iPhone 17 Pro – Is there any way to control all of iOS with AI instead of Siri?

[yakirbitan]

Hey everyone,

I just bought a new iPhone 17 Pro mainly for the AI features, but I’m a bit disappointed with how limited Apple Intelligence/Siri still feels compared to things like ChatGPT or Gemini.

What I really want is a way to control almost my entire phone using AI via voice, for example:

• “Send my mom a message that I’ve arrived home.”
• “Add a calendar event on Sunday from 08:00–09:00: car service appointment.”
• “Add ‘do X’ to my to-do list.”

Basically, I’d love to “wire” iOS to an AI assistant that can reliably perform almost any action on the device, across apps, just from natural voice commands or even chat with AI platforms like ChatGPT/Gemini (but prefer with voice command and directly with Siri or Apple Intelligence).

Right now:

• “Hey Siri” / “Siri” is inconsistent (sometimes it triggers, sometimes it doesn’t).
• Commands often get cut off mid-sentence.
• A lot of the time it just says it doesn’t understand and throws me some random web results, which isn’t helpful.

So my questions are:

1. Is there any way today to use ChatGPT (or another AI) to control iOS at a deeper level than Siri/Apple Intelligence allows?
2. Are there apps, shortcuts setups, or MCP-style tools that can bridge AI with system actions and third-party apps?
3. If you’ve built something like this with Shortcuts, automation apps, or a third-party assistant, how close did you get to “full device control”?

Important note: I don’t mind paying for a good third-party app or service – money isn’t the issue here, I’m just looking for the most powerful and reliable solution.

Thanks in advance for any tips, setups, or app recommendations!

 

[Boppi]

A tip I can offer is to spend some time reading through the threads. There are several very active threads and extensive MacRumors posts regarding AI and Siri.

 

[yakirbitan]

A tip I can offer is to spend some time reading through the threads. There are several very active threads and extensive MacRumors posts regarding AI and Siri.

Thanks for the tip! I’ve been browsing some of the AI / Siri threads, but so far most of what I’m finding is more about general impressions of Apple Intelligence rather than using another AI to really drive iOS.

What I’m trying to figure out is whether there’s any current way to hook something like ChatGPT/Gemini into Shortcuts or other automation apps so the AI can basically act as the “brain” and control the phone by voice (messages, calendar, to-dos, etc.), beyond what Siri can do on its own. I don’t mind paying for third-party apps or services – I’m mainly looking for the most powerful and reliable setup.

If you know of any specific threads or setups that go in that direction, I’d really appreciate a link or some pointers. Thanks again!