Holding down the side button is one of the fastest ways to summon Siri on an iPhone. Apple now plans to open that shortcut to third-party assistants, but only in Japan. The update was spotted in the ...

Open a third-party voice assistant instead of Siri. Image: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac Apple will soon allow iPhone users in Japan to use the side button to trigger a third-party voice assistant they ...

In iOS 26.2 beta 3, Apple is laying the groundwork for a future option that will let iPhone users in Japan choose a different default voice assistant. Right now, a press and hold gesture on the Side ...

Update, 5:55 p.m. ET: Apple has published a new Developer Blog post detailing the upcoming feature, which will be limited to users in Japan. iOS 26.2 beta 3 is here, bringing signs of a forthcoming ...

Earlier today, we shared a few details about new code in iOS 26.2 beta 3, which shows that Apple is working on letting users replace Siri when pressing the iPhone’s side button: There’s a new ...