Apple Enables Side Button for Third-Party Assistants in Japan

Apple has confirmed that iPhone users in Japan will soon be able to reassign the device's side button to launch third-party voice assistants, bypassing the default Siri activation. The feature, detailed in a new entry on the company's Developer Blog, emerges from code discovered in the third beta of iOS 18.2, which is currently available to developers.

Currently, a long press on the iPhone's side button triggers Siri, Apple's built-in voice assistant. Under the upcoming change, users in Japan can select alternative voice-based apps, such as Google Gemini or Amazon Alexa, to activate instead. This requires developers to integrate their applications using Apple's App Intents framework and App Shortcuts, enabling instant access to conversational functionality. The documentation specifies that apps must start an audio session immediately upon activation to meet user expectations for seamless interaction.

The rollout will be limited to Japan, accessible only to those with an Apple ID set to the Japanese region and physically located in the country. Apple emphasized in its guidance: "In Japan, people might place an action on the side button of iPhone that instantly launches your...