Apple Picks Google Gemini to Power Siri

Apple Picks Google Gemini to Power Siri

In a joint announcement this January 2026, Apple and Google confirmed a multi-year partnership that makes Google Gemini the engine behind the next generation of Siri and Apple Intelligence.

For years, Apple has been criticized for Siri’s inability to keep up with the “wow factor” of ChatGPT or Google’s own Gemini. By choosing Google over competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic, Apple is signaling that it prioritizes reliable, multimodal infrastructure for its two billion active devices.

Here is a breakdown of what this means for your next iPhone update, why it’s happening now, and how much it’s costing the tech giants.

1. What This Means for Your Siri Upgrade

If you’ve been waiting for a Siri that actually understands you, the wait is almost over. According to industry reports, the first Gemini-powered Siri features are expected to launch this spring, likely as part of the iOS 26.4 update in March or April 2026.

New Features Coming This Spring:

• Natural Conversations: Siri will move away from rigid commands and behave more like a conversational companion.

• Proactive Personalization: Using Google’s Gemini models, Siri will better understand your “personal context”—such as finding flight details in your emails or summarizing a complex thread of messages without being asked.

• Emotional Intelligence: Reports suggest the revamped Siri will even be able to tell stories and provide a more “warm” conversational tone, moving away from its robotic roots.

• App-Awareness: Siri will be able to take actions across apps, such as pulling a recipe from the web and immediately creating a grocery list in your Notes.

2. The Billion-Dollar Price Tag

While neither company has officially confirmed the exact numbers, analysts estimate that Apple is paying Google roughly $1 billion per year for access to Gemini’s 1.2-trillion parameter models and cloud infrastructure.

This deal is a massive distribution win for Google, as its AI technology will now be embedded in every iPhone, iPad, and Mac worldwide. However, it also layers on top of their existing search deal—where Google previously paid Apple an estimated $20 billion+ annually to remain the default search engine on Safari.

3. Privacy: The “Apple Way” Remains

One major concern for users is whether Google will now have access to their private Siri requests. Apple has been firm: privacy remains the priority.

• Private Cloud Compute: Even though Google’s technology is being used, the data will be processed either on your device or through Apple’s own Private Cloud Compute infrastructure.

• Isolation: Apple maintains that user data is processed in a secure environment where it is inaccessible to anyone—including Google and Apple themselves.

• No Data Training: Your personal emails and messages will not be used to train Google’s foundational AI models.

4. The Antitrust Elephant in the Room

The partnership comes at a sensitive time for Google. Following a landmark ruling in late 2024, Judge Amit Mehta recently issued final remedies in December 2025 aimed at breaking Google’s search monopoly.

The court has banned Google from entering into exclusive default agreements. Interestingly, Apple’s new AI deal is reportedly not exclusive. This means Apple still has the freedom to work with other AI providers like OpenAI (which currently handles some ChatGPT-linked queries on iOS) or Anthropic in the future.

By using Google’s world-class AI models, Apple can stop playing catch-up and start delivering the “more personalized Siri” users have been promised for years. For Google, it’s a chance to prove its AI is the most capable foundation on the planet.

TechCity