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Grok Bot 6 min readUpdated 20 Oct 2026

How to put Grok Bot on your iPhone Action Button (and fix "Grok Bot not showing")

Set Grok Bot's Start Voice Chat on your iPhone Action Button, fix "Grok Bot not showing", and use Back Tap or Siri on older iPhones.

You can now set the iPhone Action Button to start a voice chat with Grok Bot. The official Grok Bot account (@bot) announced it on Oct 19, 2026. You pick Grok Bot's Start Voice Chat action under Settings → Action Button → Shortcut. If only the main Grok app shows up, update the separate Grok Bot app and open it once. If your iPhone has no Action Button, there are two fallbacks: Back Tap or Siri.

What you need

  • An iPhone with an Action Button. Apple's Shortcuts guide says the Action button is on supported models, iPhone 15 Pro or later. @supbrice reported the same requirement.
  • The Grok Bot app, not just the Grok app. These are two separate apps. xAI's Grok Bot for Mobile page lists iOS 18 or later and an eligible plan. @grok said the Action Button option appears once the Grok Bot app is updated to version 1.16.
  • A plan that includes Grok Bot. See Grok Bot usage limits for which plans include it and how voice chats draw from your weekly pool.

How to set up the Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro or later)

These steps combine Apple's generic Action Button steps with the Grok Bot steps reported by @cb_doge, @Texas_Twins_Dad and @grok.

  1. Update Grok Bot. In the App Store, update the Grok Bot app (not the main Grok app) to version 1.16 or later, as @grok reported.
  2. Open Grok Bot once. @grok reported that you need to open the updated app before the action shows up in Settings.
  3. Open Settings → Action Button. Apple says you'll see an image of the side of the iPhone with icons for the actions you can assign.
  4. Swipe to Shortcut. Apple's Action Button page says Shortcut can "open an app or run your favorite shortcut".
  5. Tap Choose a Shortcut. Apple notes that for Shortcut you have to pick a specific option. Otherwise the button does nothing.
  6. Search "Grok Bot" and pick Start Voice Chat. This is the step @cb_doge and @grok reported. Make sure it's listed under Grok Bot, not Grok.
  7. Press and hold the Action Button. Apple says you press and hold to run the assigned action. @cb_doge reported that this starts a voice chat with your Bot.

xAI's docs don't say which Bot answers when you press the button, and none of these sources say whether you can choose one.

Troubleshooting: "Grok Bot not showing"

On X, several people reported seeing only "Grok" in the Shortcut list, with no Grok Bot entry. That includes @BacklashRC on an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Here's what the sources suggest, in order:

  1. Check you're updating the right app. @grok reported that the fix is to update the separate Grok Bot app to 1.16, not the main Grok app. If you don't have the Grok Bot app installed at all, Grok Bot won't appear in the list.
  2. Open Grok Bot once after updating. @grok reported that Start Voice Chat only appears after the update, and said to open the app once before you go back to Settings. @Soderqu6 reported the problem went away after updating.
  3. Search, don't scroll. In Choose a Shortcut, type "Grok Bot" into search, as @cb_doge reported.
  4. Fall back to Open App. If the voice action still doesn't appear, @supbrice reported a fallback: Shortcut → Open App → Grok Bot. This opens the app rather than starting a call. You then start the call yourself. xAI's mobile docs say to choose Start voice chat when the message box is empty.
  5. Check your model. No Action Button option in Settings at all usually means the phone doesn't have one. Apple lists the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro or later. Use Back Tap or Siri below instead.

No Action Button? Use Back Tap

@Texas_Twins_Dad reported a route for iPhone 14 Pro and older that uses Apple's Back Tap:

  1. In the Shortcuts app, tap +, add the Open App action, choose Grok Bot, and save.
  2. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap.
  3. Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.
  4. Under Shortcuts, pick the shortcut you just made. Then tap Back Tap to apply it, as Apple's Back Tap page describes.
  5. Double-tap (or triple-tap) the back of your phone.

This opens Grok Bot rather than starting a voice chat directly. None of the sources say whether Start Voice Chat can be picked straight from the Back Tap list.

Use Siri instead

@vatsaishere reported saying "Hey Siri, ask Grok Bot" to go straight into Grok Bot voice mode, and said setup took under a minute. They didn't post the exact setup steps. Apple's Shortcuts guide says you can ask Siri to run any shortcut in your collection by saying its name. In our view, a shortcut you name yourself (for example, one that opens Grok Bot) is the most predictable Siri route, but xAI hasn't documented a Siri command for Grok Bot.

FAQ

Does the Action Button work with the main Grok app or with Grok Bot? This guide covers Grok Bot, the separate app. @grok reported that the Start Voice Chat option comes from the Grok Bot app at version 1.16.

Which iPhones have an Action Button? Apple's Shortcuts guide says iPhone 15 Pro or later.

Why do I only see "Grok" and not "Grok Bot"? Most likely the Grok Bot app isn't installed, isn't updated, or hasn't been opened since the update, based on what @grok reported. See the troubleshooting steps above.

Can I use this on an older iPhone? Not with the Action Button. @Texas_Twins_Dad reported a Back Tap route that opens the app, and @vatsaishere reported a Siri route.

Does a voice chat use my Grok Bot allowance? xAI's docs say Grok Bot usage draws from your seat's shared weekly pool, but they don't say how much a voice chat costs. See Grok Bot usage limits.

Is this in xAI's docs? As of Oct 20, 2026, xAI's Grok Bot for Mobile page covers starting a voice chat inside the app but doesn't mention the Action Button.

Related guides

Sources

All checked Oct 20, 2026.