Apple Could Soon Let iPhone Owners Use Alternative Voice Assistants to Siri
A new report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has revealed that Apple is working on adding the ability to use alternative voice assistants, including AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, instead of Siri on iPhone for the first time. This move comes as a result of expected European Union regulations.
According to Gurman, who has a track record of being accurate when it comes to predicting what Apple is going to do next, Apple will need to comply with EU rules that require voice assistants to be integrated into devices sold in the region. The report states that Apple is still working hard at making Siri more conversationally believable, and has even set up offices in Zurich to create an "LLM Siri" in the future.
However, it appears that Apple will have to allow third-party voice assistants to replace Siri on the iPhone if it wants to keep selling iPhones in the EU. This could mean that the ability to use a different voice assistant could be limited to only iPhones sold in the EU. But for now, users can already explore the possibility of using Google Assistant, or even ChatGPT or Gemini with their iPhone.
Siri can already hand off complex requests to ChatGPT, but the implementation is clunky and not as smooth as it would be if ChatGPT was handling all the voice assistant tasks by default. Fortunately, users don't need to wait for Apple's official update – they can use ChatGPT and Gemini with their iPhone right now via their respective apps.
Getting Started with ChatGPT and Gemini on Your iPhone
If you'd like to try this hack, it's surprisingly easy. Here are the steps:
- In Settings, choose the Action Button, and then Shortcut.
- Scroll down the list of apps you see here and choose either ChatGPT or Gemini, and then choose either ‘Start voice conversation’ or ‘Talk Live with Gemini’, from the options that appear.
It's essential to follow these steps exactly, as accessing ChatGPT or Gemini via the 'Open App...' button won't give you the voice mode options. When you press and hold the Action Button, you'll jump straight into a voice chat with your preferred AI chatbot.
A Hack Worth Trying
I've been using this hack on my iPhone for a while now, and it's been incredibly useful. I find that when I have a question that needs an answer, asking ChatGPT using my voice is much faster than typing with the keyboard. It's a great way to get started with AI-powered chatbots, and it's a clever way for Apple to test the waters without making any major changes.
About the Author
Graham is the Senior Editor for AI at TechRadar. With over 25 years of experience in both online and print journalism, Graham has worked for various market-leading tech brands including Computeractive, PC Pro, iMore, MacFormat, Mac|Life, Maximum PC, and more.