Apple Explains How Gemini-Powered Siri Will Work

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook yesterday reiterated the structure of its partnership with Google to use Gemini AI models for the next generation version of Siri.

During the company's Q1 2026 earnings call yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Kevan Parekh were asked several questions about Apple Intelligence and the company's recently announced deal with Google to power the personalized version of Siri using Gemini.

We basically determined that Google's AI technology would provide the most capable foundation for AFM (Apple Foundation Models), and we believe that we can unlock a lot of experiences and innovate in a key way due to the collaboration. We'll continue to run on the device and run in Private Cloud Compute and maintain our industry-leading privacy standards in doing so. In terms of the arrangement with Google, we're not releasing the details of that.

That description closely matches language from Apple and Google's earlier joint announcement, which said that Apple Intelligence would continue to operate on Apple hardware and Private Cloud Compute.

Cook also addressed Apple's own artificial intelligence development efforts, noting that the company continues to build its own technology alongside the Gemini partnership, but clarified that those efforts do not replace Google's role in the personalized Siri system.

You should think of it as a collaboration. And we'll obviously independently continue to do some of our own stuff, but you should think of what is going to power the personalized version of Siri as a collaboration with Google.

When asked about monetization and return on investment, Cook framed Apple Intelligence as a feature integrated across Apple's platforms rather than a discrete revenue driver.

We're bringing intelligence to more of what people love and we're integrating it across the operating system in a personal and private way, and I think that by doing so, it creates great value, and that opens up a range of opportunities across our products and services. And we're very happy with the collaboration with Google as well, I should add.

Neither Cook nor Parekh disclosed how many users currently have access to Apple Intelligence features or whether those capabilities are driving hardware upgrades. Apple previously acknowledged that Apple Intelligence is limited to devices with sufficient memory and processing capacity, which constrains availability somewhat.

Article Link: Apple Explains How Gemini-Powered Siri Will Work

 

[segfaultdotorg]

...the company continues to build its own technology alongside the Gemini partnership...

They left out "for now."

 

[apull]

This headline would be effective if it said "Apple Explains that Gemini-Powered Siri Will Work."

 

[Rogifan]

Of course he won’t discuss the real reason: money. No doubt Apple and Google have worked it out where it’s financially beneficial to both of them.

 

[bunce66]

They didn't explain much at all actually.

 

[gustaw94]

Simple explain: we slept last couple of years to invest for internal models and servers, instead we buy out our stocks as stock market love it and we’re desperately need to bring something because android is much more capable than iOS.

 

[whatnot]

In terms of the arrangement with Google, we're not releasing the details of that.

that explains everything.

 

[sunapple]

While the underlying Google technology was perfectly able to understand you wanted a one-minute egg timer, the additional layer of Apple-designed Personalised Siri will ensure the familiar response users love, directing you to whatever it may find on the web.

 

[rwilliams]

Corporate speak is the best.

 

[ifxf]

Simple explain: we slept last couple of years to invest for internal models and servers, instead we buy out our stocks as stock market love it and we’re desperately need to bring something because android is much more capable than iOS.

I look at it as, we wasted our money and engineering on the Vision Pro instead of AI.

 

[rp2011]

Absolutely. Google has been investing in AI research quiet a long time, has the most readily and current data available for their models, and are by far via their advertising monopoly the most financially stable of all the AI companies, making them a no-brainer for Apple to choose.

Having said that, and being a fan of Yann LeCunn, I hope they buy his new start-up now that he left Meta. His world building approach would be invaluable for things like VisionPro and everything else.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

by doing so, it creates great value, and that opens up a range of opportunities across our products and services

…for subscriptions.

-Eddy Cue, VP of ******tification, probably

 

[Yr Blues]

When asked about AI hallucinations Tim Cook said nothing because no on asked. 🤷‍♂️

 

[c84216]

I just wish there wasn't this overriding emphasis on AI. Everything out there is as useful as a year old snake oil covered bologna sandwich. I've been pushed to use it more at work and everything it does (code, analysis) is so wrong that I need to go in and redo everything myself. I'm wasting time instead of saving it as it would have been right if I did it in the first place, which I essentially have to do in giving AI parameters. Copilot, in particular, is the absolute worst, as it can't even do anything right within Microsoft's own ecosystem.

Point is: the AI bubble should (and I think will) burst and there's going to be a lot of sunk cost for something that becomes meaningless.

Improving Siri is good. I approve. But AI should be limited and not be THE focus of the future.

 

[Sputman99]

Don’t send data to any AI unless you want AI trained on your private and personal details and stored somewhere unsecured where people can get access through the law

 

[one more]

Google’s Gemini has a much better chance to succeed vs the rivals due to the sheer volume of people using Google products worldwide, continuously feeding more and more data into it. Google are also getting more and more comfortable with their market position, for example asking people for more information when trying to create a new Google account linked to a non-Google email and actively encouraging Gmail users to turn on “Smart Features”. They also seem to be censoring Gemini responses. Try asking Gemini how to download a torrent file in iOS, for example. 😉

My concern is that once Google see that Apple is comfortable with how their Siri collaboration is going, they might want to repeat their Google Maps trick, when Google asked Apple for more user data, Apple said “No” and then had to bake up Apple Maps as a quick fix, pretending they wanted to do it all along. Apple Maps are very useable by now, depending on your country, but the launch was a disaster, as many will remember.

