Apple has reportedly chosen Google Gemini to power the upgraded AI-powered Siri expected to launch in March/April next year.
The news comes from top insider Mark Gurman, who said, “Apple is betting heavily on the new Siri, which will lean on Google’s Gemini model and introduce features like AI-powered web search.”
Gurman added, “Apple is paying Google to create a custom Gemini-based model that can run on its private cloud servers and help power Siri. Apple held a bake-off this year between Anthropic and Google, ultimately determining that the former offered a better model but that Google made more sense financially (partly due to the tech giants’ preexisting search relationship).”
That’s incredibly exciting news for the future of Siri on iPhone, and while Gurman doesn’t believe either company will “ever discuss this partnership publicly,” or Siri will be flooded with Google services and Gemini features, it does mean ” Siri will be powered by a model that can actually provide the AI features that users expect — all with an Apple user interface.”
1. Gemini Live is best in class
AI voice assistants are everywhere these days, yet we’re still waiting for Apple to truly supercharge Siri with Apple Intelligence.
While OpenAI’s ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode is good, it falls short of Google’s Gemini Live, which I believe is the best AI-powered voice assistant on smartphones at the moment.
I like Gemini Live so much, in fact, that I’ve assigned the voice assistant to my iPhone Air‘s Action button, using it frequently instead of activating Siri on my device.
If Apple is looking to power Siri through an AI model from another tech giant, then Gemini Live is proof that Google is the perfect partner to do so.
Apple has a ready-made Siri replacement staring it in the face, and all it needs is some swanky branding and compliance with Apple’s strict privacy vision.
2. Gemini reads your email and calendar already
One of the best ways to use Gemini at the moment is by asking it questions based on your other Google services, such as Gmail and Google Calendar.
Adding Gemini into Siri would allow iPhone users to ask questions about these incredibly popular services, taking us one step closer towards the AI personal assistant everyone hopes for.
Considering the AI model is already able to tap into Google services, you’d expect it to be relatively easy for Apple and Google to offer similar abilities with Apple’s most popular apps, such as Mail, Notes, and Calendar.
When Apple revealed Apple Intelligence last year, Siri was able to listen to your requests and implement them across iOS. Gemini basically does that on Android already, so why not allow it to do the same on iPhone?
3. A smooth transition
The AI options available are endless, so having some parity between iPhone and Android would actually be a great thing for smartphone users.
Think about it, Gemini powers the AI in the best flagship Android devices like the Samsung S25 and the Google Pixel 10. But what if a similar experience was bundled into every iPhone, just with a little bit more Apple polish?
I’d love to use Gemini as my go-to AI assistant on my iPhone, and quite frankly, I already do. However, having it built into Siri would make it feel even more at home on iPhone, and best yet, for consumers, it means the switch to Android or vice versa, from an AI perspective, would be incredibly smooth.
4. It’s ready to go
I don’t know about you, but I’m bored of waiting for a new version of Siri that’s capable of what I want from a voice assistant.
Gemini works, and it’s already good to go, so adding implementation into Siri and powering Apple’s voice assistant with Google’s hard work would mean an intelligent Siri sooner rather than later.
Currently, I have no hope for an AI-powered Siri by the end of the year, and quite honestly, that’s a real disappointment, considering I bought the iPhone 16 Pro Max last year with the promise of “AI for the rest of us.”
If Apple opted to use Gemini, we could get the AI Siri we’ve wanted for what feels like an eternity very soon, and that’s only a good thing for Apple users who are getting impatient waiting for a voice assistant that knows what year it is.
5. There’s already a fruitful partnership
Google and Apple have been working together for a very long time, with Google Search as the default search engine on Safari.
And quite honestly, even though there’s still skepticism towards AI I think it’s easier to continue to use Google on a daily basis rather than opt for OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Currently ChatGPT is integrated into Siri, but using OpenAI’s chatbot requires you to send information through the company’s servers and it leads to an incredibly slow process which feels almost as bad as using Siri natively instead.
Considering how smooth the Google implementation in Apple products has been over the years, I think a Gemini-powered Siri would work flawlessly, and ultimately, lead to a much smarter Siri that’s finally powered by AI.
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john-anthony.disotto@futurenet.com (John-Anthony Disotto)
