Grok Bot has become my main assistant on iPhone.
I don’t use Siri anymore.
I put together a complete guide to help you do the same: installation, setup, and how to use it.
Tag @bot to build your own setup using the guide, and save it for later ↓ https://x.com/i/article/2119386178755362816
Grok Bot for Your iPhone: The Complete Setup That Makes Siri Look Useless
For 15 years, the assistant on your iPhone has mostly done one job: set a timer and misunderstand you.
Then, in 16 days, Grok Bot got five updates that most people read about one at a time and then forgot.
- Oct 19: press your iPhone's Action Button and talk to your Bot.
- Oct 23: your Bot can use Calendar, Reminders, Contacts and more apps on your phone.
- Oct 23: your Bot can keep your logins, cards and contact info in Vault.
- Nov 3: shopping, order tracking and subscription cleanup.
- Nov 4: your Bot can make phone calls.
Put them together and the assistant on your iPhone stops being a voice that answers questions. It becomes a worker with its own computer, one press away. It signs in to your accounts, runs your calendar and reminders, cleans up your subscriptions, and keeps going after your phone is back in your pocket.
Apple's answer this year was Siri AI. It's still a beta and it needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. And it has the same problem Siri always had: it works inside your phone. Grok Bot leaves your phone, opens a browser, sits on hold, and comes back when it needs your OK.
So this guide won't show you how to use the two side by side. It will show you how to replace Siri completely: put Grok Bot on your Action Button, teach your iPhone to answer to "Hey Grok", and turn Siri off.
Here's the full setup: why Grok Bot wins, how to set it up in 10 minutes, the features that matter, the exact prompts to use, and the limits most posts leave out.
Where Siri stops and Grok Bot starts
Apple rebuilt Siri this year and called it Siri AI. It still isn't the assistant you want running your day.
Now read Apple's fine print. Siri AI is still a beta. It needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. It has daily limits, and Apple says more access will cost extra later. And it's currently unavailable on iPhone in the EU.
Grok Bot asks for iOS 18 and a paid plan.
Apple analyst Gene Munster spent a weekend with the new Siri and summed up the gap: "once you've used personal agents, you ask Siri to do things it can't."
Siri is an assistant that lives inside your phone. Grok Bot is a worker with its own computer. That one difference gives you 8 things Siri doesn't.
1. It has a computer of its own. Your Bots work from a cloud computer that stays on, with a browser, files and a command line. If a website has no app and no integration, your Bot opens it and uses it the way you would. Gmail, Slack, Notion and Drive connect directly, and anything with an MCP server or an API can be added. Siri's actions depend on Apple or an app's developer building the connection first.
2. It keeps working after you put your phone down. Closing the app doesn't stop the job. Start something in line for coffee and get the result an hour later. Apple's Siri AI announcement doesn't describe long-running work like this.
3. It runs on a schedule by itself. Say "do this every weekday at 8" and it becomes a routine. Inbox sweep, morning brief, Friday wrap-up. With Siri, a scheduled job means building a Shortcuts automation by hand.
4. It comes to you first. Your primary Bot checks in on its own and answers for every other Bot you run. Siri answers when you ask.
5. It remembers how you work. Say "always ask before you send an email" once, and that rule follows every chat. A Bot keeps your preferences and a dated log of what it did for you. Ask "What do you remember about me?" and it tells you. Apple describes nothing like standing rules for Siri.
6. It signs in for you. Log in once and the session stays. A Bot can pull a saved login from Vault, read a one-time code from your connected Gmail, and fill in a checkout without ever seeing your password or card number. That's how it gets through subscriptions, bookings and carts.
7. It stays on the phone. Siri can place a call, and then you're the one on hold. Your Bot can wait, get through the menu, talk to the rep and bring you a summary. US numbers only for now.
8. You get a whole team. One Bot on your inbox, one on travel, one on expenses. They work at the same time, pass work to each other, and you only talk to the one in charge. Siri is one assistant.Apple says third-party apps will start plugging into Siri AI in a few months, so Siri will keep getting better. A Bot with its own computer is still a different kind of thing.
So stop splitting your life between two assistants. Make Grok Bot the only one on your iPhone. It takes three moves.
Give it the button. The next section puts it on your Action Button. One press and you're talking to your Bot.
Give it your voice. People on X are setting up "Hey Grok". Make a shortcut with Start Voice Chat in the Shortcuts app, then open Settings → Accessibility → Vocal Shortcuts → Set Up, choose that shortcut, type "Hey Grok" and repeat it when your iPhone asks.
