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Perplexity's voice assistant offers a Siri alternative for iPhones

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  • Perplexity AI has brought a new voice assistant to iOS
  • The assistant can open apps like OpenTable or YouTube and prefill tasks like reservations or video searches
  • Perplexity offers a streamlined alternative to Siri that may beat the native voice assistant in most ways

AI conversational search engine Perplexity is coming for Siri in the form of a new iOS voice assistant. Previously limited to Android, Perplexity's voice assistant wants users to turn to it before the native option. Further, there are a few good reasons why iPhone owners might be inclined to do so.

Basically, it's more proactive and able to go a few extra steps beyond Siri's abilities. Ask it to find a dinner reservation, and it will dive into the OpenTable app to fill in your reservation requests, including guests, date, and time, without you having to say another word, just leaving the final tap on the Book button.

The same goes for hunting for moments in YouTube videos. You can describe the climactic win from a niche sports documentary, see it queued up on YouTube right away.

Of course, some of what Perplexity can do are things that Siri already handles, like writing emails and setting up calendar events. But, even with Apple Intelligence helping out, Perplexity is better at understanding more casual language. And that's before considering the more proactive approach.

Ask Siri about signing up for an event this weekend, and you'll hear the familiar “Here's what I found on the web.” Do the same with Perplexity's voice assistant, and (depending on the circumstances) the AI might say, “I already filled out the form. Just click send.”

Of course, it’s not all-powerful. You need to open the app and tap the microphone icon to start talking to the AI. However, the responses often let you refine your request without having to start over from scratch.

Additionally, the iOS version of Perplexity’s assistant has a few notable limitations. It can’t set alarms or control core iPhone functions, including muting notifications or taking photos. It also can’t access your camera to “see what you see,” which other AI assistants like ChatGPT’s voice mode can.

Perplexity popularity

Perplexity is definitely angling to take the place of Siri by not just telling you things, but doing them too. This “agentic AI” approach is gaining popularity across various AI services, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, which are both experimenting with similar ideas.

The aim is to cross the bridge from traditional voice AI to fully independent digital agents. Right now, it won’t book the reservation unless you make your final click. But that might change in a year or two.

Apple isn't ignoring this concept, but has been slow off the mark in some ways. Although Siri's intelligence has been upgraded in recent months, we are still awaiting the full generative AI overhaul that was originally promised to launch this year within a future version of iOS 18. Apple has since delayed the AI-infused Siri and said it will arrive at some point in the future, more specifically, "in the coming year."

Still, by opening its voice assistant to iOS users and layering in real-world tools like OpenTable and YouTube, Perplexity is carving out a space as a nimble alternative to native AI assistants.

And if you just want to say, “Find me tacos and make the reservation,” and have the bot say, “Done," Perplexity's voice assistant might be your new favorite iPhone aide.

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