Gemini to Power An Upgraded Siri as Google Strikes Major AI Deal With Apple
In Focus
- The latest deal enables Apple to fast-track Siri AI upgrade
- Powering Siri with Gemini expands Google’s AI model usage
- Apple Intelligence will continue to run on iPhones
Apple will use Google’s Gemini AI model to power an upgraded version of Siri, according to PCMag. Announcing the multi-year Apple-Google AI deal on January 12, 2025, the two companies said the next generation of Apple’s Foundation Model will run on Gemini models and cloud technology.
New Deal Will Accelerate Siri AI Upgrade
The Siri AI upgrade partnership will enable Apple to fast-track the launch of an advanced voice assistant. The release was delayed after the company first revealed it at the 2024 Worldwide Development Conference. The delay has raised concerns that the iPhone maker is lagging behind its peers in AI development.
“After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users,” The tech companies said in a joint statement.
The iPhone maker plans to keep Apple Intelligence running in its devices. The company will also maintain Private Cloud Compute, the cloud system that launched with iOS 18 to run Apple AI features and secure iPhone data.
Wall Street views news of the Apple, Google Gemini AI deal as a positive sign for the smartphone manufacturer. Apple is looking to leverage AI capabilities, including an upgraded Siri, to drive iPhone sales this year after dominating the global smartphone market in 2025.
A Major Win for Google
Reports of a possible collaboration between Apple and Google first emerged last year. For Google, the Gemini Siri partnership represents a big win as the company seeks to expand its AI model usage. Recently, the search giant added Gemini AI features to Gmail as it sought to leverage its huge customer base to stay ahead of AI labs like Anthropic and OpenAI.
Before settling for Gemini AI, Apple had considered powering Siri with Anthropic and OpenAI models. The iPhone maker had also unveiled a beta version of Apple Intelligence features with ChatGPT integration. It’s still unclear how the deal with Google will affect ChatGPT features on iPhones.
However, the latest partnership clearly places Gemini at the heart of Apple’s future AI strategy. The financial terms of the Apple-Google deal were not announced. However, a previous report by Bloomberg showed that Apple could pay $1 billion per year to Google to power Siri with Gemini AI.
Revamped Siri Set to Launch in 2026
Apple hasn’t redesigned Siri yet, but has improved its performance through subsequent iOS updates. Last year, CEO Tim Cook said the tech giant was “making good progress” and announced plans to launch an upgraded product this year.
iPhone users will likely experience a Gemini-powered Siri in March or April 2026 when it arrives with the iOS 26.4 update. Google and Apple shares rose marginally on January 12, 2025. The less than 1% rise pushed Google’s market valuation past the $4 trillion market for the first time.
