Although Siri is constantly improving, the iPhone's personal voice assistant doesn't have a lot of fans. If you frequently find that Siri either doesn't recognize or doesn't understand your commands, it might be time to try a different voice assistant instead.

Popular alternatives to Siri include Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Unfortunately, none of the alternatives below work perfectly on the iPhone, but hopefully they still offer you an improvement over Siri.

Limitations of Third-Party Assistants on the iPhone

Apple has a reputation for not playing well with others, and that certainly shows when looking at third-party voice assistants on the iPhone. Each of the Siri alternatives below suffers from fairly big limitations compared to the iPhone's native voice assistant.

The most noticeable limitation is the fact that you need to open each third-party voice assistant app in order to activate it.

You can't say "Hey Google" to activate Google Assistant without opening the Google Assistant app first. The same goes for other apps as well, despite "Hey Siri" working even when your iPhone display is asleep.

It's possible to create a Siri Shortcut as a workaround for this issue. All you need to do is make a shortcut that opens your voice assistant app, then activate that shortcut using "Hey Siri." This effectively routes through Siri into your preferred app.

Another limitation to third-party voice assistants on the iPhone is that Apple doesn't give them system-level control over iOS. That means you can't use these Siri alternatives to change the screen brightness, enable Wi-Fi, open other apps, or change your settings.

We know Apple introduced these limitations in the name of security and user privacy---it's part of what makes iOS so stable---but they sure are frustrating when you're looking for a good alternative to Siri.

1. Google Assistant

The Google Assistant app offers almost all the same functionality as Siri on the iPhone, except it's better at recognizing complex commands and strings or related questions.

Use Google Assistant to check the weather, set an alarm, make a dinner reservation, search the web, or even call and text people from your contacts list.

As expected, Google Assistant links with other Google apps like Gmail, Google Maps, Google Photos, YouTube, and more. This means you can ask Google to perform tasks linked to these apps, such as:

  • "Get me driving directions to London."
  • "Show my photos from last month."
  • "Find a YouTube video to watch."

You can also use Google Assistant to play music in Spotify, YouTube, or Deezer. As you might have noticed, Google Assistant doesn't link to Apple Music.

For more information, check out our comparison of Google Assistant versus Siri.

Download: Google Assistant (Free)

2. Amazon Alexa

Amazon Alexa works best if you pair it with Amazon Echo devices in your home. But even without those smart home accessories, you can use Amazon Alexa for a range of typical voice assistant tasks with nothing but your iPhone.

Open the Amazon Alexa app and ask Alexa to:

  • "Add milk to my shopping list."
  • "Read me the latest news."
  • "Play some music."

Alexa even offers a free video chat service in the form of Home Drop In, which lets you effortlessly connect with family and friends who also own Alexa-supported devices.

Alexa can play music using Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, and TuneIn radio. You can control a range of smart home devices from smart bulbs to cameras. And you can even tell Alexa to make Amazon purchases using nothing but your voice.

To read about all the finer differences, take a look at our comparison of Amazon Alexa versus Siri.

Download: Amazon Alexa (Free)

3. Cortana

Microsoft has announced plans to discontinue Cortana's mobile app, integrating the service into Microsoft 365 instead. In fact, Cortana has already vanished from the App Store in Australia, the UK, and many other countries.

But for the time being, Cortana is still alive and well in the US. And for as long as that's the case, it's still a good alternative to Siri on the iPhone.

As expected, Cortana is the best option for integrating with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and other Microsoft apps.

Use it to manage your tasks, emails, reminders, and to-do lists. Ask Cortana to send messages or emails using nothing but your voice. Or just use Cortana to look up information about the news or the weather.

Cortana is mostly geared towards business use, making the following commands particularly useful:

  • "Send the latest sales report to my manager."
  • "Start a new call with my team."
  • "Add expenses to my to-do list."

Download: Cortana (Free)

4. Lyra

Lyra is clearly the underdog on this list, but it's a smart voice assistant with a wonderfully clean app interface.

Tap the microphone and ask Lyra any number of questions. Or tap the lines icon and type a question instead. Lyra can create calendar events, add reminders, look up information on the web, tell you the weather, and even get directions for you.

Unfortunately, Lyra can't control your media player. So you can't use this Siri alternative to play music or listen to podcasts.

For ideas on where to get started with Lyra, try out these commands:

  • "Add a dentist appointment to my calendar today."
  • "What's the weather like tomorrow?"
  • "Remind me to pick up milk later."

Lyra doesn't offer the wealth of features you get with other voice assistants. But it's a sleek alternative that performs all the basics exceptionally well.

Download: Lyra (Free)

Finding the Best Voice Assistant for Your Needs

There's a surprising lack of third-party voice assistants to choose from on the App Store. Most likely, this is because Apple's limitations make it difficult for third-party assistants to compete with Siri.

The apps above are all similar, so the best choice for you depends on which ecosystem you're already invested in. Google Assistant works best with Google Apps, Amazon Alexa works best with Amazon's smart home products, and Cortana works best with Microsoft.

For a simpler alternative that does the basics well, Lyra is a great choice.

But if you want to activate a voice assistant without opening an app on your iPhone, Siri is the only option. Maybe you need to give it another look? It might be able to do more than you first realized.