Apple is relying on Google Gemini for the new Siri and Apple Intelligence

Apple has made a major shift in its artificial intelligence strategy by relying on Google Gemini for the next big evolution of Siri and its Apple Intelligence platformThe move, which just a few years ago would have been almost unthinkable due to the rivalry between the two companies, This has materialized in an agreement that both parties define as multi-year and strategic..

The collaboration comes after months of rumors and leaks and suggests that the next generation of Apple Foundation ModelsThe technical foundation of Apple Intelligence will rely on Gemini's language models and Google's cloud infrastructure. In return, Apple will maintain control of the experience, of the ecosystem. and, above all, from user data through local execution and its Private Cloud Compute system.

A multi-year agreement that changes Gemini's role in the Apple ecosystem

Google has been the first to put the agreement in writing: in a public statement, the company asserts that, After careful evaluation, Apple concluded that Google's AI technology It offers the most capable foundation for its Apple Foundation Models. Future Apple Intelligence features will be built upon this foundation, including a new, more personalized version of Siri expected later this year.

In practice, this means that Gemini will go from being just another Google service to becoming the hidden engine Much of the artificial intelligence that iPhone, iPad, and Mac users will see in the coming years will come from Google. Apple will not only use Google's language models but also its cloud computing technology to enhance tasks that cannot be fully handled on the device.

The two companies are talking about a multi-year contractwithout specifying its exact duration or financial terms. Previous reports from media outlets such as Bloomberg indicated that Apple reportedly considered paying around $1.000 billion annually for the use of a customized Gemini.a figure that neither party has officially confirmed.

The announcement solidifies an already intense relationship: until now, the major agreement between the two companies was the one that keeps Google Search as the default search engine on Apple devices, a multi-million dollar agreement that has been under scrutiny by competition authorities in both the United States and Europe.

Siri, Apple Intelligence, and the delay in the AI ​​race

The decision to embrace Gemini comes after a complicated period for Apple in terms of Generative AI and voice assistantsWhile competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft were launching models and features at high speed, Siri showed its limitations: limited understanding, difficulty following context, and an inconsistent experience compared to assistants powered by newer models.

Apple's big attempt to catch up was unveiled at WWDC 2024, when the company first showed Apple Intelligence as their unified answer to generative AI. The promise was ambitious: A Siri capable of understanding the user's personal context, "seeing" what's on the screen, linking actions between apps, and working directly with emails, messages, files, or photos without the user having to jump from application to application.

However, problems arose when the transition from words to action was complete. Although Apple rolled out some components of Apple Intelligence, such as image and emoji generators (Image Playground and Genmoji), visual analysis tools (Visual Intelligence), and various writing features, The most advanced capabilities of the new Siri were delayedAt the end of 2024, the company was still talking about its arrival "in the coming months," without giving too many details.

In 2025 the discourse changed its tone. Apple publicly admitted that certain functions would require more time And he began talking about a “more personalized” Siri with a more flexible rollout schedule. Even He acknowledged that he had a “version 1”“ of the new Siri ready for a release between December 2024 and spring 2025, but He preferred to halt it, considering that it did not meet his quality standards..

Internal tensions and leadership changes in Apple's AI

The technological bottleneck wasn't limited to the product itself. Internally, The AI ​​strategy and Siri itself triggered shifts in Apple's organizational chartStarting in March 2025, the company decided to remove Siri from the area led by John Giannandrea, the veteran head of machine learning and AI, and hand it over to Mike Rockwell, known for his role in the development of Vision Pro, and have it report directly to Craig Federighi, the chief software officer.

The implicit message was clear: Apple wanted the software division regain direct control over the assistant This comes at a time of delays, competitive pressure, and internal tensions. Months later, Apple itself confirmed that Giannandrea would leave his position, spend some time as an advisor, and retire permanently in the spring of 2026. Amar Subramanya would take over as the new vice president of AI, also under Federighi's leadership.

Throughout this period, Apple increased its investment in artificial intelligence, combining its own projects with third-party licenses. Tim Cook even explained that they had reassigned a significant number of employees to focus on Apple Intelligence And he was open to acquisitions that would accelerate the roadmap: "We are open to mergers and acquisitions that will help us move faster," he stated.

In parallel, Apple had already used OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into certain complex functions of Apple IntelligenceWhen the system detected that a request exceeded the capacity of its internal models, it offered to use ChatGPT. prior authorization from the userNow, with Gemini at the center of the agreement, the future role of that integration with OpenAI remains up in the air.

How Gemini will be integrated into Apple Intelligence and the new Siri

One of the key points of the agreement is that, despite relying on Google's models, Apple will continue to run much of Apple Intelligence directly on devices.This is especially true for newer models like the iPhone 15 Pro and its successors. This choice reflects both performance considerations and the company's commitment to maintaining control over privacy.

When tasks require more power or context, Apple will use its infrastructure Private Cloud Computea private cloud system that, according to the company, It encrypts the data and prevents it from being used to train general models.In this scenario, Gemini will act as a calculation “engine”.But within the security framework defined by Apple, which ensures that will not cede control of its users' information to Google.

For the end user, the most visible aspect of this change will be the new Siri. With support for the Gemini models, the assistant should Gain in natural language comprehension, reasoning ability, and context managementThe roadmap announced by Apple includes, among other things:

• Deeper personal context: ability to use messages, emails, photos, notes and calendar events to respond to complex requests, such as locating a recipe sent by a contact weeks ago or finding a file we only vaguely remember.
• Screen recognitionSiri will be able to "see" the displayed content and act accordingly, for example, detecting an address in an image to add it to a contact or use it in a maps app.
• Chained actions between apps: the ability to move files between applications, edit a photo in a specific app and then send it via messaging, or automate tasks that today would require several manual steps.

