Apple May Soon Let iPhone Users Replace Siri With Third-Party Assistants, But There’s A Catch

Apple appears to be preparing a major change to how the iPhone’s Side Button works. A new discovery inside the latest iOS 26.2 beta suggests that some users may soon be able to replace Siri with a third-party voice assistant when they press and hold the Side Button. If this becomes official, it would be the first time Apple has allowed anything other than Siri to be triggered by that gesture. Also Read: Apple Watch Ultra 3 And Watch Series 11 Are Now 3D-Printed: Here's What It Means For You

The finding comes from text strings spotted in iOS 26.2 beta 3. These messages are buried inside Apple’s Siri-related system frameworks and point clearly to a new default-assistant option. Some of the alerts include lines such as “Press and Hold to Speak is not available while the Side Button is assigned to %@,” along with prompts asking users to select another app for the Side Button. There are also warnings about apps that can’t be hidden, locked, or used in certain regions. Also Read: How iOS 26 Helps You Stop Spam Calls: 7 Things To Know

For now, this capability is limited to Japan. Apple’s documentation states that only users whose iPhone region and Apple ID are set to Japan will be able to assign a different assistant. This means iPhone users in the country could soon map the long-press Side Button to services like Google Gemini, Amazon Alexa, or any other approved assistant that supports the feature. It would also give Japanese users access to more advanced AI tools that many third-party assistants now offer.

The move lines up with Japan’s new Mobile Software Competition Act, which was passed in August and comes into effect in December. The law requires platform owners to allow competing assistants to access hardware triggers and system functions that were previously restricted. The presence of this Side Button code in iOS 26.2 suggests Apple is preparing to meet that requirement ahead of the deadline.

There has been speculation that the European Union could receive a similar option under the Digital Markets Act, which pushes companies like Apple to give developers equal access to system features. But as of now, Apple’s reference material makes it clear that Side Button reassignment is limited to Japan.