligence, which is only available on iPhone 15 Pro afterward generations. However, Perplexity cannot access the phone camera or iPhone settings, and it takes between 3 and 4 seconds to connect with the assistant.

3. The new Siri has been postponed until 2026 as Apple switches up its leadership.

While Siri will be the default voice assistant for the users, Perplexity would be the alternative update to bring more intuitive features and redefine user experience. The update was initially exclusively available to Android users.

Features of AI Voice Assistant

This new voice assistant feature brings improved conversational AI capabilities to iPhone and iPad users. This has previously been released for Android, and for what it’s worth, it’s quite nice. It integrates with a variety of apps, like Spotify, so it can accomplish tasks for you; when it can’t, it’s the same conversational Perplexity chatbot we’ve grown to know and trust. I used it as the assistant on my Google Pixel 9 Pro and thought it was nice, though I went back to Gemini because it had more third-party app support.

“You may ask it to play anything you want, including podcasts, hard-to-find videos, and favorite tunes. Even stuff like “play me the video of Katy Perry kissing the ground after landing from the rocket”, “baby shark Donald Trump version”, or “podcast where Andreessen discusses browsers with Lex,” Srinivas stated on X while spreading the story.
It can even organize meetings through Apple Calendar and send emails through Apple Mail, but Srinivas admits that the feature is still a little “janky.” The AI assistant can also look up restaurants and schedule an Uber journey.

After opening the app, users can start talking by tapping on the mic button. Users can also communicate with the voice assistant even away from the app.

Furthermore, the software works on slightly older iPhone models such as the iPhone 13, as opposed to Apple Intelligence, which is only available on iPhone 15 Pro afterward generations.
The assistant is still unable to access the phone camera and provide context for a photo, a function that is enabled in ChatGPT. It cannot also access iPhone settings, such as muting notifications or setting alarms.

Srinivas also informed customers that it takes between 3 and 4 seconds to connect with the assistant after enabling voice mode, and that they are trying to reduce this time gap.

According to recent sources, the new Siri has been postponed until 2026 as Apple switches up its leadership.

But the disadvantage here is that, while this is undoubtedly a more potent assistant than Siri, it cannot completely “replace” Siri as your phone’s assistant. Siri is the default voice assistant for iPhones and iPads, so putting a different assistant in easy reach needs workarounds. Instead, you can access this through the Perplexity app on your iPhone, but there is a shortcut that you can add to your lock screen or assign to your phone’s Action button for easy access. So, while it is not your phone’s primary AI helper, you can reach it as easily as if it were.