Perplexity's iPhone app can now take action for you

Most mobile AI apps are great at giving answers, but completely useless when it comes to actually getting things done on your phone. Perplexity is trying to change that.

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas announced the rollout of Perplexity Assistant on iOS. Srinivas called it the first AI app capable of answering questions while also taking basic actions directly on an iPhone.

Doing the tapping for you

Right out of the gate, the assistant can handle practical tasks including playing media, drafting emails, moving meetings, booking rides, making reservations, and setting reminders. Users only need to update their existing Perplexity iOS app to access the functionality.

Instead of just returning search summaries, the app is trying to connect the conversational interface with actionable device tasks.

Why it matters

For regular smartphone users, this shifts Perplexity from an alternative search box into a functional personal agent. Since it only requires an app update, it is definitely worth testing out for routine chores like scheduling or setting reminders.

We think Perplexity is making a smart push to beat native system assistants to the punch. The mobile AI race is rapidly shifting from answering trivia to automating multi-app tasks. That said, deep integrations like booking rides and managing calendars often run into OS permission barriers, so how reliably it handles daily requests without tripping up remains to be seen.