Despite the fact that the options go largely unused by consumers, smartphone developers believe voice-activated personal assistants are the wave of the future. Apple and Google have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars into improving digital assistants and swaying users to their devices in preparation for the next mobile war.
Google has predicted its dominant web search engine will mean it will beat Apple in the race to turn the smartphone and other devices into intelligent, voice-controlled personal assistants. The rival technology giants are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in their competing services, Google Now and Siri, and the field is expected to be a major battleground for their mobile operating systems, Android and iOS.