In iOS 26.2 beta 3, Apple is laying the groundwork for a future option that will let iPhone users in Japan choose a different default voice assistant. Right now, a press and hold gesture on the Side Button only activates Siri, but there are multiple references to new Side Button behavior in the beta.
The wording suggests that the iPhone will permit users to choose a different app to activate through the Side Button, though Apple has confirmed this will be limited to iPhone users in Japan. Some of the code snippets:
- Press and Hold to Speak is not available while the Side Button is assigned to %@.
- Side Button Settings
- Select Another Default Side Button App
- The default Side Button app cannot be hidden. You can change your default apps in Settings.
- The default Side Button app cannot be locked. You can change your default apps in Settings.
- %@ is no longer eligible for use with the Side Button. Contact the app developer for more information.
- %@ is not available for use with the Side Button in your region.
The code is in Apple's private Siri frameworks, which implies that the change is related to virtual assistants, plus it references a long press. The updated functionality will let users in Japan to set Gemini, Alexa, or another voice assistant app to launch instead of Siri when the Side Button is held down.
Back in August, Japanese regulators passed the Mobile Software Competition Act, requiring Apple to provide third-party apps with access to core operating system functions, including voice assistants. There is specific language that says platform holders cannot preference their own services for virtual assistant access or hardware-level user interactions.
Japan's new guidelines go into effect in December 2025, so it makes sense that the functionality will be added in iOS 26.2.
In an earlier version of this article, we said that the functionality would be available in the European Union, and while it may also launch in the EU in the future, activating an assistant other than Siri with the Side Button will only work in Japan, according to Apple's current documentation.
Earlier this year, Bloomberg said that Apple would soon give users in the EU the option to set a default voice assistant other than Siri, and there are interoperability requirements in the Digital Markets Act that could require Apple to make the change there, too.
The DMA says that gatekeepers like Apple have to provide app makers with access to the "same hardware and software features" that are available to the operating system or virtual assistant run by the gatekeeper. There's also wording that says users must be able to "easily change the default settings on the operating system, virtual assistant and web browser of the gatekeeper that direct or steer end users to products or services provided by the gatekeeper," which can be interpreted as requiring Apple to support third-party voice assistants at the system level.
If Apple does have plans to bring the same voice assistant flexibility to the EU, it's not clear when it might happen. iOS 26.2 will limit the feature to users with a Japanese Apple Account located in Japan.
