Perplexity Brings Its AI Assistant For Android Users To Challenge Siri And ChatGPT 

Artificial intelligence startup, Perplexity has expanded its AI “answer engine” into a fully functional mobile assistant specifically for Android users, capable of handling tasks like answering questions, composing emails, setting reminders, and even booking dinner reservations.

The assistant is multimodal, meaning it can process information from various sources. Users can ask it questions about their phone’s screen content or even use the camera to interact with objects in the real world. For instance, Perplexity demonstrated the assistant’s ability to arrange a ride: after determining the user’s destination, it seamlessly opens Uber and displays available rides.

In testing, the assistant proved versatile. When asked to “open up a good podcast,” it quickly launched the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience on YouTube, demonstrating impressive responsiveness, though perhaps not impeccable taste. It also used the phone’s camera to identify a promotional Pokémon card pack from a McDonald’s Happy Meal—an impressive feat, given the promotion had just launched days earlier.

Additionally, the assistant can send texts, write emails, and perform tasks across compatible apps. However, it doesn’t yet support every platform. Slack, Reddit, and YouTube comments, for example, remain outside its current capabilities. Supported apps currently include Spotify, YouTube, Uber, and core utilities like email, messaging, and clock apps. Perplexity spokesperson Sara Platnick confirmed that the company is actively working to expand app support and functionality.

To activate the assistant, users need to download the Perplexity app and replace their phone’s default assistant. It can then be accessed by swiping up from the left corner of the screen or holding down the home button.

For now, the assistant is exclusive to Android devices. When asked about iOS availability, Platnick explained, “If Apple gives us the right permissions, we’ll make it happen.”

With competitors like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s Operator AI making strides in next-gen assistants, Perplexity’s innovative features could help it carve out a niche in the growing AI assistant market.