Turn Siri off. Open Settings → Siri, scroll down and tap Turn Off Siri. From now on, your calendar, reminders, contacts and Apple Home all go through one assistant that remembers you.
Siri looks useless the moment you ask it to sit on hold with your internet company.
Replace Siri in 10 minutes
You need an iPhone on iOS 18 or later and a plan that includes Grok Bot. Premium at $30 a month is the lowest one that does. Free and Plus don't include it.
1. Download Grok Bot from the App Store.
1. Log in with the same account you use on desktop. If you already have a plan, don't buy a second one in the app.
1. Turn on notifications so your Bot can reach you. xAI says iPhone push is still rolling out, so check your chats for the first few days.
1. In the app, open Settings → Connect apps, tap iPhone next to All, and tap Allow next to Calendar, Reminders, Contacts and Location. Leave Home off until you've read the safety section.
1. In your iPhone's own Settings, open Action Button, swipe to Shortcut, and choose Grok Bot → Start Voice Chat. That's your new assistant button.
The Action Button is on iPhone 15 Pro and newer. On an older iPhone, assign the Start Voice Chat shortcut under Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap.
Now check that everything is connected. Keep Grok Bot open on your screen, because your Bot can only reach your iPhone while the app is open. Copy this:
Check which iPhone apps you can reach right now: Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, Location, Alarms and Home. Don't change anything and don't read any personal details back to me. For each app, tell me connected or not connected. For anything not connected, tell me what to allow.
Then teach your Bot who you are. You'll only do this once:
Interview me so you can help with my week. Ask one question at a time, 5 questions at most: what I do for work, my usual hours, who I deal with most, what I keep putting off, and what you must never do without asking me. When we're done, save the answers to your memory, show me what you saved, and name 3 tasks you could take off my plate this week. Don't use any apps or change anything yet.
If both answers look right, finish the switch: set up "Hey Grok" and turn Siri off, as shown above.
On Android: you need Android 9 or later and the Google Play app. There's no Action Button, and you get fewer apps. The full comparison is in the limits section.
The 11 features that matter
Every prompt below is written around what xAI has documented or shown a Bot doing today, with the limits built in so it doesn't guess. Swap whatever is in [brackets], then paste it or say it out loud. For anything that touches your iPhone's own apps, keep Grok Bot open until the Bot is done.
1. One press to talk
Press the Action Button and start talking. Press it again to hang up. If you didn't pick a Bot in the shortcut, it asks you which one to use. While it runs, a Live Activity shows on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island on iPhones that have one.
Spotlight and Shortcuts can list your Bots, send a message, start dictation or start a voice chat. Start Dictation works without opening the app, as long as your iPhone is unlocked.
Use this when your head is full:
Here's everything on my mind. Sort it into three groups: do today, do this week, and ideas to keep. Don't act on any of it yet. Read me the do today group and tell me which one you'd start with and why. Here it is: [talk for a minute]
2. Calendar
Your Bot can read, add, change and delete events. New events go to your default calendar unless you name another one. Two things it can't do: change or delete repeating events, and invite anyone.
The week check:
Read my calendar from today through the next 7 days, across all my calendars. Don't change anything. Give me three short lists: events that overlap, days with no break longer than 30 minutes between 9 AM and 6 PM, and events that look like they need prep. For each overlap, suggest which event to move and why. If an event repeats, say so, because you can't change those. Wait for my OK before you touch anything.
Adding an event:
Add this to my calendar called [Personal]: [event name], [day], [start time] to [end time]. Check for overlaps first. If there is one, stop and show me. When it's saved, tell me the exact calendar, date and time you used.
3. Reminders
Your Bot can read, add, change, check off and delete reminders. New ones go to your default list unless you name one. This one is iPhone only.
Get it all out of your head:
I'm about to list everything I need to do. Turn each separate task into its own reminder in my list called [Errands]. Keep each title under 8 words. Only add a due date if I say one. Don't add anything I didn't say. When you're done, read back the titles and tell me how many you added. Here's the list: [talk or paste]
Clean up the mess you already have:
Read every open reminder across all my lists. Don't change anything yet. Sort them into overdue, due in the next 7 days, and no date. Point out duplicates and anything that looks finished. Then suggest what to check off, what to delete, and a due date for the ones with none. Wait until I say which ones to change, and only change those.
