Katarzyna Petru
This could be the biggest change for Polish iPhone users since… the iPhone has existed. According to an analysis of the code of the latest iOS 26.2 beta, Apple – under pressure from EU regulations – is preparing a feature that Poles and other countries have been waiting for years: the ability to change the default voice assistant. Yes. This means exactly what you're thinking.
The side button, which until now activated Siri (which is basically nothing), will be able to be assigned to Gemini, ChatGPT, Groka, or another app that actually understands Polish. And this is not a rumor, but a concrete piece of code from iOS 26.2. But that's not all – this update also brings several new features that will truly enhance the everyday use of the iPhone. So if you're updating the system not just to have a higher number in Settings, there's really something to gain here.
What did the leaks from iOS 26.2 confirm?
In the third beta, developers found a number of messages regarding completely new settings for the side button. Among other things:
“Choose a different default app for the side button”
“Default app for the side button cannot be hidden”
“[App Name] is not available in your region”
And this last piece says it all:
The feature will be available only in the EU – just like previous changes that Apple had to implement due to the DMA.
Why is Apple doing this?
Because it has to. The EU Digital Markets Act requires that users can easily change default apps – including voice assistants. Apple isn’t doing us a favor. Apple is doing this because otherwise it will face billion-dollar fines. But the end result is that… we will finally be able to have an assistant on the iPhone that doesn’t pretend the Polish language doesn’t exist.
Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok – you choose, pin it to the side button, and you're done.
Finally, the iPhone is becoming normal.
iOS 26.2 – what else do you get besides the big assistant change?
This is not a minor, cosmetic update. Apple has actually added several new features that impact daily phone usage. And fortunately, most of them work right away, without digging through menus like in Android from 2014.
1. Automatic chapters in Apple Podcasts - You no longer have to guess where the topic you're interested in begins. Chapters create themselves. Click and it’s done.
2. Adjustable clock transparency on the lock screen - A nice gimmick that nobody asked for, but everyone will be sliding the slider for 10 minutes to find “that perfect effect”.
3. Screen flashing for notifications - The entire screen joins the flashlight. Useful if your phone often lies face up – or if you want to look like you're using a strobe light with every text message.
4. Offline song lyrics in Apple Music - Got downloaded music? You have lyrics. Even in the tunnel, subway, and in the countryside where LTE arrives by registered letter.
5. Alarms in Reminders - Finally, real alarms. Not a notification you can ignore, but a RING that won’t let you pretend you “didn't see it”.
6. Game App – they cleaned it up - Sorting, filters, easier management of the mess. That's what should have been there since iOS 18... but shhh.
7. AirDrop with a one-time PIN and 30-day connection - Sending something to someone you don’t have in your contacts? PIN, click, and you’re done. And that lasts for a whole month.
9. Live Translation in the EU - System-wide live translations – finally available in Europe. No more pretending you know French just because you can say “baguette”.
Is iOS 26.2 a big update?
For Poles and other countries without access to their own language? Definitely. The ability to replace Siri with Gemini or ChatGPT is a breakthrough. This is a change that Apple has defended for years. It’s the end of the “dead button” in Poland.
Other new features? Nice additions that improve life and will keep you entertained for a week before you go back to scrolling TikTok in bed at 2 AM.
