New Siri: How much Google is in Apple's new assistant?
Apple's AI department continues to struggle with departures and technical problems. For Siri, the iPhone maker seems to be relying on Google's help.
Google's Gemini App: Model also in Siri?
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Apple's future voice assistant Siri will rely, at least in part, on Google's AI system Gemini. This is reported by Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who is usually well-informed about Apple matters, in his Sunday Newsletter. The new version Apple is betting on will include an AI search, among other things, and will also behave more like the voice mode of a Large Language Model (LLM).
Google wins against Anthropic
Gurman had already spread Gemini rumors for Siri several times. This year, there was a “baking competition” between Google and Claude maker Anthropic, which ultimately decided that Google was the winner. Gemini is said to run as a “custom model” for Apple on its AI cloud servers. One of the reasons Google was chosen is said to be the existing multi-billion dollar contracts that secure Google as the default search engine on Apple devices.
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Apple receives at least 20 billion US dollars per year, which will likely remain the case for now due to a court ruling in a US antitrust case that is favorable to Google. Apparently, there are no plans to transparently disclose that Apple is using Google technology. Also, according to Gurman, Siri will not be “flooded with Google services and Gemini functions as on Android.” The partnership primarily means that Siri will finally be able to deliver modern AI functions without having to leave the familiar Apple interface.
New Siri only step-by-step
The situation regarding Apple intelligence remains tense in Cupertino. High-ranking employees are repeatedly leaving the team. Technically, Apple's models are still said to be unable to compete with Gemini, GPT-5, or Claude 4.5, which is why external help is being accepted. However, this differs from open collaborations, such as with OpenAI, whose ChatGPT is part of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS if desired. Google apparently plans interfaces for Gemini or Claude as well.
Apple still plans to expand Siri only step-by-step. Initially, a context-sensitive assistant function is planned for next spring, which can also handle apps and read screen content—even if there seem to be internal concerns about this. An “LLM-Siri” with the power of Gemini might then come later, unless Apple steps on the gas here. Recently, Apple had once again emphasized that it continues to invest heavily in AI and is open to acquisitions.
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