Google’s Gemini will power Apple’s AI features like Siri

It’s official. Apple chose to work with Google, a longtime partner, to boost AI features like Siri.

“After careful evaluation, we’ve decided that Google’s technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation models, and we’re excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users,” Apple and Google said in a statement.

The partnership confirms earlier reports of a deal with Google. Neither Apple nor Google have confirmed the price, but previous reports suggest that Apple could pay Google around $1 billion for access to its AI technology. The deal also comes after Apple has spent considerable time testing the technology of competitors such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

The multi-year partnership will see Apple use Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology for future Apple flagship models. The deal is not exclusive, according to a source familiar with the matter. Apple has historically focused on vertical integration, relying on its own hardware and software.

The iPhone maker has faced a fair amount of public chatter criticizing it after its AI efforts, particularly its Siri assistant, lag behind competitors. That’s not to say Apple isn’t quietly building strong foundational models. The company released the first versions of Apple Intelligence in 2024, which adds artificial intelligence to the operating system’s existing features, such as photo search and notification summarization. Apple has also focused on privacy with its AI rollout, with much of the processing taking place on the device or through tightly controlled infrastructure. Apple says it will maintain these privacy standards throughout its partnership with Google.

The company’s strategy resulted in a subtle, sometimes invisible, he resented it at times AI format — one that doesn’t have the same wow factor as ChatGPT or Gemini. It also doesn’t provide the kind of Siri overhaul that many users have been waiting for.

Apple has delayed the release of its “more personalized Siri voice assistant” several times, but a spokesperson told TechCrunch that an upgrade is coming this year. Previous reports suggest that the revamped Siri is expected to launch in the spring.

Apple’s partnership with Google also comes as the search and ad tech giant is in the midst of multiple antitrust lawsuits, including one that puts its relationship with Apple under the spotlight. In August 2024, a federal judge ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain its monopoly on online search by paying companies like Apple to present its search engine as the default on its devices and web browsers. Between 2021 and 2022, Google paid Apple approximately $38 billion to secure default search placements.

In December 2025, Justice Amit Mehta issued the final orders in his order for the case, which includes barring Google from entering into exclusive, default agreements like the one it had with Apple “unless the agreement expires no later than one year after the date of its conclusion.”