4. Apple Home
Your Bot can read your Apple Home accessories and change lights, fans, blinds, thermostats, locks, garage doors and security systems. This one is iPhone only too. Read the safety section before you allow it.
Start read only:
Read my Apple Home accessories and list them by room: lights, fans, blinds, thermostats, locks, garage doors and security systems. Show what each one is set to right now. Don't change anything.
Then the leaving-the-house check:
Turn off every light in my home except [Bedroom]. Close the blinds in [Living Room]. Set the thermostat to [68°F]. Don't touch any lock, garage door or security system. When you're done, list what you changed and anything that didn't respond.
5. Contacts, Location and Alarms
Three small ones with sharp edges. Contacts are read only and looked up by name. Location gives your Bot your current position, not an address or place name. Alarms ring once, and only within the next 24 hours.
Look up [full name] in my contacts and give me their number, email, address and birthday. Use only what's saved there. If more than one person matches, show me the matches and wait.
Get my current location. Find the 3 closest [pharmacies] that are open right now. For each one, give me the name, address, closing time and a Maps link. Check the hours on their own listing and say so if you can't confirm them.
Set a timer for 25 minutes and an alarm for 6:30 AM.
Your Bot can't list, change or cancel an alarm once it's set, so turn it off yourself in the Clock app. Alarms and timers also need a newer iOS than the app does. If you don't see Alarms under This iPhone in Connect apps, your iOS doesn't support it yet.
6. Send it anything from the share sheet
In almost any iPhone app, tap Share, pick Grok Bot, choose a chat and tap Attach. Photos, files, links and text all work. On Android, only text does.
Turn a screenshot into a calendar event:
This screenshot has an event in it. Pull out the name, date, start time, end time and place. If any of those aren't clear, ask me instead of guessing. Check my calendar for overlaps, then add it to my calendar called [Personal] and tell me exactly what you saved.
Read a bill you don't trust:
This is my bill. Go through it line by line and explain each charge in plain English. Flag anything that looks like a mistake or a new fee. Only use what you can actually read in the file, and tell me if part of it is unclear. Then write a short message I can send the company about the problems you found. Don't send it.
7. Phone calls
This is the one that made people stop scrolling. Your Bot shows a Phone call card, and nothing dials until you tap Call. It can wait on hold, get through phone menus and talk to whoever picks up. You get a live transcript, buttons to take over or end the call, and a summary after.
The best detail is what happens mid-call. One user had a Bot call their car insurance about a 14% renewal increase. The rep asked something the Bot didn't know, so a question card popped up in the chat, the user typed the answer, and the call kept going.
Creator Peter Yang showed a Bot taking a Comcast bill from $84 to $45 a month in about 25 minutes. It turned down three upsells, used a real cheaper offer as leverage, and stopped for approval before accepting. Treat that as a demo, not a promise. One user also reported a rep who refused to cancel once it was clear an AI was on the line.
For any call:
Call [company] at [US phone number]. I'm calling about [issue]. My name is [name]. You may share only this: [account number or details they'll need]. The goal is [exact outcome]. Wait on hold as long as it takes and get through the phone menu. If they ask something you don't know, ask me in this chat and wait for my answer. Don't agree to any new plan, contract, charge or cancellation without asking me first. When the call ends, send me who you spoke to, what they said, what changed, any reference number, and what I still need to do.
For lowering a bill:
Call [provider] at [US phone number] about my account, [account details]. I pay [current price] a month and I want it closer to [target price]. Ask what retention offers or discounts are available. The only competing offer you may mention is this real one: [offer and price]. Don't make up offers. Turn down add-ons and extras. If they offer a lower price, ask me in this chat with the new price, how long it lasts, what it renews at, and any new contract, and wait for my answer before you accept.
The rules matter here. Under the Grok Bot terms you're the caller of record. Only call people who agreed to hear from you. No marketing, no mass calling, no impersonation, no emergency services. Your Bot says it's a virtual assistant and warns that the call may be recorded, and you can't turn that off. Reports say it only works for US users calling US numbers for now, outside Washington and Illinois. xAI's docs don't cover calls yet, including how much usage they cost, so start with a short one.
8. Subscription cleanup
Grok Bot has templates for this. Find unused subscriptions cancels the plans you pick. Watch subscription priceschecks renewal prices. Try it, don't pay for it starts a free trial, then cancels it or reminds you before it bills. Bots confirm with you before changing anything.
