Do Siri and Alexa recommend local businesses?

Ascent Vision · Published October 21, 2026

Siri can find nearby places and Alexa+ can book some services, but no one can promise either will name a particular business. Apple says that with Location Services on, Siri can find places nearby, and that Siri can use ChatGPT once a person sets it up. Amazon says Alexa+ can make reservations or appointments with OpenTable and Vagaro, and can suggest a restaurant.

What Apple says Siri can do

Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 describes Siri as “an intelligent assistant that’s built into your iPhone”. It says that when Location Services is on, you can ask Siri for directions or information about places nearby, and gives “Find coffee near me” as an example.

Apple also says that, with Apple Intelligence, “Siri can tap into ChatGPT” after a person sets up the ChatGPT extension. Apple says the person stays in control: the iPhone may ask for confirmation before a request goes to ChatGPT, and the ChatGPT extension can be turned off. The feature needs a supported iPhone and is not available in all languages or regions. Apple adds a caution that ChatGPT’s “outputs may vary” and that important information should be checked.

What Amazon says Alexa+ can do

Amazon describes Alexa+ as its “next-generation assistant powered by generative AI”. Its article, first published in February 2025 and updated in July 2026, says Alexa+ can make reservations or appointments with OpenTable and Vagaro, and that it can use what a person has told it, such as dietary preferences, to “suggest a recipe or restaurant”.

The article also gives an example of getting an oven fixed, in which Alexa+ “will be able to” use Thumbtack to find a service provider and arrange the repair. Amazon phrases that as something Alexa+ will be able to do, so treat it as a stated direction, not as proof that it works for every customer. Amazon says Alexa+ is available to all customers in the U.S. and Canada, and that feature availability varies by region.

Do customers use voice assistants?

In Pew Research Center’s February 2026 survey, about a third of U.S. adults said they have a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod. That counts who owns a device, not what people ask it, and no source cited here measures how many customers ask a voice assistant for a local business.

The local examples these companies give include coffee, a gas station and a restaurant, plus Amazon’s oven repair. They show what the assistants can be asked to do, not which business will be named, and no one can promise that.

What it means for a business

Treat Siri and Alexa as two more ways a customer may ask for you. A spoken request can end in a call or a booking rather than a click, so ask every new inquiry how they found you and write down answers like “Siri” or “Alexa”. Because nearby results can depend on where the device is, a check on your own phone or speaker shows what it tells you there; the related answer on checking what assistants say about your business sets out a routine you can adapt.

The related answer on whether AI assistants will contact businesses for customers covers Google’s automated calls, and the related answer on how customers find businesses through AI assistants explains why no assistant can promise to recommend anyone.

Sources

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