Apple nears $1 billion deal with Google, Gemini AI may soon power next-gen Siri

Apple is reportedly close to finalise its landmark agreement with Google-parent Alphabet. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is said to pay $1 billion annually to Google in order to access its 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini AI model.

The deal in works would support Apple’s long-awaited Siri overhaul, marking a major shift in the company’s approach to artificial intelligence. The report suggests that the partnership is still in final stages and would enable Apple to integrate Google’s AI technology into Siri’s backend. This integration is said to improve the ability of Siri to understand context, synthesize information, and execute complex tasks.

Internally code-named by Linwood, the revamped Siri is said to debut with iOS 26.4 update next spring.

A strategic pivot toward external AI power

As per the Bloomberg report, Apple evaluated manu third-party AI models including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude before finalising on Google’s Gemini. This move by Apple is seen as a temporary solution as the company is working on developing its own 1 trillion parameter cloud-based model, which is expected to be ready by late 2026.

The report also adds that the Gemini model will mainly handle Siri’s summarizer and planner functions, while other features will continue to rely on Apple’s in-house AI systems. The model will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, ensuring user data remains isolated from Google’s infrastructure.Unlike Apple’s public-facing Safari search deal with Google, this AI partnership is expected to remain behind the scenes.

Apple will treat Google as a technology supplier, not a co-branded partner. The deal is also separate from earlier discussions about integrating Gemini directly into Siri as a chatbot, which never materialized.The effort to rebuild Siri is being led by Mike Rockwell, creator of the Vision Pro headset, and Craig Federighi, Apple’s software engineering chief. Internally, the initiative is known as Glenwood.

A make-or-break moment for Siri

The integration of Gemini is part of what’s being described as one of the biggest overhauls in Siri’s history. Apple aims to transform Siri from a basic voice assistant into a more intelligent, context-aware system capable of handling complex queries and tasks. However, Gurman cautions that the success of the new Siri is far from guaranteed. “There’s no guarantee users will embrace it, that it will work seamlessly, or that it can undo years of damage to the Siri brand,” he wrote

Apple Intelligence: A broader vision

The Siri upgrade is just one component of Apple’s broader Apple Intelligence platform, which aims to embed AI more deeply across its ecosystem. The company is expected to showcase these features through new hardware launches, including a smart display with speaker and wall-mount options, designed to highlight Siri’s enhanced capabilities. Apple’s decision to collaborate with Google also reflects the growing complexity and cost of developing frontier AI models, prompting even the largest tech firms to consider partnerships over going it alone.