Apple is already finding it hard to make its voice assistant Siri compete with ChatGPT and Gemini. A fresh Bloomberg report suggests upcoming changes in the EU will challenge Siri's monopoly on the iPhone.
In other words, Apple is working to comply with the EU regulations around Siri and allow EU users to choose a default voice assistant other than Siri. In theory, this could open doors for AI assistants such as Gemini, ChatGPT, or DeepSeek as the default on the device. The report expects the change to trickle down to other Apple devices, such as Mac and iPad.
Apple announced its AI features suite last year, enabling ChatGPT to work with Siri when answering complex queries. There have been reports that Apple is working with Google to make Gemini an alternative to Siri. However, the rumored plans to change iPhone's default voice assistant would remove Siri as the middleman and allow EU users to interact with third-party assistants directly.
It has been months since it was known that an upgraded version of Siri as part of Apple Intelligence would arrive. But those plans are only facing delays. The Cupertino giant even faced a class-action lawsuit accusing it of misleading customers into buying the iPhone 16 series and promising features that do not exist, or at least not yet.
The delay in Siri's upgraded version has reportedly postponed other Apple projects, such as its Smart Home Hub and robotic display. Bloomberg, citing insiders, said that Apple's inability to get Apple Intelligence in order threatens iPhone's dominance and other futuristic plans.
Last year, the European Commission launched two new proceedings against Apple to enforce interoperability rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). One concern was Apple's restricted access to iPhone features like its voice assistant Siri and contactless payment system Apple Pay.
It remains to be seen how Apple resists regulatory pressure before introducing the rumored feature. However, it doesn't seem out of the question as Apple has already dug a few holes in its walled garden. It has been almost five years since the company allowed iPhone users to change the default email and browser apps. Apple added support for more categories and a dedicated default apps section in iOS 18.
Source: Bloomberg via Apple Insider
2 Comments - Add comment