Apple to open iPhone side button access to Gemini, Alexa in this country

Reportedly, Apple is allowing iPhone users in Japan to remap the side button to third-party voice assistants like Google Gemini or Amazon Alexa, a change that may later expand to more regions

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Apple is reportedly opening up yet another corner of its tightly controlled ecosystem, and this time, it’s the side button functionality on iPhones. New developer documentation confirms that iPhone users in Japan will soon be able to remap the side button to launch third-party voice assistants like Google Gemini or Amazon Alexa, instead of being locked to Siri.

 

This marks one of Apple’s biggest steps yet toward loosening its tightly controlled ecosystem, following similar regulatory-driven changes like support for third-party app stores and sideloading in the European Union. And while the side button change is exclusive to Japan for now, it may not stay that way.

What is Apple enabling on the iPhone side button

According to Apple’s new developer guidance, apps that offer voice-based conversational experiences can now register themselves as a side button – launchable assistant in Japan. This means a user will be able to press and hold the side button, the same gesture currently reserved only for Siri, and instead launch Google Gemini, Amazon Alexa or any other assistant app that adopts Apple’s new API. 

  To support this, developers need to adopt Apple’s App Intents framework, offer the right App Shortcuts and request a new Side Button Access entitlement, which Apple is limiting to Japanese Apple IDs and users located inside Japan.

 

Apple says users expect instant access to voice input the moment they press the side button, so third-party apps must start an audio session immediately, similar to how Siri activates today.

Why is Apple allowing this

Apple’s documentation confirms that the change is exclusive to Japan due to new local regulations. Japan’s Mobile Software Competition Act, taking effect in December 2025, requires platform owners to give third-party apps equal access to hardware-level features, including virtual assistant triggers like the side button.

 

  This is similar to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which already forced Apple to allow alternative app stores, new browser engines and more. The Act also requires “easy switching of default assistants”, which means Side Button reassignment could eventually come to EU countries as well.

 

In other words, Japan is the first market to receive this due to its regulatory timeline, but it may not be the last.

When will users be able to replace Siri

Apple hasn’t confirmed a release date, but MacRumors reported that there are codes referencing the change in the latest iOS 26.2 beta. This suggests that the feature will debut with the iOS 26.2 update, which will likely release in the coming weeks.

 

To use it, a user must:

• Have an Apple ID set to Japan
• Physically be located in Japan
• Install a voice-based assistant that supports the new entitlement
• Reassign the side button in Settings