It is no secret that Siri can be a little underwhelming, especially when compared with the flash AI assistants on Google and Samsung’s latest phones.
While these ChatGPT-like helpers can perform multiple actions across apps, like finding a dog-friendly Chinese restaurant and sending it to your friend, Apple’s aide can’t even tell you the date.
We keep hearing that an oft-delayed Siri upgrade is in the works but what if you want all that AI magic on your iPhone right now? Well, there may be a free alternative you can use.
An AI upstart known as Perplexity has just launched a multi-tasking voice assistant on its iOS app. After creating an account or signing in, you can use it to do all the stuff Siri currently can’t.
Things like finding upcoming fixtures for your football team and adding them to your calendar. Or, digging up YouTube videos for game reviews and playing them directly in the app.
Stuck for places to eat? Perplexity will not only find restaurants near you, it will also book you a table and give you directions on how to get there.
Introducing Perplexity iOS Voice Assistant
— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) April 23, 2025
Voice Assistant uses web browsing and multi-app actions to book reservations, send emails and calendar invites, play media, and more—all from the Perplexity iOS app.
Update your app in the App Store and start asking today. pic.twitter.com/OKdlTaG9CO
I gave it a try and it worked tremendously well, barring a few minor hiccups, which are par for the course for AI models.
Despite the well-known shortage of good taco joints in north-west London, I asked for highly rated Mexican restaurants nearby and it quickly found a top spot in Hampstead. “Do you want me to book that for you?” the AI chirped in a soothing, Siri-like tone. I said yes, and, just like that, I was whisked to OpenTable with a 7pm reservation for two already filled in — leaving me to hit confirm.
Of course, Perplexity doesn’t always get it right but that may be because it relies on Apple’s services instead of Google’s.
For instance, it said my nearest Japanese grocery store was miles away, despite there being one just a short walk from my house. I’ll put that error down to those businesses not being listed on Apple Maps.
With the requisite permissions, the voice assistant can also set reminders, write an email and send it to a contact, book an Uber, open a podcast or play music on Apple Music (alas, there’s no Spotify support). And, because it’s a large language model, you can interrupt it and ask follow-up questions as part of an ongoing conversation.
In case you’re not familiar with Perplexity, it’s basically an AI search engine that provides real-time information with in-line citations. Instead of giving you a bunch of links to websites, it will directly answer your questions with blocks of texts and bullet points, providing sources as footnotes that you can click on for more info (or to check for accuracy).
If ChatGPT is where you go to write work emails or cheat on homework, Perplexity is the place for fast and factual answers. Now, the company has put all of that power into its new voice assistant. If Siri doesn’t get its act together soon, Perplexity could wind up eating its lunch.
