Google / Apple · 2026-04-22 · major
Google Publicly Confirms Gemini Will Power Apple's Rebuilt Siri — 2B Devices by Late 2026
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian publicly confirmed at Cloud Next 2026 that Gemini will power a rebuilt Siri, naming Apple as a key Google Cloud customer. The deal (~$1B/yr) covers next-generation Apple Intelligence features; full conversational Siri expected at WWDC June 8 for iOS 27.
Google CEO named Apple as a Gemini customer at Cloud Next — confirming that Siri's AI backbone will run on Gemini starting this year.
Key specs
| Estimated deal value | ~$1B/yr |
|---|---|
| Apple devices in market | 2B+ |
What is it?
At Google Cloud Next 2026 on April 22, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian publicly confirmed the Apple-Google partnership for the first time at a major company event, stating Google is 'their preferred cloud provider to develop the next generation of Apple Foundation Models based on Gemini technology.' The deal, jointly announced in January 2026, covers a custom Gemini model powering future Apple Intelligence features including a rebuilt Siri coming in iOS 27. Phase 1 shipped in iOS 26.4 with Siri on-screen context awareness. The full conversational Siri redesign is expected at WWDC June 8, 2026.
How does it work?
Apple's on-device Apple Intelligence stack continues running locally via Private Cloud Compute for privacy-sensitive tasks. Gemini provides the large-scale reasoning backbone for complex queries, personalized responses, and multi-app automation that exceed on-device capacity. The custom Gemini model is tuned specifically for Siri's use cases under Apple's privacy constraints — conversation data does not leave Apple's infrastructure. Siri improvements rumored for iOS 27 include a standalone app, persistent conversation history, and multi-action parsing across apps.
Why does it matter?
This is one of the most significant AI infrastructure deals of the year by both revenue and user reach. Two billion Apple devices will run Gemini-backed intelligence by late 2026. For Google, it validates Gemini as the preferred backbone even over OpenAI (which held a previous Siri integration) and extends Gemini's reach to non-Android users at massive scale. For Apple, it ends years of Siri stagnation. The Cloud Next public confirmation makes this the first time either company has named the other in a product context, signaling the deal is now locked.
Who is it for?
iOS developers, anyone building on Apple Intelligence APIs, Apple and Google investors