Apple to Allow Siri Replacement, But Only in Japan for Now

Artificial intelligence–powered voice assistants have rapidly evolved over the past year, with platforms like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT offering deeper understanding, faster responses, and more versatile capabilities. In contrast, Apple’s Siri has often been criticised for lagging behind its competitors. Now, Apple appears ready to shake things up by giving users more control over which voice assistant they want on their iPhones.

With the arrival of iOS 26.2 beta 3, Apple has confirmed that users will eventually be able to replace Siri with a third-party voice assistant. According to the company’s latest developer documentation, iPhone owners will have the option to activate an alternative assistant—such as Gemini or ChatGPT—directly via the Side Button. This marks one of the biggest changes Apple has made to its voice assistant ecosystem in years.

However, there’s a significant limitation users need to be aware of.

Feature Restricted to Japan Only

Despite its potential to transform the iPhone experience, Apple has made it clear that this new ability will only roll out for users in Japan. The company’s developer notes specify, “In Japan, people might place an action on the side button of iPhone that instantly launches your voice-based conversational app.”

This doesn’t mean every user in Japan can instantly switch to a new assistant. Developers must first update their apps to support the system-level integration Apple is enabling. Additionally, the feature will work only if both the Apple Account region is set to Japan and the device is physically located within the country.

The decision appears to stem from regulatory pressure. The move aligns with the Mobile Software Competition Act Guidelines issued by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, which push for greater competition and reduced platform restrictions. Apple’s compliance suggests the company is responding to local requirements rather than signaling a global policy shift—at least for now.

A Bigger Siri Upgrade May Still Be Coming

While users outside Japan may feel left out, Apple is preparing a major revamp of Siri as part of a broader AI overhaul. Reports indicate that Apple is set to invest $1 billion to integrate Google’s Gemini technology into Siri next year. Importantly, Apple plans to run this advanced model exclusively on its own servers to ensure that no user data is shared with Google or any external party.

This suggests Apple wants to maintain strict privacy controls while still benefiting from cutting-edge AI models. If successful, the new Gemini-powered Siri could help Apple close the gap with its more advanced AI rivals.

For now, the ability to replace Siri is real—but limited. Japan will be the testing ground, and the rest of the world may have to wait for Apple’s next move.