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The Perplexity Assistant isn’t just another chatbot. It’s a mobile assistant that can help you get things done faster.
Built into the Perplexity Android and iOS apps, it can answer questions, help to set reminders, and even book dinner reservations on your behalf.
In short, it’s not one of those apps that you only break out every so often — it can be useful for everyday life.
If you’ve been thinking about trying it out, here’s what you need to know about the Perplexity Assistant.
Perplexity Assistant can provide you with information like similar AI tools, but it’s also designed to actually do things, making it more similar to some of the capabilities of an AI agent in contrast to a traditional chatbot.
It can still answer questions, of course, but it can also follow through on all kinds of tasks, from summarizing emails to helping book dinner reservations.
For example, let’s say you’d like to book a table at a local restaurant. The Perplexity Assistant can:
Better yet, it can keep track of what you’ve asked or typed (“find restaurants near me”), carry over the context (“book a table at the best-ranking Italian one”), and then head to the OpenTable website or app and fill in your reservation details automatically (“at 7 pm for 2 this Friday”)
You’ll still need to confirm the reservation yourself (which isn’t a bad thing, as AI doesn’t get it right 100% of the time), but the tool can do most of the legwork without constant prompts.
Although Perplexity is known as an AI search engine, the Assistant can do more than just look things up online. It works with several popular apps, including:
You can also use it to summarize emails, helping you shave a few more minutes off your workload. There’s just one catch: the extent to which you can use these apps and features depends on your operating system.
Perplexity Assistant first launched on Android in January 2025. Then, just a few months later, an iOS launch followed in April 2025. It seems the main reason for the delay is that Perplexity needed to wait for Apple to grant the right permissions.
That said, it doesn’t look like Apple gave them the same kind of permissions as Google did for Android. The level of access on both types of operating systems is quite different, and this can affect how the Assistant works on each device.
For example, Perplexity Assistant is multimodal on Android, but not on iOS, as Apple currently doesn’t allow the tool to access your camera or support screen sharing.
Although it could change in the future, this means the current iOS app can’t “see” what you’re seeing and provide context. However, you can still ask the Assistant questions about an image if you upload it.
Ultimately, Android’s broader permissions seem to provide more seamless actions with the Assistant than iOS.
The app may not be multimodal on both platforms, but it is multilingual. Perplexity Assistant supports 15 languages, including:
It also works on older devices like the iPhone 13 mini, according to The Verge, meaning users don’t have to upgrade their devices to take advantage of its capabilities. However, the most accessible part of this tool is that it is free.
That’s right — Perplexity Assistant has a free tier. If you’d like to get a little more out of the tool, though, you could upgrade to Perplexity’s paid Pro tier.
Although it has some impressive features, the AI isn’t perfect.
One of Perplexity Assistant’s biggest limitations is that it can hallucinate and make mistakes.
So, as with other AI tools, it’s always a good idea to double-check its results and sources, especially if you’re using it to generate content. Of course, you can do this manually, but using something like an AI checker and fact checker can make the process much easier.
Not only can these tools identify sections that are likely the result of AI writing, but they also provide in-text highlights so you know which areas could benefit from a close editing eye and more comprehensive fact-checking.
If you have yet to work one into your workflow, try the Originality.ai AI Detector to see it in action today.
The good news is that Perplexity may be in a position to address these kinds of limitations in the future, as the company has some big plans in the works. For example, TechCrunch reports that Samsung is nearing a deal with Perplexity to preload both its app and assistant in its devices.
Intrigued? Here’s a short guide on how to download and use Perplexity Assistant.
Perplexity Assistant is only available through the Perplexity app. Therefore, you can search for and download “Perplexity - Ask Anything” from Google Play for Android or the App Store for iOS devices.
You don’t need to create an account to use the free version of Perplexity or its Assistant.
However, signing up and logging in enables you to customize your profile and settings (such as saving your history like ‘Threads’). So, it’s worth considering.
After installation, open the app.
Now, you should be good to go, so give it a spin. Need a ride? Ask Perplexity Assistant to help you book an Uber. Looking for a particular YouTube video? Ask it to find it for you.
You can use voice commands or text, but keep in mind that the Assistant is capable of much more on Android than iOS.
It may not have the same name recognition as Siri or Alexa, but Perplexity Assistant stands out as a mobile-first AI assistant with agent-like capabilities.
Unlike most assistants that seem like little more than voice-activated search engines, this one can actually help you get things done in your daily life.
Like other AI tools, it’s not perfect, but Perplexity Assistant is one of the few that you may find useful right out of the box (so to speak).
Then, incorporate guardrails such as AI detectors and fact-checkers to address its limitations and maintain transparency.
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