Siri may become only an optional voice assistant in the EU
Apple is reportedly preparing to allow iPhone users in the EU to select third-party voice assistants to be the default, instead of Siri.
Apple has tried hard to deal with the regulatory changes in the European Union, such as the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act. It now seems that Siri could be the next major victim in the Apple ecosystem from those rule changes.
According to Bloomberg on Sunday, Apple is working to meet EU regulations that affect Siri. Specifically, Apple is working to enable other digital assistants to operate in Siri’s place.
Under the plans, users in the EU will be able to select a third-party voice assistant to work on an iPhone, a person with knowledge of the work explained. This will also include letting users set the third-party assistant as the default for their device.
That could mean iPhone users in the EU have the opportunity to use Google Assistant instead of Siri. There’s the possibility of using AI chatbots too, such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek.
Apple currently allows for users to ask Siri to pass verbal queries over to ChatGPT. Such a change could eliminate the step of using Siri as a go-between with the third-party service.
As always for Apple’s features, it is unclear when it will eventually emerge in the EU, but it probably won’t be offered on a plate. Apple tends to fight to maintain its services in the face of regulation, so it may require pressure from the EU to comply with laws before Apple actually introduces it.
