News

Apple and Google Gemini

• By John K. Waters
• 01/15/2026

Apple and Google said on Monday they have struck a multiyear partnership that will put Google's Gemini models and cloud technology at the core of the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, a move that could help Apple accelerate long-promised upgrades to Siri while handing Google a high-profile distribution win on the iPhone.

Under the agreement, "the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the companies said in a joint statement. They said the models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including "a more personalized Siri" that is due this year.

Apple framed the deal as a technology choice rather than a retreat from its own artificial intelligence ambitions. "After careful evaluation," Apple concluded Google's AI offered "the most capable foundation" for Apple Foundation Models, the companies said. They added that Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and through Apple's Private Cloud Compute, while "maintaining Apple's industry-leading privacy standards."

The partnership follows months of scrutiny over Apple's progress in generative AI as rivals poured billions into chips, data centers, and frontier model development, and as smartphone competitors marketed AI-first devices. Apple has pitched Apple Intelligence as an on-device system complemented by a tightly controlled cloud option, but key upgrades, especially to Siri, have taken longer than the company initially suggested.

The non-exclusive structure leaves Apple room to keep multiple model providers in play. Apple already works with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT with Siri and Apple Intelligence, giving users the option to route more complex requests to ChatGPT.

Analysts and legal experts said the new tie-up could raise familiar questions about the Apple-Google relationship, which has long blended rivalry and cooperation, most notably through Google's default search placement on Apple devices.

Morningstar analyst William Kerwin told The Verge that the joint statement's emphasis on Private Cloud Compute suggests the arrangement will look, from a privacy perspective, similar to Apple's existing model handoffs, with Apple likely seeking permission before sharing data directly with Google. Morningstar analysts said the agreement could help Apple's privacy reputation "remain intact," because Apple would use Gemini instances on its own servers and in its own data centers via Private Cloud Compute, The Verge reported.

Uncertainty remains about how the technology will be integrated. It's not yet clear whether Apple will effectively "white-label" Gemini models and build on them with its own AI teams, or whether Google and Apple will work more closely on a combined implementation to deliver the updated Siri.

Any arrangement that channels large volumes of user queries or data could draw regulatory interest, legal experts cautioned, particularly given the antitrust spotlight already trained on Google's role as a default provider.

For Apple, the announcement is an attempt to convert years of AI positioning into consumer-ready features. Apple previewed Apple Intelligence in 2024 with features like notification summaries and writing tools, but some capabilities arrived later than expected and encountered errors. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last June included little mention of Siri, apart from Apple executive Craig Federighi acknowledging that improvements needed more time to meet the company's quality bar, with Apple expecting to share more "in the coming year."

For Google, the partnership is a marquee endorsement of its AI model lineup at a moment when model branding and distribution are becoming as important as technical performance. One news report described Apple Intelligence, "powered by Gemini," as a "major validation moment for Google."

The market backdrop underlined the stakes. The New York Times reported that Alphabet shares closed Monday just under $332, putting the company among a small group of publicly traded firms valued at more than $4 trillion. Another report said Alphabet briefly crossed the $4 trillion mark intraday before pulling back, and noted that Google's stock has risen sharply since a judge's remedy decision in its search case.

The agreement's financial terms were not disclosed.

One analyst said the deal is "good news for Google, so-so news for Apple, and bad news for OpenAI," arguing that Apple's choice reinforces perceptions that Google has narrowed or surpassed rivals in model capability while threatening OpenAI's built-in distribution through iPhones. Hamza Mudassir, who runs an AI agent startup and teaches at the University of Cambridge's Judge School of Business, suggested Apple's decision likely reflects more than raw model performance, including Apple's limits on partner training data and the value of a partner that controls its own cloud.

Even with Google now at the center of Apple's next-generation foundation models, Apple and Google both signaled continuity with Apple's privacy posture. In their statement, the companies said Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and via Private Cloud Compute.

In practice, the user experience may determine whether Apple can turn the partnership into a competitive reset. Siri is one of the most visible interfaces for consumer AI, and Apple's promise of a more personalized assistant has become a focal point for both customers and investors. The updated Siri is expected later this year after earlier delays.

For Google, success could mean that Gemini becomes the default mental model for AI on the iPhone, much like Google Search became the default choice on Apple devices for many users. But the company may also face renewed scrutiny if regulators view AI placement and distribution agreements as the next front in platform competition.

Apple and Google did not provide a timeline beyond "this year" for the personalized Siri mentioned in the joint statement, or details on which Gemini models would be used. They also did not specify how the partnership will coexist with Apple's existing ChatGPT integration.

What is clearer is that Apple has chosen to anchor its next-generation foundation models in a partner's technology stack while insisting that the user-facing system will still operate within Apple's own device and cloud boundaries. Whether that mix of external models and internal controls can produce a Siri that feels meaningfully more capable without compromising Apple's privacy narrative will likely define how the deal is judged by consumers, competitors, and regulators.