Yandex explained on September 4 how Alice AI works when selected as Android’s default assistant. Users must choose it manually in system settings and can then invoke it with a system gesture over another app. The role does not provide unrestricted access to the phone: the microphone, camera, contacts and location each require separate user permission.
Android supplies screen context only after the user invokes the assistant over a particular app. According to Yandex, this may include the interface structure and visible text through AssistStructure, information prepared by the open app through AssistContent, and a screenshot. It describes the current screen state rather than providing a video stream, internal app data or continuous background observation.
The open app can restrict what is shared. A window using FLAG_SECURE, for example, prevents Android from passing a screenshot. Alice AI cannot independently read arbitrary screens, follow transitions between apps or obtain screen context in the background. If invoked from the lock screen, Android hides notifications before opening the assistant.
Rejecting additional permissions does not remove Alice AI as the default assistant: users can still submit text questions, while functions requiring phone resources remain unavailable. For location, users can grant approximate or precise coordinates. Since Android 11, background location access must be enabled separately on a dedicated settings screen, where the user selects the always-allow option.
Calling a contact involves two permissions: READ_CONTACTS finds the number, while CALL_PHONE starts an ordinary call. Direct emergency calling without confirmation requires CALL_PRIVILEGED, a system permission unavailable to regular third-party apps. Alice AI can instead open the phone app with the number prepared, leaving the user to confirm the call.
Control of other apps depends on supported integration channels, not default-assistant status. These may include standard Android intents, functions published by an app, a service API or an accessibility service that the user manually enables. Yandex says Alice AI uses its own integrations for Yandex Music and Yandex smart-home devices, while relying on Android intents to set timers and alarms.
Practical context: In practical terms, making Alice AI the default assistant provides a convenient invocation method and access to limited current-screen context, rather than universal control of the device. The commands it can perform remain bounded by permissions granted by the user, Android’s architecture and the integration options supported by the target app.
Sources
Event date: 2026-09-04. Primary source date: 2026-09-04.
