Turf war? Perplexity challenges Siri with advanced AI chatbot…for iPhones

Perplexity AI has launched a new voice assistant feature for iOS that competes with Siri‘s functionality, despite Apple’s system-level limitations. This development represents a significant step toward creating alternative voice assistants on the iPhone, potentially delivering on CEO Aravind Srinivas‘ recent promise to create “a version of Siri that works reliably on basic stuff” – demonstrating how quickly AI companies can now implement features that traditionally required deep system integration.

The competitive landscape: Despite Siri’s privileged position as Apple’s native voice assistant, Perplexity has managed to implement similar functionality within the constraints of iOS.

• Siri maintains exclusive access to system-level features and is the only voice assistant that can be invoked when an iPhone is locked.
• Perplexity’s implementation is notable because Siri itself began as a third-party app before Apple acquired it 15 years ago.

Key capabilities: Perplexity’s new iOS Voice Assistant integrates with multiple native Apple services and functions.

• The update enables interaction with Reminders, Apple Music, Podcasts, email composition, calendar events, ride hailing, restaurant reservations, and Apple Maps searches.
• These features represent significant functional overlap with Siri’s core capabilities, despite lacking system-level integration.

Market positioning: Perplexity’s approach differs from other AI tools by specifically targeting Siri’s functionality rather than focusing solely on chatbot capabilities.

• The implementation creates a unified voice assistant and AI chatbot interface, distinguishing it from competitors like ChatGPT.
• Users can access these features by updating the Perplexity app from the App Store.

Why this matters: This development demonstrates how AI companies are finding creative ways to overcome platform limitations while delivering enhanced functionality to users.

• By implementing Siri-like features within app constraints, Perplexity establishes a potential model for how third-party AI assistants might compete with native options.
• The speed at which this feature was developed—less than a week after the CEO’s initial suggestion—highlights the agility of modern AI development teams.