Apple’s long-promised AI overhaul of Siri is finally getting the fuel it needs—and it’s coming from an unlikely source. The iPhone maker confirmed it’s teaming up with Google to use Gemini models as the foundation for a smarter, more capable Siri arriving later this year. It’s a notable admission from Apple that its own AI tech wasn’t cutting it, and that catching up in the generative AI race means swallowing some pride and working with a longtime rival.“After careful evaluation, we determined that Google’s technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models,” Apple said in a joint statement with Google. The multi-year deal will see Gemini and Google’s cloud infrastructure power not just Siri, but future Apple Intelligence features across the board. Apple insists everything will still run on its devices and Private Cloud Compute servers, keeping its privacy promises intact.
The Siri upgrade that kept getting delayed
This partnership is essentially Apple’s plan B after its original Siri revamp hit multiple roadblocks. The company first teased an AI-powered assistant at WWDC 2024, promising features like understanding personal context and controlling apps through natural conversation. But by March 2025, Apple admitted the upgrade was taking longer than expected and pushed the launch to 2026.Behind the scenes, things got messy. Bloomberg reported that Apple’s AI chief John Giannandrea was sidelined from Siri development after the delays, with the project handed to software head Craig Federighi and Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell. The company even tested two separate versions internally—one using its own models and another running on outside tech. Ultimately, the external approach won out. The revamped Siri is now expected to debut with iOS 26.4 around March or April.
Google scores big as AI competition heats up
For Google, this is validation that its AI efforts are paying off. Alphabet’s stock jumped after the announcement, briefly pushing its market cap past $4 trillion and overtaking Apple as the world’s second-most valuable company. The search giant launched its Gemini 3 model in November, and CEO Sundar Pichai has been touting massive growth in Google Cloud, which signed more billion-dollar deals in Q3 2025 than the previous two years combined.Neither company disclosed financial terms, though earlier reports suggested Apple might shell out around $1 billion annually for the privilege.
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