For a full audit, connect Gmail first:
Search my connected Gmail for receipts, renewal notices and billing emails from the last 12 months. Build one table: service, price, how often it bills, last charge date, next renewal date if it's shown, and where to cancel. Don't guess whether I use something. Show me the table and wait. Cancel only the services I name, one at a time. If a cancellation needs a login, a code or a CAPTCHA, stop and tell me so I can take over. After each one, tell me the last day I keep access and any confirmation number.
And the trial you'll definitely forget:
I started a free trial of [service] today. It lasts [number] days. Add a reminder to my list called [Money], 2 days before it bills, titled Cancel [service] or keep it. Tell me the exact date you set.
9. Shopping that tracks itself
Products show up as cards with photos, rating, price and store. Buy now starts an order you approve, and after you order, the Bot tracks it and tells you when it ships or arrives. The Deal Watcher and Order Concierge templates track orders, refunds and returns, watch prices and coupons, and never buy without your OK.
Find [product] under [budget] that can reach [city] by [date]. Show me no more than 3 options as product cards with price, store, rating and delivery date. Use current listings and don't invent a rating. Tell me the main downside of each and which one you'd pick. Don't start an order.
10. Your card, your approval
Your Bot can pay for things without ever seeing your card number. Open Settings → Vault → New item → Card, choose Scan with camera, upload a photo or type it in, and tap Save card. Add a hint like "Use for work purchases" so it picks the right one. You can also connect Link, X Money or Shop Pay and choose your Default payment method.
Here's how approval really works. xAI's Vault docs say a saved card fills in at checkout without asking you each time. For a real OK on every payment, connect Link. Your Bot requests a one-time card for that one purchase, you see the merchant, the items and the total, and nothing is charged until you tap Pay. Link one-time cards are US and Canada only. Anywhere else, enter your card in the Secure Form at checkout and leave Securely save to Bot's vault unchecked, so it only works for that chat.
Find [product] under [budget] and take it to checkout. Before you pay, show me the store, the items, the shipping and the final total, and wait for my OK. Pay only with [Link one-time card]. If the total changes after I approve, stop and tell me.
11. Step in from anywhere
Open your Bot's computer from your iPhone to watch it work. Take over for a password, a two-factor code or a CAPTCHA, then tap I'm done and it carries on. When a Bot writes an email or Slack message, you can edit it right there and tap Send or Discard.
Go to [website] and [task]. When you reach a login, a code or a CAPTCHA, stop and tell me so I can open your computer and take over. Before you submit anything, show me what you're about to submit.
Find the latest email from [name] in my connected Gmail. Draft a reply under 80 words that [what you want to say]. Show it to me as a draft. Don't send it.
Make it run without you
Siri waits for you to ask. A routine doesn't. Get one job right, turn it into a skill, then put it on a schedule.
When a result is exactly what you wanted, say this in the same chat:
Save the process we just used as a skill called [Week Check]. Include each step, where you read the information from, the exact format of the result, and everything you must ask me before doing. Show me the skill before you save it.
One catch. Routines run in the cloud, and your Bot can only reach your iPhone's apps while Grok Bot is open on it. So for a job at 7 PM on Sunday, connect Google Calendar or Gmail instead of counting on Apple's apps.
In your Bot's profile, tap Add routine and finish the sentence "Set up a routine to":
send me a calendar check every Sunday at 7 PM in my time zone. Read my connected Google Calendar for the next 7 days. Send me one short message with any overlaps, the 3 events that need the most prep, and the day most likely to go wrong. Don't create, change or delete any events, and don't email anyone. If Google Calendar isn't connected or can't be read, say so and stop instead of guessing.
Every routine follows that pattern: when it runs, where it reads from, what you get back, what it must not do, and what happens if the source is missing.
From the same profile you can check the schedule, next run and run history, pause a routine with the Active toggle, or swipe to delete it. A new routine waits for its next scheduled time, and test runs need the desktop app.
5 jobs to hand over this week
Don't try to automate your whole life on day one. One job a day, using the prompts above.
1. The week check. See what clashes before it clashes.
1. The reminder dump. Press the Action Button and empty your head.
1. The screenshot to calendar. Do it the next time someone sends you a date.
1. The subscription audit. Find out what you're still paying for.
1. The purchase you keep delaying. Three options, one pick, nothing bought.
By the end of the week, your Bot knows how you work and you know how far you can trust it. If you're in the US, make job 6 the call you've avoided for months.
