For some time, Perplexity was mainly accessible via web browsers or on Android devices. However, welcome news arrived for Apple enthusiasts. Perplexity officially integrated voice assistant features into its existing iOS app, extending its conversational abilities to iPhones and iPads, and expanding its list of supported devices.

Let’s examine what distinguishes this app and why it’s gaining traction among students and professionals alike.

Perplexity Finds a Home on Your iPhone

This update involved more than simple availability; it introduced a voice component capable of interacting with the user and the phone’s functions. This enhancement means users can now converse with Perplexity, pose questions, and initiate certain tasks directly through the Perplexity AI app using voice commands. This Perplexity assistant is designed for intuitive interaction.

Introducing Perplexity iOS Voice Assistant

Voice Assistant uses web browsing and multi-app actions to book reservations, send emails and calendar invites, play media, and more—all from the Perplexity iOS app.

Update your app in the App Store and start asking today. pic.twitter.com/OKdlTaG9CO

— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) April 23, 2025

Interestingly, this launch occurred while many await deeper AI integrations promised for Apple’s native assistant, Siri. Perplexity offers some advanced capabilities now, demonstrating the rapid pace of the ai industry. Moreover, the app supports older iPhone models, ensuring broader accessibility beyond the latest hardware.

Getting Started with the Perplexity AI iPhone App

Setting up the Perplexity AI iPhone app is not complicated. You can easily find and download Perplexity from the Apple App Store, just like any other application. Search for “Perplexity AI” and proceed with the download.

Upon installation and opening, the app reveals a clean, user-friendly interface. To utilize the voice assistant features, granting certain permissions will likely be necessary. This is standard procedure for apps requiring interaction with phone data or functions, governed by the app’s privacy policy.

For instance, asking Perplexity to set a reminder will trigger a prompt requesting access to your Reminders app. Similarly, asking it to text someone necessitates access to your Contacts. We will delve further into permissions later, but the initial setup is designed to be simple, guiding users through these steps seamlessly.

Creating an account is optional for basic use but might be required for certain features or to sync history across devices. The process is straightforward, typically requiring an email address or allowing sign-in via Google or Apple accounts.

What Can You Actually Do with the Perplexity AI iPhone App?

Now that the AI app is installed, what practical benefits does it offer? The core question revolves around its daily utility. The Perplexity AI iPhone app extends beyond answering trivial questions; it’s engineered as a functional tool.

While excelling at complex information searches, the integrated voice assistant introduces hands-free convenience. Imagine swiftly obtaining information during commutes, while cooking, or multitasking. It merges potent ai search capabilities with practical assistance features.

Let’s examine some key features and specific actions you can perform with Perplexity on your iPhone.

Voice Assistant Capabilities: Talk it Out

The prominent feature of the recent update is the conversational voice assistant. Users can tap the microphone icon within the app and initiate a conversation naturally. Ask intricate questions, request summaries of major news, or solicit creative suggestions.

A noteworthy aspect is the ability to navigate away from the Perplexity app while the conversation continues seamlessly. This persistent conversation feature enhances the feeling of interacting with a genuine assistant. Although screen sharing, available on its Android counterpart, is absent, the voice interaction itself is remarkably fluid.

The Perplexity assistant employs advanced generative AI models to interpret natural language effectively. There’s no need for rigid command structures; simply speak as you normally would. This approach makes interaction feel significantly more intuitive compared to older voice control systems.

Task Management: Getting Things Done

Beyond mere question-answering, Perplexity on iOS aids in managing straightforward tasks. Need a reminder? Ask, “Remind me to call Sarah at 3 PM.” As previously noted, it requests permission to access your Reminders app initially and subsequently integrates the reminder directly into your native iOS Reminders.

It can also assist in drafting messages or emails. For example, asking, “Write an email to my professor asking for an extension,” can provide a substantial starting point. You can then easily copy, paste, and refine the draft as needed.

Perplexity handles these requests intelligently. If access to contacts is declined for texting, it doesn’t merely fail; it adaptively prompts the user to provide the phone number verbally. This demonstrates flexibility and user-centric design, though Perplexity isn’t a complete replacement for dedicated task managers.

However, its capabilities are currently focused on simpler tasks like reminders and basic message drafting. It cannot yet manage complex project workflows or integrate deeply with specialized productivity apps. Users should view it as a helpful starter or quick-action tool rather than a comprehensive organizational system.

Information Gathering: Its Superpower

Information retrieval is where the Perplexity AI app truly excels. Pose questions ranging from simplified explanations (“Explain quantum computing like I’m five”) to requests for complex summaries (“Summarize the latest research on renewable energy trends”). The app queries its knowledge base and the web, synthesizes the findings, and delivers clear, concise answers.

Critically, it furnishes numbered citations linked directly to the actual sources, including academic sources when relevant. This transparency is exceptionally beneficial for students needing to verify information for assignments or professionals requiring dependable data for reports. You receive not just an answer, but an answer substantiated by evidence, which helps combat the spread of misinformation often found online.

Users can also pose follow-up questions to delve deeper or explore various facets of a topic. This conversational search capability is substantially more efficient than executing multiple queries in a standard search engine or traditional web browsers. The quality of the ai search depends on the complexity of the query and the underlying model being used (which can vary between free and Pro tiers).

It’s adept at handling diverse query types, including coding assistance, language translation requests, summarizing lengthy documents (via upload in some versions), and providing factual rundowns on historical events or scientific concepts. The ability to access and process information from academic sources makes it a valuable tool for serious research.

