For years, the iPhone's side button has had one primary voice-controlled tenant: Siri. Whether you love Apple's digital assistant or find yourself wishing for an alternative, the option to change it simply hasn't existed. If you wanted to ask Google Assistant a question or command your smart home with Alexa, you had to manually open the app.
That long-standing walled garden appears to be on the verge of opening up, thanks to a significant discovery in the latest iOS beta software.
Code Hints at a Major Shift in iPhone Customization
According to findings in the third developer beta of iOS 26.2, Apple is laying the groundwork to allow users to set a third-party voice assistant as their default. This means that the simple action of holding down the side lock button could soon launch the assistant of your choice, not just Siri.
The team at MacRumors unearthed a series of clues embedded within the Siri framework code of the new beta. Previously, informational texts and prompts within the iPhone's settings consistently referred to "Siri." In the new beta, these references have been systematically replaced with a generic placeholder.
Even more telling, one string of code explicitly mentions that users can select a different "default side button app." Another new warning message cautions users if their chosen "side button app" does not support voice commands, clearly indicating that Apple is preparing the system for non-Siri alternatives.
You can read the full breakdown of the code discoveries over at MacRumors.
The Driving Force: The EU's Digital Markets Act
This potential move isn't happening in a vacuum. Industry watchers are pointing directly to the European Union's landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) as the catalyst for this change. The DMA is designed to foster fair competition and prevent tech "gatekeepers" from unfairly privileging their own services.
A core tenet of the legislation requires that third-party software must have access to the same hardware features and integration as a company's own stock applications. By restricting the side button to Siri alone, Apple was effectively locking competitors out of a key hardware shortcut.
This isn't the first time the DMA has forced Apple's hand. The iPhone maker recently enabled a similar change for Apple Pay, allowing users in the EU to set a third-party payment app as the default that launches with a double-click of the side button, granting them full access to the NFC chip for contactless payments.
A More Connected AirDrop Experience is Also in the Works
The potential Siri shakeup isn't the only improvement hidden in the iOS 26.2 beta. A separate report from 9to5Mac highlights a welcome upgrade coming to Apple's file-sharing feature, AirDrop.
Currently, making your device discoverable via AirDrop to non-contacts is a temporary affair, limited to a brief 10-minute window. This can be inconvenient for sharing files with new colleagues or in situations where you need to reconnect.
The new beta introduces an option to pair two devices using a PIN code. Once successfully paired, these devices will remain visible to each other in the AirDrop interface for a full 30 days. This creates a more persistent and reliable connection for frequent file sharing between specific devices, streamlining workflows and making the feature significantly more useful in professional or collaborative environments.
Discover more details about the new AirDrop pairing feature on 9to5Mac.
What This Means for iPhone Users
If these changes make it to the public release of iOS 26.2, expected in a few months, it would represent one of the most significant steps toward iPhone customization Apple has ever taken. For users in the EU, it would mean true freedom of choice for core services like voice assistants and payments, directly on their device's most convenient hardware buttons.
For users worldwide, it could signal a broader shift in Apple's philosophy, potentially bringing these customization options to other regions in the future. The days of Siri's unassailable reign over the side button may finally be numbered, giving way to a more open and user-defined iPhone experience.
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