Engaging with Perplexity's Voice Mode
A hands-free Q&A experience – hearing answers aloud in real time
Understanding Voice Mode in Perplexity
Voice Mode in Perplexity transforms the way you interact by enabling spoken answers and real-time dialogue. In this mode, Perplexity not only listens to your question (via the dictation feature) but also speaks the answer back to you using natural-sounding text-to-speech. It's an immersive experience – imagine being able to talk to the internet and have it talk right back!
Getting Started with Voice Mode
To use Voice Mode, open the Perplexity app (currently, Voice Mode is available on the iOS app, with Android and desktop support on the roadmap) and start a voice query by tapping the microphone. Perplexity will respond aloud to your query, reading out the answer as it finds information. The latest version of the app offers six distinct voice options you can choose from, making the responses sound more natural and pleasant. The spoken delivery is clear and easy to understand, and while it's not human-level emotional, it's highly intelligible and great for consuming information on the go.
Real-Time Search with Source Citations
One of the best aspects of Perplexity's Voice Mode is that it runs on top of Perplexity's real-time search: as the AI is speaking the answer, you'll also see the live web search results and source links on your screen. This means you can hear the answer and simultaneously follow up on the cited sources if you want more detail – a feature that sets Perplexity apart from other voice assistants.
Interactive Conversation Features
Voice Mode is interactive too: you can ask a follow-up question aloud, and Perplexity will continue the conversation. (On iOS, you can even interrupt the spoken answer with your voice to ask something new, similar to how you might interrupt a person – the assistant will stop and listen.) Additionally, the app's interface in Voice Mode has a fun visualizer (a sphere of dots that reacts as you speak) to let you know it's listening.
Practical Use Cases for Voice Mode
Voice Mode is perfect for scenarios like cooking or driving where you can't look at your screen – e.g., "Perplexity, how do I substitute an ingredient in this recipe?" and hear the answer without stopping what you're doing. It essentially turns Perplexity into an AI voice assistant that combines the power of web search with the convenience of audio. For teams exploring AI tool integration and workflow automation design, Voice Mode demonstrates how conversational AI can enhance productivity across hands-free scenarios.
Experience the Future of Search
Turn on Voice Mode in the Perplexity app and ask any question. Whether you're relaxing, multitasking, or just curious, hearing real-time answers with cited sources is a game-changer – give it a try and talk with Perplexity like you would with a knowledgeable friend.
Written by Dr Hernani Costa and originally published at First AI Movers. Subscribe to the First AI Movers Newsletter for daily, no‑fluff AI business insights, practical and compliant AI playbooks for EU SME leaders. First AI Movers is part of Core Ventures.
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