Connecting with Other Apps: Bridging the Gaps

Perplexity on iOS exhibits some interoperability with other applications on your phone to facilitate task completion. Reports suggest it can initiate actions in apps such as OpenTable and Uber, streamlining certain processes. The app supports integration where possible within Apple’s ecosystem constraints.

For instance, asking “Book a table for two at an Italian restaurant near me tonight at 7 PM” might lead Perplexity to open the OpenTable app (if installed) with the search details pre-filled. Final confirmation within OpenTable is still required, meaning it’s not fully autonomous, but it accelerates the initial steps significantly.

Similarly, it can initiate the ride-booking process by opening the Uber app with partial request details entered. While this integration is currently partial, it hints at the potential for AI assistants like the Perplexity assistant to serve as effective coordinators among various services on a user’s device. This feature set may expand as Perplexity AI offers more integrations.

How Does it Stack Up? Perplexity vs. Siri vs. Others

Comparing the Perplexity AI iPhone app to Siri, Apple’s integrated iOS assistant, and other AI tools like the ChatGPT mobile app is natural. Each possesses distinct strengths and weaknesses. Siri benefits from deep iOS integration for system-level tasks like setting alarms via the Clock app, managing HomeKit devices, or initiating calls through the native Phone app—actions Perplexity currently cannot perform.

Conversely, Perplexity generally surpasses Siri in providing detailed, sourced answers to complex questions. Siri often resorts to presenting web search results for challenging queries, whereas Perplexity synthesizes information directly and provides cited sources. Comparing it to ChatGPT search, ChatGPT excels in conversational fluency and creative text generation, but Perplexity’s emphasis on real-time information retrieval and source citation provides an advantage for research and fact-checking.

Consider Siri optimal for device control and executing quick, system-integrated commands. View Perplexity as the superior tool for in-depth knowledge acquisition and obtaining sourced answers. They can function quite effectively as complementary tools within a daily workflow, covering different aspects of artificial intelligence assistance.

Other players in the AI search space exist, but Perplexity carves out its niche with its focus on accuracy and citation. It aims to be more of an “answer engine” than just a conversational AI or a traditional link aggregator. The quality of information and the transparency offered are key differentiators.

Understanding the Limitations on iOS

Despite its power, the Perplexity AI iPhone app has limitations, particularly when compared to its potential or features on other platforms like Android. As stated, deep system integration is lacking; it cannot set native iPhone alarms or directly manipulate many core iOS settings. Siri remains necessary for such direct hardware and system-level control.

The iOS version also currently lacks the “vision” capabilities found in some other AI assistants. Users cannot point their camera at an object and ask Perplexity questions about what it perceives in real-time via the voice interface. While image uploads for analysis via text chat are possible, direct visual input during voice interaction isn’t yet supported on iOS supported devices.

Furthermore, the screen-sharing context feature available on Android is not present on iOS. This Android feature allows Perplexity to understand the content displayed on the screen, enabling contextual help with specific app functions or displayed information. While these limitations might be addressed in future updates, awareness of the current boundaries is important for setting realistic expectations.

These limitations mean that while Perplexity is a strong contender in the AI app space, users needing deep OS integration or real-time visual processing might still rely on native tools or wait for future enhancements. The pace of development in the AI industry is rapid, so changes could occur.

Permissions and Privacy: What You Need to Know

Employing an AI assistant that interacts with personal data inevitably prompts questions regarding privacy and permissions. When the Perplexity AI iPhone app is asked to perform actions like setting reminders or accessing contacts, it explicitly requests user permission via standard iOS prompts. This aligns with Apple’s stringent privacy framework.

This mechanism is advantageous as it prevents the app from accessing personal information without explicit consent. Users retain control over the data Perplexity can access. For instance, when contact access was denied for sending a text in one test scenario, Perplexity adapted by requesting the phone number verbally, showcasing responsible design.

Reviewing the permissions granted to any application is always prudent. Consulting Perplexity’s privacy policy is recommended for specific concerns about data handling and usage. However, its permission request methodology on iOS adheres to standard practices, offering transparency and user control, which is crucial for trust in any artificial intelligence service.

Perplexity states its commitment to user privacy in its policy documents. Understanding how conversation data might be used (e.g., for improving the generative AI models, potentially anonymized) is important. Users concerned about data privacy should carefully read the full privacy policy available on their website or through the app store listing.

Final Thoughts

The introduction of enhanced voice capabilities transforms the Perplexity AI iPhone app into a highly compelling tool for iPhone and iPad users. It successfully merges a potent, source-citing answer engine with useful voice assistant functionalities, carving out a distinct space compared to Siri or other chatbots. Although it faces certain limitations on iOS regarding deep system integration or compared to its Android counterpart, its proficiency in delivering reliable, summarized information swiftly is a major asset.

For students managing research projects or professionals requiring quick facts and task assistance, the Perplexity AI iPhone app presents a valuable alternative or supplement to existing tools. Its strong focus on transparency through cited sources is a crucial advantage in today’s complex information environment. If you desire a smarter method for interacting with information on your iPhone, exploring the Perplexity AI iPhone app is certainly advisable after you download Perplexity from the App Store.

As the field of generative AI continues to advance, tools like the Perplexity AI app will likely become even more integrated and capable. Keeping an eye on major news regarding updates and new key features will be beneficial for users looking to leverage the best AI offers available. The Perplexity AI app is a significant step in making powerful artificial intelligence accessible and useful on mobile devices.