The limits nobody mentions
Most posts sell you the demo. This guide tells you to turn Siri off, so here's the fine print first. All of it comes from xAI's mobile docs, except calls, where xAI hasn't published details yet.
- iPhone apps only work while Grok Bot is open on your iPhone. If it isn't, your Bot asks you to open it and try again. Cloud work keeps going.
- iPhone apps only work in your own 1:1 chat with a Bot you own, inside the Grok Bot app. Not in groups, Slack or someone else's shared Bot.
- Messages isn't on the list. Your Bot can't use it, so texts are still on you.
- Calls are limited. Reports say US users calling US numbers only, outgoing only, with Washington and Illinois blocked. Check your app before you plan around it.
- Repeating calendar events are off limits. A Bot can't change or delete them, and it never invites anyone.
- Contacts are read only. It looks people up by name and sees only the contacts you shared.
- Alarms are basic. An alarm rings once, up to 24 hours ahead, and the Bot can't list, change or cancel it.
- Your desktop gets notified first. While you're using the desktop app, notifications go there. If the Bot needs you, your iPhone gets notified about 3 minutes later.
- Some things still need desktop. Teaching a Bot by showing it, testing a routine, and updating or recovering its computer.
And here's how iPhone compares with Android right now:
On Android, alarms and timers get passed to your Clock app.
Don't hand it the keys without reading this
You just gave one assistant your whole iPhone. If it can do this much, a mistake can cost more too. Three things decide how much.
Keep Auto Review on. It's on by default, in the Bot group of Settings. It checks each action and can stop to ask you first. Turn it off and your Bot uses your iPhone's apps without checking, locks and garage doors included, and your Custom Rules stop working too.
Add your own Custom Rules. Tap Custom Rules in the same group. Each rule is a "When Grok Bot wants to:" plus an "It should:" of Allow automatically or Ask first. If both match, Ask first wins. Start with these three, all set to Ask first:
- When Grok Bot wants to: unlock a door, open a garage door, or change a security system
- When Grok Bot wants to: delete a calendar event or a reminder
- When Grok Bot wants to: send an email or a message to anyone
When an approval card shows up, tap it to see the full request before you choose Allow once, Always allow or Deny. Save Always allow for things you'd never want to be asked about twice.
Then put the same boundary in plain words:
Save this as a standing rule for every chat with me: before you send a message, buy anything, cancel anything, delete anything, change a lock or garage door, or agree to anything on a call, show me exactly what you're about to do and wait for my OK. If you can't finish something, tell me where you stopped instead of guessing.
Don't treat any of this as a guarantee. xAI's terms say approval controls can miss actions, and tell you to review anything financial or sent to other people yourself.
Be careful with saved cards. This is the one to read twice. The Vault docs are clear: a card saved there fills in at checkout without asking you, and no setting requires approval for each use. An xAI changelog says you still approve every purchase, so go with the stricter one until they match.
Your Bot never sees the number. It can still spend with it.
To approve every payment yourself, use a Link one-time card or keep the card out of Vault, as shown in feature 10.
And never put account numbers or personal details in a public @bot reply.
Don't burn your weekly usage by Thursday
This is one of the loudest complaints on X right now. People say they run out days before their limit resets, and Elon himself said the cost of serving Grok Bot was unsustainably high relative to revenue.
Your iPhone and your desktop share the same weekly pool, and so do Grok and Cursor on the same subscription. It's measured by how much work your Bots do, not by how many messages you send. One vague request can cost more than ten sharp ones.
- Give small, specific jobs. "Read my next 7 days and list the overlaps" beats "organize my life."
- Use fewer Bots. Start with one. Add another only when a job keeps coming back.
- Keep routines rare. Weekly is plenty for most jobs. Every run costs usage, even when nothing changed.
- Set a spending cap before you turn on extra usage. At grok.com/dashboard/billing, leave Auto Top-up off or set a monthly limit.
- Check your usage on Sunday at grok.com/dashboard. If one Bot ate most of it, that's the one to fix.
Start with one press
You don't need 20 Bots or a perfect system. You need one app, one button and one job you've been avoiding.
Set up the Action Button tonight. Run the week check tomorrow morning. See what it catches.
Want a hand with the setup? Send this article to your Bot through the share sheet and say:
Read this guide and walk me through the iPhone setup one step at a time. Wait for me after each step. Don't allow, connect or change anything for me.
You used to open 12 apps to get one thing done. Now you press one button and approve the result.
Someone with the same iPhone as you already stopped sitting on hold.
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