Perplexity has begun to roll out a new voice assistant for iOS. Powered by the company’s native artificial intelligence (AI) answer engine, the new voice assistant comes with web browsing capability and can access multiple apps to complete tasks. The AI assistant for iPhone devices comes three months after the company rolled out the Perplexity Assistant for Android devices. As per the AI firm, the voice assistant can perform complex tasks such as booking a table at a restaurant, sending emails and calendar invites, and more.
Perplexity’s Voice Assistant for iOS Gets Web Search Feature
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Perplexity announced the release of its voice assistant for iOS. Users who have previously installed the Perplexity app on an iPhone can access the AI assistant by updating the app. The feature is currently available for free, and doesn’t require users to download another application.
Once the Perplexity Assistant rolls out to your phone, you can open the app and tap the waveform icon on the bottom right side of the interface, next to the text field. This opens the AI assistant in a full-screen view, where the assistant is represented as a globe of sparkling particles. You can ask a question, and the chatbot will complete respond, or perform an appropriate action.
It can perform all of Siri’s query-based actions, as well as most of the on-device actions such as turning the flashlight on and off, setting a reminder or alarm, and calling a contact.
Additionally, it can also access some apps on the device to complete certain complicated tasks. For instance, if you ask it to “book a table for two at the Taj Hotel tomorrow at 2:30pm,” Perplexity Assistant will be able to access either the hotel’s reservation page or a compatible third-party website. It would then enter your details and share the page with you, for any final adjustments, before booking the table.
Perplexity says the voice assistant can also send emails and calendar invites, as well as find products to buy online. A point to note here is that the AI assistant does not have agentic capabilities and cannot execute actions autonomously. While it can fill out a form or draft an email, you will have to tap the confirmation button at the end.
The AI-powered search platform has recently been taking measures to increase its adoption. Earlier, it added a bot on X that can respond to user queries when tagged in the reply to a post. According to a report, Perplexity has also struck a deal with Motorola to bring the AI assistant to its upcoming devices.
