Google Assistant on iPhone announced to shakedown Siri

Google Assistant, Android’s answer to Apple’s Siri, has just kicked down the Cupertino firm’s smart AI’s door and barged its way into its house – refusing to leave. In other words, Google just launched Assistant on iOS – bringing a direct rival to the iPhone and iPad based Siri.

The search giant made the announcement during its Google IO event at Mountain View, and raised a few eyebrows in the process as Apple would have had to approve the app for its platform. A curious move to say the least.

From what Google said on stage, Assistant will have most of its features available on iPhone, from playing games and inquiring about facts to turning on and off your smart lights.

Coming soon to an iPhone near you

It's unclear for now whether Assistant on iOS will have the full suite of options that you get on Android - but we'll update this article with more detail when we get it.

You iPhone will need to be running iOS 9.1 or above, so if you've not updated for a while you might want to get on that software update.

In terms of a Google Assistant on iPhone release date we're told it will start rolling out today. So what are you waiting for? To the App Store! Just don't tell Siri...

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John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.