Apple has confirmed that the next generation of Siri, set to arrive later this year, will be powered in part by Google’s Gemini language models. The announcement marks a significant shift in how Apple is accelerating Siri’s intelligence, with a clear focus on delivering more capable, more contextual experiences possibly in Apple Home.
According to a joint statement, Apple determined that Google’s Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users. Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards.
The partnership with Google is reportedly multi year, with Apple paying around one billion dollars annually for access to Gemini. Crucially, the models will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. Apple says this ensures user data remains isolated from Google’s systems, reinforcing its privacy first stance even while relying on third party AI.
Reports from Bloomberg indicate that Apple still intends to transition fully to its own in house models over time. Gemini is a bridge, not the end goal. Apple wants Siri to be deeply integrated, privacy focused, and ultimately powered by technology it fully controls.
Apple Home and Siri
The move also highlights how central Siri is becoming again. Apple originally planned to ship the upgraded Siri with iOS 18, but delayed it due to reliability issues.
A more intelligent Siri means voice control that actually understands context. Asking Siri to adjust lights, climate, security, or scenes based on who is home, what time it is, or what you are doing should feel immediate and accurate rather than rigid and scripted. Apple’s long term vision of hands free, ambient control in the home depends on this step.
For Apple Home users, this could be one of the most important Siri updates in years. If Apple gets this right, Siri stops being a bottleneck and starts becoming the interface Apple Home was always designed around. Voice first, context aware, private by default, and finally smart enough to feel invisible rather than frustrating. Could this be the first sign of the rumoured Apple Home hub?