So I hope Apple know what they are doing and looking forward to a smarter Siri with iOS 26.4 and beyond.

 

[bluecoast]

Simple explain: we slept last couple of years to invest for internal models and servers, instead we buy out our stocks as stock market love it and we’re desperately need to bring something because android is much more capable than iOS.

And Wall Street loves that Apple is keeping its capital expenditure down by partnering with Google on AI and not ploughing tens of billions into developing their own AI.

However, that might be at the cost of not having a competitive frontier model anytime soon.

This could turn out to be a major major disadvantage, with Apple left with providing the shiny iPhone and Mac hardware that people experience the next phase in tech via other people's software / cloud solutions.

Oh and watching from the sidelines as other companies create massive new markets in robototics, automated driving and of course AI & agents.

But Apple has a huge phone business and a substantial services business derived from the former, so that's OK right?

 

[swingerofbirch]

Is foundation on top of a foundation a euphemism for this being a slightly bespoke Gemini model?

I don't know a ton about LLMs, but the idea of a foundation on top of a foundation doesn't sound right.

 

[lepetitnicolas]

"In terms of the arrangement with Google, we're not releasing the details of that."

I can give you the details of that : Google said "bring us truckloads of money" and Tim answered "Yes Master".

 

[tech_enthusiast_]

Neither Cook nor Parekh disclosed how many users currently have access to Apple Intelligence features or whether those capabilities are driving hardware upgrades.

IMO the fact that there's not a single reference to Apple Intelligence on the Apple homepage and hasn't been for months answers that question. Even on the iPhone landing page, you have to scroll down and go over 4 cards in the "Get to know iPhone" section to find a single reference to Apple Intelligence.

If Apple Intelligence was driving hardware sales (like the recent record breaking iPhone sales), they'd be talking about it.

 

[transpo1]

I trust Apple with privacy and the mention of private cloud compute is a bit reassuring. But they will have to release more details about this collaboration eventually to prove to me that Google does not have the keys to our data.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I don't know why we're pretending it's about capability. It's about stability.

Anthropic and OpenAI might not be around in 12 months
Meta is socially toxic
Deepseek is politically toxic

That basically just leaves Google.

 

[bluecoast]

Google’s Gemini has a much better chance to succeed vs the rivals due to the sheer volume of people using Google products worldwide, continuously feeding more and more data into it. Google are also getting more and more comfortable with their market position, for example asking people for more information when trying to create a new Google account linked to a non-Google email and actively encouraging Gmail users to turn on “Smart Features”. They also seem to be censoring Gemini responses. Try asking Gemini how to download a torrent file in iOS, for example. 😉

My concern is that once Google see that Apple is comfortable with how their Siri collaboration is going, they might want to repeat their Google Maps trick, when Google asked Apple for more user data, Apple said “No” and then had to bake up Apple Maps as a quick fix, pretending they wanted to do it all along. Apple Maps are very useable by now, depending on your country, but the launch was a disaster, as many will remember.

So I hope Apple know what they are doing and looking forward to a smarter Siri with iOS 26.4 and beyond.

Also I'd argue that Apple Maps has never really recovered from its disastrous launch in terms of general public perception.

Even now, people I know won't use it as 'it's not very good isn't it?'. You can't part them from Google Maps.

I wonder then, if the forthcoming Siri relaunch - if they keep the same name - will share the same fate as Apple Maps, given that Siri has been a disaster zone for 10 years now.

'Siri has been updated, you say? I don't care, Siri is terrible, I use Gemini/ChatGPT' etc.

...Unless your key usage case for AI is setting timers. In which case, you're golden right now.

 

[Tagbert]

Don’t send data to any AI unless you want AI trained on your private and personal details and stored somewhere unsecured where people can get access through the law

Please read up a little on Private Cloud Compute which is designed to keep your data private, prevent training on your data, and is unable to store any of your data beyond the current request. This specifically addresses your concerns.

Private Cloud Compute: A new frontier for AI privacy in the cloud - Apple Security Research

Secure and private AI processing in the cloud poses a formidable new challenge. To support advanced features of Apple Intelligence with larger foundation models, we created Private Cloud Compute (PCC), a groundbreaking cloud intelligence system designed specifically for private AI processing...

security.apple.com

 

[tech_enthusiast_]

Also I'd argue that Apple Maps has never really recovered from its disastrous launch in terms of general public perception.

Even now, people I know won't use it as 'it's not very good isn't it?'. You can't part them from Google Maps.

I wonder then, if the forthcoming Siri relaunch - if they keep the same name - will share the same fate as Apple Maps, given that Siri has been a disaster zone for 10 years now.

'Siri has been updated, you say? I don't care, Siri is terrible, I use Gemini/ChatGPT' etc.

...Unless your key usage case for AI is setting timers. In which case, you're golden right now.

That will definitely be a real challenge for them. That's probably exactly why they're making a big public deal about the fact that it will be powered by Gemini...because it will associate new Siri with something that people do see as viable.