iOS 18.2 Beta Reveals Apple May Allow Third-Party Voice Assistants to Replace Siri in EU

iOS 26.2 leak shows iPhone might let you replace Siri as default assistant - 9to5Mac

iOS 26.2 beta 3 is here, bringing signs of a forthcoming AirDrop upgrade and welcome Measure enhancements. But the code for iOS 26.2 beta 3 reveals a potentially bigger change coming: the ability to replace Siri with a third-party assistant when using iPhone's side button. Code for iOS 26.2 beta 3 seen by 9to5Mac reveals that Apple is preparing to let users invoke third-party AI assistants via the iPhone's side button -- replacing Siri altogether. There's a new 'SystemVoiceAssistant' system app that seems to be related to the ability to change which assistant is triggered with the side button. Code strings mention a 'Side Button App' tied to these new additions. Here are some examples: This last one seems especially important for the new feature's availability. As we've seen already with iOS 26.2 removing a key iPhone and Apple Watch feature, this update is Apple's best opportunity to roll out DMA-related compliance measures in the EU. iOS 26.2 will launch next month as the last major software update before the holidays. Thus, it might be Apple's last chance to implement DMA changes that have an end-of-year deadline. Thus, although Apple hasn't confirmed this as of yet, it's highly likely that any side button changes iOS 26.2 enables will be limited to the EU. Would you replace Siri and use another assistant with the side button in iOS 26.2? Which one? Let us know in the comments.

AppleInsider.com

Apple may soon let users in the EU choose their default virtual assistant, according to code references in the third iOS 26.2 developer beta. On Monday, Apple rolled out iOS 26.2 developer beta 3. While the beta software update contains various quality-of-life enhancements, it also suggests a major Siri-related change is on the horizon, at least for users in the European Union. Prior iOS releases have already offered hints that Apple was laying the groundwork for third-party AI support beyond ChatGPT integration. Monday's iOS 26.2 developer beta offers more evidence of the iPhone maker's plans, with text strings indicating that non-Apple assistants will be usable in place of Siri in the European Union. As MacRumors points out, Apple has added the strings in question to its private Siri framework. Pressing and holding the Side button, sometimes called the power button, currently opens Siri. With iOS 26.2, however, Apple may let EU users assign this gesture to an app or assistant of their choice, somewhat resembling the use of the Action button. To be more specific, code from iOS 26.2 developer beta 3 offers an idea of what this change could look like in the Settings app: * Press and Hold to Speak is not available while the Side Button is assigned to %@. * Side Button Settings * Select Another Default Side Button App * The default Side Button app cannot be hidden. You can change your default apps in Settings. * The default Side Button app cannot be locked. You can change your default apps in Settings. * %@ is no longer eligible for use with the Side Button. Contact the app developer for more information. * %@ is not available for use with the Side Button in your region. While the strings don't reference Siri or AI outright, the fact that they were found in Siri-related frameworks gives us an idea of their intended use. In theory, EU users may be able to select Google Gemini, Amazon Alexa, DeepSeek, or a different voice assistant altogether in place of Siri, albeit without the same degree of integration. The discovered Siri descriptions also align with prior code references found throughout the iOS 26.1 beta cycle. Code from iOS 26.1 beta 1, for instance, revealed the iPhone maker was working on implementing support for the Model Context Protocol, or MCP for short. Xcode 26 beta 7, meanwhile, introduced support for Anthropic accounts and ChatGPT-5, letting developers utilize third-party AI. As for why the upcoming virtual assistant change will only impact EU users, it more than likely has to do with the bloc's Digital Markets Act. According to the DMA, Apple is required to provide third-party app makers with the "same hardware and software features" it utilizes within iOS. Additionally, the DMA specifies that EU users should be able to "easily change the default settings on the operating system, virtual assistant, and web browser of the gatekeeper that direct or steer end users to products or services provided by the gatekeeper." In practice, this means Apple is likely required to make third-party virtual assistants available as Siri alternatives to users in the European Union. Apple currently allows users to ask Siri to pass verbal queries over to ChatGPT. Allowing third-party assistants to take Siri's place could eliminate the step of using Siri as a go-between with the third-party service. Rumors of this change surfaced back in May 2025, so its arrival would not be unexpected. Siri itself, meanwhile, is expected to gain its long-overdue contextual awareness and app intents features with iOS 26.4, though engineers are reportedly "concerned." Apple originally announced the revamped Siri at WWDC 2024, before eventually delaying the virtual assistant's overhaul to "the coming year."