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In iOS 26.2 Beta 3, Apple has introduced the feature to replace Siri with a third-party voice assistant. Information has been received about what changes will happen related to Siri after its arrival. At present this facility is available only in one country, Japan.
Third party voice assistant can also be found in iPhone.Artificial Intelligence (AI) voice assistants have become quite a trend in the last year. Technologies like Google Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are now capable of answering difficult questions and providing information to users. At the same time, Apple’s Siri is lagging behind in this race. Now Cupertino company is preparing to give iPhone users the option to choose third party voice assistant.
In iOS 26.2 beta 3, Apple has confirmed that iPhone users will be able to replace Siri with a third-party voice assistant. The official developer documentation states that users will be able to activate third-party assistants using the iPhone’s side button.
However, this facility will currently be available only in Japan. Apple’s developer notes read, ‘People in Japan can set an action on the iPhone’s side button that will instantly launch your voice-based app.’ For this, it is necessary that the user’s Apple account region is set in Japan and the device is also physically located in Japan.
This step of Apple has probably been taken to comply with the local rules of Japan under the Mobile Software Competition Act guidelines. This is not yet considered a global policy change.
Big change in Siri soon
Some users may be disappointed due to this feature not being available outside Japan. However, Apple is also preparing to update Siri. According to reports, Apple will give $1 billion to Google next year to upgrade Siri with a Gemini-based AI model. This new model will be run only on Apple’s own servers and no user data will go to Google or any third party.
This can prove to be a big change for iPhone users. With the option of third-party voice assistant, users will be able to use the AI assistant as per their choice. Although at present this facility is limited to Japan only, but due to the major upgrades happening in Siri in the coming time, global users are also expected to get a better voice assistant experience.
Afreen Afaq started her career as a tech journalist with Network 18, and has over six years of experience in the ‘mobile-technology’ beat. She is an established and proven high performance professional…read more
Afreen Afaq started her career as a tech journalist with Network 18, and has over six years of experience in the ‘mobile-technology’ beat. She is an established and proven high performance professional… read more
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