Which tool to choose
It depends on the phone. On Android, Google's assistant is becoming the system integrated throughout the device, connected to mail, calendar, maps and photos: handy because it's already inside the phone. On iPhone the system assistant is integrated with everything and privacy-conscious. On top of that you can install the app of any other general-purpose AI assistant: some have a more natural voice mode, where you interrupt it and converse as with a person. The smart choice: use the system assistant for quick commands (alarms, reminders, "call") and the conversational AI app to reason, write, understand.
How to do it
- Install the app of the AI assistant you want to use, or activate the one already built into the phone.
- If you want to call it up by voice, set it as the default assistant in the phone settings (search for "assistant" or "digital assistant").
- Try the three things that change everything: dictating instead of writing, photographing instead of describing, asking instead of searching.
- Connect what you need (mail, calendar) only if you trust it and it's useful to you: every connection is more power but also one more access to your data.
The operational syntax, to try it by voice:
I'm using you from the phone with my voice. When I talk to you, answer in a short and clear way, like an assistant on the phone would, not with long texts. If I ask you to write a message, give me just the text ready to send. If I show you a photo, tell me what you see and what I can do with it. Speak in English.
Check: if the assistant answers with walls of text that are hard to listen to, remind it: "Be more concise, I'm listening to you while I walk, not reading." Voice use requires short answers, not essays.
A concrete example
Marco is a real estate agent always in the car. He sets the AI app as the phone's assistant and calls it up by voice. While driving he dictates messages to clients, has the emails that arrived summarized, asks it to prepare the points for his next appointment. In front of an apartment, he photographs an old boiler and asks "what type is it and what should I tell the client about replacement costs". The phone has become an assistant that works with him, not a thing to type on at traffic lights.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the voice mishears what you say
Often it's the noisy environment or speaking too fast. Speak at a normal pace, pause between sentences, and in the car use the car's microphone if connected. If it gets a name or term wrong, correct it by voice ("I meant Bianchi, not Banchi"): it learns from the correction within the same conversation.
If you can't find how to set it as the default assistant
The menus change from phone to phone and move around with updates. Search the settings for the word "assistant" or "default apps". If you really can't find it, you can still open the AI app by hand and use it: the default setting only serves to call it up faster, it's not mandatory to use it.
If you're worried about the privacy of what you tell it
Legitimate: an assistant connected to mail and photos sees a lot. Connect only what you really need and check in the app settings what gets saved and whether your data is used to train the system (you can often turn this off). For sensitive things, use the temporary conversation mode if the app has it. Convenience is proportional to the access you grant: dose the access, don't give up the tool.
A tip from someone who really uses it
The leap isn't installing the app, it's changing the habit: stop typing and start talking. For a week, force yourself to use your voice for everything you'd do by writing (messages, searches, notes). At first it's strange, after a few days typing on the phone for long things will seem absurd to you. You activate the tool in a minute; the real advantage comes when voice use becomes natural.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay to have a complete AI assistant on my phone?
The basic version of the main assistants is free and already does a great deal: dictating, reading photos, answering. The paid versions offer more powerful answers and fewer usage limits, useful if you use it all day for work. Start with the free one, and switch to paid only when you feel the limit, not before.
Does an AI assistant replace the phone's old voice assistant?
For most uses yes, and it does much more: besides setting alarms and timers, it reasons, writes, understands photos, holds a conversation. The very quick commands (timer, "call mom") remain handy on the system assistant. For everything else, the conversational AI is another level.
Isn't having an assistant always listening unsettling?
The continuous listening for the wake word can be turned off: in that case the assistant only starts when you open it yourself, no always-on microphone. If the idea bothers you, turn off voice activation and call it up manually: you lose a bit of convenience, you gain peace of mind. The control is yours, permanent listening isn't mandatory to use the AI.