❯ ByteDance ships the consumer Doubao phone assistant, debuting on Nubia’s NaviX Ultra on September 16

Consumer versionByteDance released the consumer version of its Doubao phone assistant on September 14, built on the Doubao app and integrated with phone makers at the system level. Compared with the technical preview from December 2025, the company is stressing stability and everyday usability. Nubia’s NaviX Ultra, the first device to carry it, is taking pre-orders and goes on sale on September 16, with pricing still unannounced.

Three capabilitiesInteraction supports voice and an AI key with multiple wake paths, and the AI key includes fingerprint authentication, so a verified user can issue commands from the lock screen. The local memory retrieval from the earlier preview can pull photos, messages and notes with authorization; task execution covers things like hailing a ride, with phone operation opening as a beta. ByteDance also introduced the SAEP screen-automation declaration protocol, with a 30-day comment period.

Rules for the entranceFor third-party app developers, the protocol grants a clear right to declare, but leaves the boundary of cross-app automation to each app; for phone makers, the assistant turns from a software feature into a product definition needing system permissions and a hardware key.

▪ SIGNALLetting each app declare its own consent solves compliance first, and leaves the experience ceiling for a later version.