Apple may soon offer the option to ditch Siri for other third-party smart assistants to iPhone users in Europe. According to Bloomberg, the company is preparing to allow this in order to be compliant with the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act.
Siri seems to be the latest "victim" of EU regulations, but some people might find this a rather welcome change, as Apple's own smart assistant is still lagging behind in features and functionalities compared to the likes of Google Assistant, Gemini, or AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
In fact, Apple allows users to make Siri ask ChatGPT for assistance, but the latest rule changes in the EU could remove this additional step altogether, at least for iPhone users in Europe.
There's no concrete timeframe for the change yet, so the EU may have to put some pressure on Apple, as was the case with the USB-C port switch. Nevertheless, it seems that Apple is already preparing for the change—according to the information from Bloomberg, the company is working on the technical details to allow the change.
Earlier this year, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a court case alleging Siri was listening to people without their permission.
Siri could be in for some trouble
Many promised Apple Intelligence features are still months away | Image by Apple"
More choice is always better for the end customer, at least that's our take. Apple will try to fight this hard and keep people locked into its ecosystem, but the reactions to the news have not been in favor of Siri.
Many people are waiting for the change in Europe, and US iPhone users are urging Apple to do the same locally. Apple seems to be on the backfoot when it comes to Siri features and Apple Intelligence, as many of the functionalities are still in beta, in development or postponed.
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The option to allow people to choose their default smart assistant may lead to users ditching Siri en masse and making things even more difficult for Apple. What do you think about it? Would you choose another voice assistant on your iPhone if the option was available?
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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