Apple turns to Google’s Gemini to help upgrade Siri and expand AI features on iPhone

Apple said it is partnering with Google to bring more artificial intelligence capabilities to the iPhone and to help complete long-promised upgrades to Siri, marking a major strategic shift as Apple tries to catch up in the AI race. The companies disclosed in a joint statement that Apple will tap Google’s Gemini technology as part of a suite of features it is branding as “Apple Intelligence.”

The move underscores Apple’s challenge in turning AI ambitions into shipping products. While Apple previewed a wave of AI features tied to a highly promoted software push, the Associated Press noted that many capabilities remain in development, and a much-anticipated overhaul of Siri—meant to make the assistant more conversational and capable—has been delayed into 2026.

For Google, the deal is a high-profile validation of Gemini’s momentum and a competitive boost as it jostles with OpenAI and other AI leaders. The AP report described the partnership as a win that also reinforces how AI is changing the market’s balance among the biggest tech companies and their platforms.

The collaboration also sits alongside Apple and Google’s existing economic ties. Even as regulators continue to scrutinize Big Tech relationships, Apple and Google have maintained a lucrative search arrangement that makes Google the default engine on many Apple devices, an agreement that has long been one of the most financially significant partnerships in Silicon Valley.

For iPhone users, the practical test will be whether Apple can turn the partnership into meaningful improvements that work reliably on-device and across apps. With competitors already embedding advanced AI across phones and services, Apple is betting that integrating Google’s AI can accelerate delivery without surrendering its own product identity.