What’s happened? The third beta of iOS 26.2 will allow iPhone users in Japan to launch a third-party voice assistant (other than Siri) with the side button.

• A report from 9To5Mac, citing new code in the latest developer beta, mentioned how users will be able to change the iPhone’s side button behavior.
• The publication stated that the upcoming iOS version will allow users to change which voice assistant is triggered when they long-press the side button (or the Action Button).
• Following that, Apple has published a new Developer blog, confirming that developers can leverage the App Intents framework and let users “place an action on the side button of the iPhone that instantly launches” their voice-based conversational app.

Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Why is this important? This is the first time that the Cupertino giant is allowing users (in a specific region) to change the default assistant invocation method.

• Allowing a third-party assistant to replace Siri on the Side Button is a major change in how users can override the default system-level behaviors.
• Japan’s Mobile Software Competition Act is pushing Apple to allow more user choice, and the upcoming assistant-replacement feature falls under that.
• For developers of voice-based conversational apps, this opens a new channel to place their services front and center on the iPhone.

Why should I care? If you’re an iPhone user (even outside Japan), this signals that you might soon have more flexibility in how you invoke assistants and which assistant you want to use by default.

• If you use or prefer a third-party assistant, like Alexa, Google Gemini AI assistant, ChatGPT, etc., this could make your day-to-day experience smoother, as you wouldn’t have to open the app manually.
• Users in Japan (and possibly those who are using a Japanese unit) could get the flexibility sooner than everyone else, as the iOS 26.2 stable rollout may take place in December 2025.

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

OK, what’s next? While the Apple Developer blog post suggests that the ability to replace the voice assistant triggered by the side button will first be available to Japanese iPhone users, it’s likely to trickle out to other regions in forthcoming iOS updates.

• As the feature becomes available to users, they’ll have to decide whether to use Siri or another voice assistant.
• The Japanese version of iOS 26.2 could also include third-party app stores and default search engine choices.