Apple and Google announced a multi-year partnership on Monday that will see Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence technology power Apple’s next-generation AI features, including its flagship Siri assistant. This rare alliance between the two smartphone giants marks a huge departure for the iPhone maker, which has historically relied on proprietary in-house technology for its core software, signaling a new era of collaboration in the fiercely competitive tech sector.
Okay News reports that the decision followed a “careful evaluation” by Apple executives, who ultimately determined that Google’s Gemini provided “the most capable foundation” for their ambitious AI roadmap. While the two companies have long been rivals in the mobile operating system market, they have maintained a lucrative financial relationship regarding the default search engine on iOS devices—a deal that has faced intense antitrust scrutiny from the US Justice Department.
The move is seen by analysts, including Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities, as a “major validation moment” for Google and a crucial “stepping stone” for Apple to correct its course after recent stumbles. The company had reportedly considered partnerships with other heavyweights like OpenAI and Anthropic but settled on Google after delaying improved Siri features and seeing the departure of its AI team lead just last month.
Despite integrating Google’s powerful models, Apple was keen to emphasize that its own proprietary system, “Apple Intelligence,” will continue to handle on-device tasks to maintain “industry-leading privacy standards.” This hybrid approach aims to balance the need for advanced cloud-based processing provided by Gemini with Apple’s longstanding commitment to user data security, ensuring that sensitive personal information remains processed locally on iPhones and iPads.
