Apple is reportedly nearing a final agreement to integrate a custom version of Google’s Gemini model into the more capable version of Siri, which is set to debut in 2026. This partnership will see Apple pay Google an estimated $1 billion annually for the technology, according to a report from Bloomberg.
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The revamped Siri, a key component of the forthcoming Apple Intelligence suite, will utilize a hybrid approach. While some functions will rely on Apple’s homegrown on-device models, a version of Gemini will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers.
Gemini’s primary responsibilities will include the assistant’s “summarizer and planner functions.” These critical tasks will allow Siri to synthesize information and execute complex, multi-step user requests—a core feature of Apple’s pitch for the updated assistant, which includes using apps on the user’s behalf.
The annual payment of $1 billion, while substantial, is significantly less than the fees Google currently pays Apple to maintain Google Search as the default search engine on Apple devices.
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Despite this deep integration, the partnership is unlikely to be publicly advertised by Apple. The company reportedly intends to use Google’s model as an interim solution until its own, more powerful internal technology is ready. Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on a one trillion-parameter cloud-based model that it hopes to deploy for consumer applications as early as next year, eventually replacing Gemini.
The need for Google’s substantial help reportedly intensified after Apple delayed the release of the updated Siri by a year, pushing the original target from 2025 to 2026. The company had previously explored deals with both Anthropic and OpenAI before settling on Google, which was asked to create a version of Gemini capable of running securely on Apple’s specialized servers.
