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

It’s official. Apple has chosen to work with Google, a long-time partner, to power AI features like Siri.

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

The partnership confirms previous reports about a deal with Google. Neither Apple nor Google have confirmed the price, but previous reports indicate that Apple may pay Google about $1 billion for access to its artificial intelligence technology. The deal also comes after Apple spent some time testing the technology of competitors such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

The multi-year partnership will include Apple’s use of Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology for Apple’s future foundational 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 criticism after its efforts in the field of artificial intelligence, especially its assistant Siri, lagged behind competitors. That’s not to say Apple hasn’t been quietly building strong foundational models. The company will release the first versions of Apple Intelligence in 2024, which adds artificial intelligence to existing operating system functions such as image search and notification summarization. Apple has also focused on privacy with the introduction of artificial intelligence, with most processing done on-device or through tightly controlled infrastructure. Apple says it will maintain these privacy standards throughout its partnership with Google.

The company’s strategy has resulted in a subtle, sometimes invisible, and sometimes frowned upon form of AI — one that doesn’t have the same wow factor as ChatGPT or Gemini. It also stops short of offering the kind of Siri fix that many users have been waiting for.

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

Apple’s partnership with Google also comes as the search and ad tech giant faces several antitrust lawsuits, including one that has put its relationship with Apple front and center. In August 2024, a federal judge ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain its online search monopoly by paying companies like Apple to offer its search engine as the default search engine on its devices and web browsers. Between 2021 and 2022, Google paid Apple about $38 billion to secure default search placements.

In December 2025, Judge Amit Mehta issued final remedies in the case, which include barring Google from entering into virtual exclusive agreements like the one it had with Apple “unless the agreement is terminated more than one year after the date on which it was entered into.”