Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company’s long-awaited upgraded Siri will be coming in 2026. However, we expressed our skepticism. Looking at the state of Apple Intelligence, we can’t say we have a lot of confidence in the company’s ability to pull it off. However, our fears may be put to rest. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the journalist has revealed that the new Siri could be powered by Google Gemini.
A little helping hand from Google
In the newsletter’s FAQ section, Gurman spoke more about the new Siri model and how Google Gemini will power it. According to Gurman, Apple has hired Google to create a custom Gemini-based model that will run on Apple’s own private cloud servers. This version of Google Gemini will help to power the new Siri model.
Apple had previously held a “bake-off” between Anthropic and Google. It seems that while Apple preferred Anthropic’s model, the company’s pre-existing relationship with Google made more sense. That being said, there are a couple of things that we should take note of.
While Apple will use a Google Gemini-based model for its new Siri, it won’t actually be Gemini. This means that if you downloaded the Gemini app on your iPhone, or if you’ve used it on the web or Android, the version Apple will use won’t be 100% the same. Its capabilities might be the same, since it is based on Gemini, but ultimately it will still be Siri at the end of the day.
This is actually good news
If Gurman’s report is accurate, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Like we said, Apple Intelligence is horrible to use and even calling it basic is an overstatement. In this regard, it’s good to see that Apple is quietly acknowledging that it cannot do everything itself.
Apple has already teamed up with OpenAI for more complex and advanced Apple Intelligence tasks. There have been rumors that Apple could offer Gemini as one of the model options for Apple Intelligence. We’re not sure if that will still happen, but maybe Siri powered by Gemini makes more sense.
In any case, take it with a grain of salt. 2026 is shaping up to be a massive year for Apple. If the company’s plans are on track, we should learn more about this upgraded version of Siri at WWDC 2026.
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