Apple is getting ready a big change to the iPhone’s voice assistant choices with iOS 26.2, however the function shall be restricted to customers in Japan. Within the third beta of iOS 26.2, builders discovered new code indicating that Apple is engaged on permitting the Aspect Button—usually used to activate Siri—to as a substitute set off a third-party voice assistant. These references seem in Apple’s non-public Siri frameworks and point out actions comparable to “Press and Maintain to Converse,” Aspect Button settings, and warnings displayed when an app can’t be assigned because the default assistant.
The code means that iPhone customers in Japan will have the ability to select companies like Google Gemini, Amazon Alexa, or different assistant apps to activate by means of the Aspect Button. Apple famous that this functionality is not going to be obtainable globally and is particularly tied to Japanese regulatory necessities.
This alteration follows the Cellular Software program Competitors Act, a regulation handed in Japan in August 2025. The laws requires platform house owners—together with Apple—to permit third-party builders entry to core OS features, together with voice assistant integration and hardware-level controls. It additionally states that platform holders can’t favor their very own companies for key interactions comparable to digital assistant activation.
These laws take impact in December 2025, making the addition of this function in iOS 26.2 according to the required timeline. Apple has confirmed in its documentation that the choice to exchange Siri on the Aspect Button shall be restricted to Japanese Apple ID accounts situated in Japan.
Earlier reporting incorrectly prompt that the function would additionally launch within the European Union, and though this will occur sooner or later, Apple’s present implementation helps solely the Japanese market. Nonetheless, regulatory strain within the EU might ultimately result in comparable necessities. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandates that gatekeepers should permit entry to {hardware} and software program options and allow customers to change default system settings, together with these involving digital assistants.
Trade observers interpret this to imply that Apple could ultimately want to supply EU customers with the power to select a default assistant aside from Siri. For now, Apple has not introduced any timeline for increasing the function. iOS 26.2 will prohibit different voice assistant assist to Japan, giving these customers the primary alternative to activate third-party assistants by means of the iPhone’s Aspect Button.
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