April 25, 2025 – In a move that could shake up the digital assistant space, Perplexity AI has officially rolled out its voice assistant for iOS users, CEO Aravind Srinivas announced yesterday. The new feature, which was previously available only on Android, now offers Apple users a smart and versatile alternative—even as Apple faces delays in launching its much-anticipated AI-powered Siri upgrade.
With the release of Perplexity AI’s voice assistant on iPhones, users can now tap into an intelligent tool capable of handling a wide variety of commands. “You can ask it to play anything: podcasts, hard-to-find videos, favorite songs. Even things like ‘play me the video of Katy Perry kissing the ground after landing from the rocket,’ or ‘baby shark Donald Trump version,’ or ‘podcast where Andreessen discusses browsers with Lex,” Srinivas explained on X (formerly Twitter) while sharing the news.
The assistant is designed to interact seamlessly with native Apple apps. It can schedule meetings via Apple Calendar and send emails through Apple Mail—though Srinivas candidly admits that these integrations are still a bit “janky.” Nevertheless, the AI assistant can also locate restaurants and even book Uber rides, expanding its usefulness beyond traditional voice assistants.
Once users open the Perplexity app, they can simply tap the microphone icon and begin speaking. What sets this assistant apart is its ability to continue the conversation even if the user switches away from the app—an edge over many other AI tools.
Notably, the assistant is compatible with slightly older iPhone models such as the iPhone 13, making it more accessible than Apple’s forthcoming Apple Intelligence-powered Siri, which is restricted to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer models.
Despite its many strengths, the Perplexity AI assistant still has a few limitations. It currently cannot access the iPhone camera to provide contextual analysis of images—a feature available in ChatGPT. It cannot also control iPhone settings such as muting notifications or setting alarms.
Srinivas also noted that after enabling voice mode, the assistant takes approximately 3 to 4 seconds to respond, though the team is actively working to reduce this delay. He added a useful tip for users seeking faster access: “You can customize your Action button on your iPhone to Perplexity Voice Mode to use this without having to open the app, just like how you use Siri.”
Meanwhile, Apple’s new AI-powered Siri has reportedly been delayed until 2026, following leadership changes and internal shakeups within the company. This delay could provide Perplexity AI with a valuable window of opportunity to capture users looking for smarter, more accessible voice AI on iOS.
As Perplexity continues to evolve, its feature-rich voice assistant might just become a go-to choice for users seeking more flexibility and functionality—especially while Apple’s Siri reboot remains in limbo.
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