Apple is planning the launch of this enhanced Siri in its roadmap for this yearRumors suggest it will arrive via an iOS update in the coming months. The rollout could be phased, and a more comprehensive presentation at the next WWDC, the company's usual platform for major software announcements, is also possible.

Economic impact and positioning of Apple and Google

The pact implies a important support for Google in the battle to lead in generative artificial intelligence. With Gemini already deployed in Android, Chrome, and other proprietary services, becoming the AI ​​layer that supports Apple Intelligence further strengthens its position as a central piece of the global AI infrastructure.

Analysts such as Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities have interpreted the announcement as a validation of Google's strategy And, at the same time, it provided the boost Apple needed to clarify an AI roadmap that many investors considered too vague. The initial stock market reaction was subdued, with gains of less than 2% for both Alphabet and Apple, but enough for Google to approach a market capitalization of $4 trillion in intraday trading.

For Apple, the deal comes in a context where The company is looking to revive iPhone sales growth After several periods of slowdown, Apple's advanced intelligence capabilities, and in particular the new Siri, are seen internally as a key selling point to drive device upgrades in the coming cycles.

On the financial front, the exact figures of the agreement remain unknown. Bloomberg reported that Apple had considered paying around $1.000 billion annually for the use of Gemini in Siri and other models, although, again, these are unconfirmed estimates. In any case, the move fits with Apple's strategy of license technology when you consider it more efficient that you develop it entirely at home.

Privacy, data control, and concerns about a potential AI monopoly

One of the most sensitive elements of the agreement, especially in Europe, is the balance between the use of Google models and the protection of personal dataApple has insisted that its privacy standards will not be lowered: Apple Intelligence will continue to operate on the device itself whenever possible, and when it uses the cloud, it will do so through its Private Cloud Compute, with encryption and without sharing identifiable information with Google.

Even so, the alliance has sparked concern in parts of the industry, which see how Google strengthens its control over several layers of the technology stackFrom Android and Chrome to search services, Google Cloud, Vertex AI, and now Gemini's central role in Apple's AI, the risk for some players is that access to competitive models will become concentrated in very few hands, hindering the entry of European or smaller alternatives.

Figures like Elon Musk have used the announcement to criticize what they consider an excessive concentration of power At Google, it's worth noting that the company already dominates the browser market, much of the mobile ecosystem, and a significant portion of the cloud-based AI infrastructure. Other voices in the industry point out that when a single vendor ends up controlling so many layers, it becomes more difficult for truly independent solutions to emerge.

In the European context, this type of move does not go unnoticed. The European Commission has already placed the historic agreement it maintains under scrutiny. to make Google the default search engine on Apple devicesAnd it is expected that the new AI alliance will also be analyzed in light of competition law and the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA). For now, neither Apple nor Google has specified how they will adapt the implementation details to the EU's specific requirements.

Consequences for OpenAI and other AI competitors

Another of the major potential victims of the pact is OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, which until now played a prominent role in Apple Intelligence as an external option when user requests demanded advanced capabilities. With Gemini at the heart of this new phase, Many analysts assume that ChatGPT's weight in the Apple ecosystem will decrease..

Some reports indicate that Apple may have also considered similar agreements with OpenAI, Anthropic or Perplexity before definitively opting for Google. From a business perspective, the choice This strengthens Gemini's position against ChatGPT on mobile., precisely at a time when the battle for operating system integrations is key to retaining users.

For OpenAI, losing prominence within Apple represents more than just a symbolic blow: native presence on iOS It is a decisive factor in consolidating usage habits among hundreds of millions of users worldwide. Although Apple may maintain ChatGPT connection options for certain cases use, the heart of Apple Intelligence will now beat to the rhythm of Gemini.

Apart from OpenAI, Other model developers such as Anthropic or local European players also come into play that try to build competitive alternatives. The alliance between Apple and Google This complicates the outlook for those who aspired to occupy that space within the large mobile ecosystems., at least in the short term.

Meanwhile, from the financial markets The agreement is considered a “win-win”Apple is gaining time and capabilities to avoid falling behind, while Google is strengthening its Gemini adoption strategy against its rivals. The question now lies with users and regulators, who must decide whether a reasonable balance between innovation, competition, and privacy remains.

The joint move by Apple and Google positions Gemini at the heart of the new Siri and Apple IntelligenceThis reshapes the competitive landscape of AI and opens a new phase in which the success of the strategy will be measured on a daily basis: in how Siri responds to the most complex requests, in whether the promised privacy lives up to expectations, and in the extent to which regulators, especially in Europe, consider Google's growing influence in the AI ​​infrastructure to be acceptable or require setting new limits.

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Alberto Navarro

I am a technology enthusiast who has turned his "geek" interests into a profession. I have spent more than 10 years of my life using cutting-edge technology and tinkering with all kinds of programs out of pure curiosity. Now I have specialized in computer technology and video games. This is because for more than 5 years I have been writing for various websites on technology and video games, creating articles that seek to give you the information you need in a language that is understandable to everyone.

If you have any questions, my knowledge ranges from everything related to the Windows operating system as well as Android for mobile phones. And my commitment is to you, I am always willing to spend a few minutes and help you resolve any questions you may have in this internet world.