Apple is reportedly preparing to launch a major upgrade to Siri, powered by Google’s Gemini large language model, marking a surprising collaboration between two long-time rivals.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the next version of Siri will “lean on Google’s Gemini model” for several AI-driven tasks, including advanced web search and conversational responses. This move comes after months of speculation that Apple was negotiating with OpenAI and Anthropic to license ChatGPT or Claude. However, those talks appear to have fallen through, with Google ultimately securing the deal.
Apple plans to debut the upgraded Siri with iOS 26.4 in March 2026, introducing a wave of generative AI features designed to make the assistant far more capable and natural to interact with. While this partnership is expected to bring a big leap in functionality, it has also raised eyebrows internally, as some Apple employees are reportedly concerned about user trust given Google’s history with data collection and advertising.
To address those privacy concerns, Apple is reportedly paying Google to develop a custom Gemini version that will run exclusively on Apple’s servers, not Google’s. This means that Siri’s AI interactions will still fall under Apple’s strict privacy rules, keeping user data within Apple’s ecosystem and away from third-party advertisers.
The collaboration is said to be limited solely to the Gemini model. Apple has no plans to integrate other Google apps or services into iOS, so Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Photos will not become default apps on iPhones. Apple’s focus remains on maintaining its own tightly controlled environment, even while adopting select external AI technologies to strengthen its devices.
Earlier this year, Apple reportedly tested Anthropic’s Claude model internally, with promising results. However, negotiations reportedly broke down after Anthropic demanded a multi-billion-dollar licensing deal. OpenAI’s ChatGPT was also considered but was eventually set aside.
Engineers working on Siri’s overhaul initially aimed for a 2025 release, but the update was delayed due to challenges in modernizing Siri’s legacy code to support new large language model features.
Alongside the new Siri, Apple is rumored to be preparing to unveil a smart display next March, though details remain limited. The company is also expected to showcase iOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and other next-generation software at WWDC 2026 a few months later.
Apple’s partnership with Google on Gemini marks one of the most unexpected collaborations in recent tech history, signaling how even fierce competitors are now aligning to advance generative AI. Whether users will embrace a Siri partly powered by Google remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Apple’s AI ambitions are accelerating fast.
source: techspot
