Faced with stiff competition, Perplexity has rolled out a major update to its iOS app. The company has launched a robust new Voice Assistant that is designed to perform a number of actions, even those that Siri can’t do. Yeah, it’s probably the best Siri alternative for your iPhone.
What’s more, it supports a wide range of Apple devices, including older iPhones and iPads that don’t support Apple Intelligence. That said, let’s learn how to set up and use the Perplexity AI voice assistant on your iPhone and iPad.
Activate Perplexity AI Voice Mode on iPhone and iPad
- To get started, download the Perplexity AI app on your iPhone or iPad. If the app is already available on your device, ensure that it’s updated (via the App Store). Fret not, the AI app is available for free and supports iOS 16 or later.
- After that, launch the app and hit the audio icon along the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Now, go ahead to start the conversation. Ensure that your device is connected to a strong and stable internet connection.
- This feature allows you to interact with Perplexity’s AI through voice commands, even while using other apps.
List of Tasks That Perplexity AI Voice Assistant Can Perform
Once you have granted the necessary permissions, the Voice Assistant can handle a wide variety of tasks with utmost ease:
- Giving Apple Maps directions and live traffic updates
- Setting reminders
- Booking rides via Uber
- Managing Calendar events
- Playing and subscribing to podcasts
- Answering general knowledge questions
- Making dinner reservations through booking platforms
- Streaming music and videos
- Composing and sending emails
- Sending texts and making phone calls
- Managing smart home devices
What sets Perplexity apart is its ability to browse the web and carry out multi-app workflows directly from within the iOS and iPadOS app.
Another feature worth taking note of is the option to add a shortcut to the Lock Screen or assign the assistant to the iPhone’s Action button, making it a strong alternative to Apple’s own Siri as Apple’s more advanced conversational AI features are still on the back burner.
Customize Perplexity AI Voice Assistant on iPhone and iPad
For a more personalized experience, you can customize the Perplexity AI Voice Assistant to your heart’s liking.
- To do so, head over to the Perplexity AI app > tap on the audio icon > hit the Settings icon at the top right.
- Now, you can enable/disable subtitles and switch to the hands-free or the push-to-talk mode. Interestingly, there is also a pretty neat way to change the Perplexity AI voice.
Perplexity’s Assistant is Backed By Leading Large Language Models
On top of all, Perplexity’s assistant is backed by leading large language models, including OpenAI’s GPT-4.1, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and xAI’s Grok-2.
My Thoughts…
With its latest update, Perplexity is positioning itself as a serious contender in the voice assistant space—especially for folks seeking smarter, more capable AI on iPhones and iPads.
As Apple continues to refine and delay its next-gen AI features, Perplexity’s proactive approach gives users an early taste of what truly intelligent voice assistance can feel like—right now, and right in your pocket.
