Consumerism loves rivalry, and nothing proves that more than the endless debate between Android and iPhone. It’s fueled by flashy ads, clever marketing, and the constant temptation to upgrade. Both brands want you to pick a side and lock yourself into their ecosystem for life. That works. Maybe you’re guilty of mockery when someone takes out their Android to take photos at a party or think an iPhone user was stuck holding their overpriced status symbol.
It’s part of a game in which you don’t realize you’re playing a role. For some of us, it’s worth staying away. Why do we have to choose which phone is better when we can enjoy the best of both worlds? For me, I find balance for a healthy experience. Here’s how to do it with Google Assistant and Siri.
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What Balancing Google Assistant and Siri Means
Siri rests my hands, but Google Assistant is smarter
When most people think of balance, they imagine an equal or perfect distribution. That’s not quite it. It is by allocating your resources in the right ratio that the work gets accomplished. In this case, it’s about understanding when Siri or Google Assistant are best suited to a task. Both are among the most popular virtual assistants, each with many strengths.
When you have two phones, a limited attention span, and too much data to manage, you’re looking for a way to divide and conquer. The iPhone 11 isn’t my primary phone, but it’s easier to manage all Siri communications in one place. It’s an indispensable part of Apple’s ecosystem and it makes things simpler. It’s responsive when I need it to be because I can’t get used to iOS’s gesture-based navigation system. At least with Android you can choose whether you prefer to have buttons.
Siri offers a way around this. I use my voice to set reminders, make calls, and send quick text messages on WhatsApp, iMessage, and other apps. On the other hand, Google’s solution is the most complete assistant. I use my Realme 12+ 5G as a work phone, for typing and writing on the go, and for gaming. The tasks are complicated and there is a lot of information to manage. I often need a reliable source to provide input at times like this.
Integrated with Gemini, Google Assistant provides real-time updated information throughout the system. I tested it several times on my iOS 18 and Android 14 phones. One of those times, I asked Siri and Google Assistant what the latest version of Android was. Siri responded with Android 13, adding that the most stable version is Android 9. Google Assistant correctly said Android 15.
The two virtual assistants can confuse information. Still, you want the one that is closest to accurate most of the time. Siri tends to pull web results from the Internet to answer queries. As this does not always provide direct answers, you should decide the answer based on these results. Meanwhile, Google Assistant responds based on its knowledge base and leverages Gemini AI to provide more contextually relevant answers.
Google Assistant takes me home, but Siri is versatile
For every strength there is a flaw
When navigating, I prefer to ask Google Assistant to open Google Maps and give me directions rather than dealing with Siri. When I say, “Hey Google, take me home,” the map opens to guide me. Even while driving, I can get directions, check live traffic conditions, adjust my route, and use offline maps. I can’t trust Siri to do any of this, because it can direct you to places far from your destination, sometimes to another continent, if you’re not careful.
It’s annoying when Siri doesn’t prioritize nearby options like Google Maps. However, it works with third-party apps including Google Maps, Waze, and Pandora. You can launch your favorite navigation map using a command. This feature was introduced in 2019 on iOS 13. It is useful for everyone who likes to use Google Maps on their iPhone. With iOS 18, it feels even more natural.
Siri is customizable, and you can adjust the speed at which it speaks to suit your listening style. If you prefer not to hear the voice, turn it off. You’re limited to preset voices on Android and can’t do much else. I also like that there’s no linearity to how you can control Siri on the iPhone. One way I’m experimenting is with Siri Shortcuts.
Sometimes I program my phone to automatically send a text message to a contact when it detects my arrival at a location on Apple Maps. However, there may be a delay. I have a separate shortcut with predefined messages for times like this. When I say: “Hey Siri, [shortcut name]”, this brings up the text so I can press send. Other times, I use shortcuts to play a specific playlist on Apple Music.
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Who is the most responsive?
Because you need an assistant who actually listens
I’ve heard people say that Google Assistant is more responsive, but that’s not always easy to tell. Both assistants can be wobbly. There are times when Google Assistant refuses to respond, misinterprets my commands, or fails to perform the desired action. At the same time, Siri does not understand the request or the context.
Both have their moments of greatness and their share of frustrating problems. If you feel like Google Assistant is hearing you more, it’s because Google has an advantage in data and computing resources. Unlike Apple, which is more privacy-focused and limits the amount of user data it collects, Google can access more of the data pools we contribute to improve its speech recognition models.
More, its Tensor chips are suitable for any AI and machine learning functions on the device. Even with Apple’s ARM-based M1 and M2 chips, they don’t have the same scale of infrastructure to compete with Google in training models and improved voice recognition.
Get the most out of Android and Apple
You don’t have to choose between Siri and Google Assistant. Both ecosystems are designed with your preferences in mind, not necessarily for competition. Siri is the way to go if your priorities are simplicity, privacy, and a close connection with your Apple devices. If you want broader search capabilities, superior integration with Google services, and a smarter assistant for complex queries, use Google Assistant. You can even combine the two. The trick is to look beyond the basics and create smarter workflows yourself.
