Perplexity has deployed major updates to iOS apps and introduced a voice assistant that blends real-time web search and task automation. Announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter), this new feature allows users to do everything by sending them to their mobile phones, from booking dinners to firing calendar invitations.
“We’ll introduce you to Perplexity iOS Voice Assistant. Voice Assistant uses web browsing and multi-app actions to book appointments, send emails, play media, and play media.
Introducing Perplexity iOS Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant uses web browsing and multi-app actions to book appointments, send email and calendar invitations, and play media.
Update your app in the App Store and start asking today. pic.twitter.com/okdltag9co
– Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) April 23, 2025
With this move, the confusion isn’t just immersed in the voice assistant space. It goes into a tool that challenges Siri directly, bringing its own AI search muscles into the mix.
What you can do with it
Voice Assistant is built into the Perplexity iOS app, providing a more practical way for users to handle everyday tasks. You can speak the following command:
“Please reserve a table at a nearby Italian location” – it checks Opentable and processes the reservation.
“Please email Sam about a rescheduled meeting” – it drafts and sends a message.
“Play That New Taylor Swift Track” – Open Spotify or YouTube.
“How’s the weather in Tokyo next week?” – and then pull information from a live web source with references.
These actions occur in one place. There are no app switching and no jumps between screens. You just talk and it handles the rest. Available through the latest version of the App Store. Android support may be based on company tips.
How do you stack up with your competitors?
Confusion isn’t just about adding audio to your search. It incorporates the logic of an AI assistant and pushes it into more useful areas. Siri is still struggling with follow-up requests and limited integrations, but the Perplexity version is on the way further. Connect to apps such as Opentable, Spotify, and email clients, so you can act based on the information you receive.
In an X post, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said that assistants can “answer questions and take basic actions on iPhone,” calling this the first AI app and exchanged this on iOS.
And what about the outcome? It’s quite smooth. Users can ask about something, get answers, act quickly, switch apps, or tap menus.
How is it compared?
This is not the only voice assistant on the block. Apple’s Siri, Google’s Gemini, Amazon’s Alexa, Openai’s ChatGpt all offer some form of speech interaction. But here the confusion is pulled first:
Live Web Results – Get current information as well as canned responses.
Third Party App Control – You can actually do things – Book Ride, Play Music, Send Invitations – No Manual Input.
Sources cited – When you ask for information, the assistant will show you where it came from. That’s a level of transparency that many rivals still lack.
Early online responses are enthusiastic. One post from @zed_ai even called it a potential “Siri Killer.” However, there are a few things to be aware of. App support differs when it’s released, and Android users are waiting now. But the foundation is there.
What’s coming next
Perplexity’s release Cadence suggests that more updates are ongoing. The Android version of the voice assistant already supports 15 languages. Deeper integration, better context memory, and wider platform support could all be found on the roadmap.
Still, some obstacles remain. Apple’s ecosystem is tightly controlled, and it is unclear how much confusion can be done without deeper iOS permissions. There is also a privacy angle. Users need to be clear about how their data is processed, especially when it comes to emails and calendars.
Why is it important?
This release shows a shift in how AI assistants are built. It not only answers questions, it helps people get things done. This is a smarter way to interact with your phone, especially if you’re out.
For iPhone users, Perplexity’s voice assistant offers a smoother way to manage your daily tasks. And in the wider AI races, these assistants will raise the bar on what they should have abilities.
The assistant is currently available on iOS. Update the Perplexity app and try it out.
Perplexity AI was founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats, and Johnny Ho, and redefines search by providing answers directly to user questions. Competing with giants like Google and Openai, the company recently launched an iOS app to make AI-driven search engines more accessible to mobile users.
🚀Want to share the story?
Submit your stories to TechStartUps.com in front of thousands of founders, investors, PE companies, tech executives, decision makers and tech leaders.
Please attract attention
