On Wednesday, Perplexity released a major update for its iOS app, introducing a new AI voice assistant that can perform various tasks such as setting reminders, writing emails, and more on behalf of the user. The updated app also allows users to continue voice conversations with the AI bot even when the app is running in the background. However, unlike the recently updated Gemini, Perplexity still does not support screen or camera sharing.
Introducing Perplexity Assistant on iOS: the first time an AI app can answer questions and take basic actions on your iPhone: starting with playing media, drafting emails, moving meetings, booking rides, making reservations, setting reminders. Update your Perplexity app to try! pic.twitter.com/I2CYQYC71E
— Aravind Srinivas (@AravSrinivas) April 23, 2025
Perplexity first introduced the mobile assistant for Android smartphones and tablets back in January, and the same is now available for iOS users. To enable all features, users must grant the necessary permissions to the app. Once permitted, it can perform tasks like booking a table at a restaurant, setting reminders, and more. While some of these tasks are fully autonomous, others may require manual input from time to time, especially on iOS devices.
iPhone users can update the Perplexity app to the latest version available on the App Store. As of now, there is no information on when the new voice assistant will be available for Android users.
With support for multi-app actions, Perplexity can book a cab through third-party apps like Uber. On iPhones with an Action button, users can customise the same to access AI voice assistant without opening the app, and the app currently considers Apple Music and Mail as the default app when asked to play music or send an email.
This update almost transforms Perplexity into Siri; however, it still cannot perform some system-level functions due to limited permissions. For those, users must rely on Siri, which is also expected to receive a major overhaul on Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Perplexity can now access real-time data and search for content from podcasts, YouTube videos, and other media. However, unlike Gemini and Grok, users still cannot feed live camera input, although they can share an image and ask relevant questions about it.
All these features are also available to free-tier Perplexity users, though usage is limited to five messages at a time. Plus subscribers, who pay $20 per month, get unlimited access to the new AI voice assistant.
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