In a recent update, Apple announced that it will be collaborating with Google’s Gemini AI for creating Apple’s AI model, and these will be quite similar to Gemini. And well, the news was not surprising. After the announcement of the retirement of John Giannandrea, Apple’s head of Artificial Intelligence, this collaboration or partnership was imminent, and at the same time, it gives rise to the question — Has Apple given up on Apple Intelligence?
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Problems Faced by Apple That Delayed Apple Intelligence
If you remember, Apple earlier teased an AI-powered Siri at WWDC 2024, which was followed by the AI-intelligence-powered iPhone 16 Pro. In fact, the main selling point of the iPhone 16 Pro was the promises of Apple Intelligence. But by early 2025, the Siri upgrade was pushed to 2026 because the initial architecture did not meet Apple’s sky-high standards.
Interestingly, rivals like ChatGPT, meanwhile, continued to work seamlessly without any problems. And at this point, Siri did start to feel a bit outdated, and any Apple Intelligence updates started to devolve from “Coming soon” to “We are making progress” to the new “Apple and Gemini partnership.”
Firstly, Apple faced technical issues which delayed the process, as it was not up to the standard of the company. Then Apple’s privacy-first approach came into the picture, thus restricting data access for training. This left it unable to leverage large datasets like other competitors, which hindered the quality of the model.
After that, Apple faced several lawsuits, including a federal class-action suit filed by shareholders in March 2025, accusing Apple of misleading consumers via ads. This was followed, in June 2025, by another lawsuit when shareholders sued Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFOs, alleging false statements at WWDC 2024, as no functional AI Siri prototype existed.
Apple’s AI chief, John Giannandrea, who joined in 2018 to lead machine learning and AI strategy, faced criticism for Apple lagging behind rivals like OpenAI and Google, which led to his exit from the company when he stepped down from his position in December 2025.
And to fill this gap, Apple has partnered with Google to develop the AI model.
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Gemini: The Game-Changer
Apple and Google, in a joint statement, revealed the companies’ multi-year deal where Gemini models and Google’s cloud tech will be the foundation for the Apple Foundation Models. The model includes powering Siri 2.0 and also plans to broaden Apple Intelligence upgrades across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
The rollout is expected to be launched with iOS 26.4 in March-April 2026, blending Gemini’s brains with Apple’s hardware.
Why Team Up with Google?
Before teaming up with Google, Apple checked out other options like ChatGPT and Claude from Anthropic, but called Gemini the best base to build on. And this move will help them jump ahead without having to start again from scratch.
Reportedly, the deal was done for $1 billion a year, though there’s no official confirmation. Notably, Google already pays $20 billion for search on Safari.
That said, if you are worried about your privacy, Apple has planned things well for its user base. Everything will be running on Apple’s secure cloud, which means Google gets zero peek in to your data.
What This Means for Users
For the users, Siri gets more helpful. For example, you tell Siri: “Sort my week with flights and gym sessions,” and it instantly grabs info from your calendar, fitness app, and emails without messing up. Cool. Right?
Other than that, Apple Intelligence levels up too, with better writing aids, image creation, and notification smarts, all expected to run smoothly. So, users can expect a good experience with the outcome model of the Apple and Google partnership.
Apple’s AI Play: Temporary or Permanent
Apple Intelligence started on a small scale in 2024, but the partnership between Apple and Gemini means that Apple is trusting Gemini to unlock new innovative experiences with Apple hardware. However, whether it is permanent or temporary remains to be seen. Until then, we can safely say that Apple is trying to play catch-up and is looking at the larger picture ahead. By 2027, it is expected that real-life tasks will be handled smoothly by Siri.
Apple Intelligence: FAQs
Is Apple Intelligence replacing Siri?
Siri is not replacing Apple Intelligence. In fact, Siri will now be enhanced with the Gemini AI model.
Will Siri ever become as smart as ChatGPT?
If the Apple and Google partnership goes well, then by 2027, Siri might perform better than most AI models.
Ashish Mundhra
Ashish brings more than 15 years of hands-on experience across Android, Windows, iOS, and Linux. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Lifehacker, and other top technology publications. Known for testing quirky, niche, and emerging gadgets, he helps readers cut through the hype and spend wisely. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering and has previously served as a Team Lead at IBM.
