Apple could reboot Siri to finally please users
Apple’s (AAPL) next major AI move could potentially come from an unlikely source: Google.
According to Bloomberg, the iPhone maker is closing in on a deal worth nearly $1 billion per year to power Siri with Google’s Gemini AI, one of the more surprising collaborations in Big Tech history.
For the Cupertino giant, which prides itself on controlling virtually every line of code, Apple’s outsourcing effort is a major shift or perhaps a long-overdue reality check. Following a couple of years of Alexa, Google Assistant, and ChatGPT stealing the spotlight, Apple appears ready to trade pride for progress.
If the deal closes, Gemini’s potent new model may finally give Siri the brains users expected years ago.
Apple doesn’t typically outsource its genius, but at this point, we’re seeing pride take a back seat to progress.
For a business that’s built a reputation on doing everything in-house, turning to Google feels like a rare public admission. It is, however, a practical move wrapped in irony, and one that reveals a great deal about the state of the AI race.
Siri was futuristic in 2011, but by 2023–2024, it felt stuck in the mud.
It was never just a talking assistant; for Apple, it was an invisible glue, keeping users inside its walled garden with effortless voice control.
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However, the world moved swiftly than Siri did. As AI chatbots redefined what “smart” really means, the tech giant’s 2024 “Apple Intelligence” reboot was supposed to change that, until delays turned excitement into déjà vu.
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June 2024 – WWDC buzz and big promises: Apple unveiled “Apple Intelligence,” teasing a revamped Siri, giving personalized answers, and sounding more human.
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September 2024 – The quiet stall: At the iPhone 15 launch, Apple again spotlighted the upgraded Siri, although the fine print stated “coming later.” By year’s end, “later” still hadn’t arrived.
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March 2025 – The reality check: Apple admits the new-and-improved Siri isn’t ready. Internal tests indicate that it only works correctly about two-thirds of the time.
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Mid-2025 – The shake-up: Frustration hits the executive suite. Longtime AI lead John Giannandrea is reassigned, and AR/VR head Mike Rockwell takes over the Siri rebuild.
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November 2025 – The $1 billion turn: Bloomberg reports Apple will pay Google roughly $1 billion a year to use its 1.2-trillion-parameter Gemini AI as a “bridge” while Apple’s own model matures.
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Spring 2026 (expected) – Finally, a smarter Siri: If all comes to fruition, the rebooted Siri will layer in Apple’s privacy focus with Gemini’s generative muscle.
Apple’s next big Siri upgrade with Google could potentially be a game-changer, and it comes with a $1 billion-a-year price tag to prove it.
The massive new deal offers Apple access to Gemini, Google’s massive 1.2-trillion-parameter AI model, a system that’s roughly eight times larger than Apple’s own 150-billion-parameter engine.
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Put simply, it’s like swapping a compact car for a rocket engine.
Gemini’s custom version will power Siri’s most demanding tasks, summarizing information, handling multi-step requests, and answering personal questions, including queries like “What book did Mom recommend last week?”, all while running on Apple’s secure cloud servers.
Additionally, none of the data is sent to Google, and Gemini’s work takes place within Apple’s privacy bubble.
Apple’s first attempt at giving Siri a kick in the pants came earlier this year with a ChatGPT plug-in.
Users had to enable it, grant permission each time, and wait it out while the queries went out to OpenAI’s cloud. The Gemini deal effectively changes that dynamic, and instead of calling a friend for help, Siri’s getting a brain transplant that actually belongs to its own head.
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Deep integration, not delegation: ChatGPT was more of an optional extension in iOS 18, a hand-off system where Siri asked ChatGPT to “summarize this” or “compose that.” On the flip side, Gemini is built into Siri’s core.
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Capability and context: ChatGPT was not able to manage device functions or maintain context, while Gemini’s model ties into Apple’s on-device intelligence.
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Performance and privacy: The OpenAI setup meant slower responses to external servers. With Gemini, Apple hosts the 1.2-trillion-parameter model on its own secure cloud, ensuring swifter replies and tighter privacy controls.
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Commitment and cost: Apple’s Gemini deal isn’t an experiment; it’s a $1 billion-per-year investment in a custom model.
Siri isn’t just another iPhone feature; many consider it to be more of a connective tissue that runs through Apple’s entire ecosystem.
From iPhones and Macs to AirPods and HomePods, Siri is currently living on an estimated 2.2 billion devices globally, handling nearly 1.5 billion requests every single day. That’s far from being a side project and more infrastructure.
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For many users, Siri is all about convenience wrapped in familiarity, allowing hands-free texting, setting timers, or telling your HomePod to dim the lights.
For some, though, it’s a lifeline, an accessibility tool allowing people to efficiently navigate devices without ever touching a screen.
Apple’s advantage has always been that Siri is integrated everywhere, communicating directly with native apps like Apple Music or Photos, and using features such as Shortcuts for automation that Alexa or Google Assistant cannot match.
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This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Nov 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Technology section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.