Apple may finally let users switch from Siri to another voice assistant
Apple has just released the third beta version of iOS 26.2 and is eyeing a likely December release. The update isn’t huge, but it brings some interesting improvements, such as additional tweaks to the Liquid Glass interface, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and improvements to Apple Podcasts. Under the hood, however, the update revealed something even more interesting: the ability to replace Siri with another voice assistant.
How Apple plans to let users swap Siri for another option
Hidden code in iOS 26.2 beta 3, now available to developers, reveals that Apple has developed a new framework to allow users to choose a different voice assistant by default. It’s still unclear exactly how the feature will work, as it’s currently disabled for users, but references in the code give us an idea.
As seen by Macworld, there will be a new section in the Settings app to allow users to choose a different voice assistant by default. When another voice assistant is selected, it can be activated using the side button just like Siri. In previous beta versions of iOS 26.2, Macworld already found evidence that Apple was experimenting with customizable controls for the iPhone’s side button.
While the code is fairly preliminary, it suggests that third-party voice assistants will also be able to display some sort of special interface on the iPhone’s home screen (known internally as Springboard) instead of just opening a separate app.
For example, such a feature could allow users to upgrade from Siri to ChatGPT or Gemini at a higher system level, with deeper integrations.
In recent years, Apple has made iOS more open when it comes to choices like setting default apps for certain actions. Today’s findings line up with a Bloomberg report from May, which claimed that Apple planned to allow users to switch from Siri to another voice assistant to comply with European Union regulations.
Of course, the option should also satisfy users unhappy with Apple’s virtual assistant, especially since the company has yet to ship the next generation of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. But again, the functionality might end up being limited for EU users.
