Apple is reportedly planning a major overhaul of its Siri digital assistant, powered by Google’s advanced Gemini artificial intelligence models. Based on insights from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and other industry sources Apple is expected to introduce two distinct versions of its Gemini-backed Siri through upcoming software updates, reflecting a significant strategic shift in how the company approaches AI and voice assistance.
This development comes after years of mounting pressure on Apple to modernize Siri, which has often lagged rivals like ChatGPT-based assistants or Google’s own AI offerings. Leveraging Gemini marks a rare step in Apple’s history, a deep technology partnership with a direct competitor’s AI platform in order to deliver cutting-edge capabilities to its customers.
Two Versions, Two Phases
1. Near-Term Upgrade With iOS 26.4
The first version of the revamped Siri is expected to arrive as part of iOS 26.4, likely rolling out to users in early 2026 after a beta period that begins in February. This upgrade isn’t just a performance increment, it’s meant to give Siri a much stronger foundation for understanding user intent and context.
Key characteristics of this initial release include:
- Improved task execution: Siri should be significantly better at handling everyday requests and completing tasks on behalf of users.
- Context awareness: The assistant will better interpret on-screen content and personal context for example, integrating data from apps like Mail or Messages when fulfilling a query.
- Internal rebranding: Although powered by Google’s Gemini models behind the scenes, Apple will present the technology as part of its own Apple Foundation Models framework (internally labelled version 10).
This first step is aimed at making Siri far more reliable and capable in daily use not just responding with scripted answers but genuinely helping users interact with their devices.
2. Full Redesign With iOS 27
The second version of the new Siri is slated for a full redesign in iOS 27, expected later in the year. This is described as a more ambitious transformation turning Siri into something closer to a generative AI chatbot, capable of extended conversational interactions and richer knowledge tasks.
Features expected in the iOS 27 overhaul include:
- More advanced dialogue: Sustained, back-and-forth conversations (similar to ChatGPT or Gemini chatbots).
- Expanded capabilities: Greater ability to summarize content, generate text, and assist with complex planning tasks.
- Enhanced integration: Deeper hooks into Apple’s ecosystem, including apps and services across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Internally, Apple labels this future platform as Apple Foundation Models version 11, which is predicted to be competitive with leading AI services like Gemini 3.
Why Apple Is Turning to Gemini
For years, Apple has prioritized in-house development of its AI technologies, emphasizing user privacy and proprietary control. But internal delays and performance gaps with Apple Intelligence originally introduced in 2024 have slowed progress and left Siri widely seen as lagging behind more capable AI assistants.
Turning to Google’s Gemini AI represents a strategic pivot: instead of building all of its AI models from scratch, Apple is integrating one of the most advanced commercially available models into its own ecosystem. This approach lets Apple offer capabilities comparable to ChatGPT-style assistants without depending entirely on its potentially underpowered proprietary models.
Despite collaborating with a long-time competitor, Apple is likely to maintain its core emphasis on privacy running Gemini-powered processing through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure rather than directly exposing data to Google’s servers.
The Gemini-powered Siri update is poised to bring several tangible improvements for everyday users:
- Better comprehension: Siri will handle more nuanced natural language queries with greater accuracy.
- More useful actions: Instead of just answering questions, Siri will take actions inside apps and functions (e.g., scheduling reminders, managing content).
- Deeper integration with iOS: Through iOS 26.4 and later, Siri will become a more consistent assistant across Apple’s operating systems.
These capabilities should appear first to iPhone 15 and newer users, the devices most likely to fully leverage the advanced AI functionality.
Apple’s decision to launch two phases of a Gemini-powered Siri reflects both competitive pressure and technological pragmatism. While rivals like Google and OpenAI have staked their reputations on generative AI, Apple’s move acknowledges that building equally capable models entirely in-house would likely take much longer and cost considerably more.
Partnering with Google also signals a growing industry trend: even companies that once resisted outside AI integrations are now willing to collaborate to remain competitive. Despite this, Apple still differentiates its approach through its ecosystem integration, privacy commitments, and branding strategy.
The first Gemini-powered Siri release tied to iOS 26.4 is currently expected to appear in February 2026 betas, with a public release likely in March or April. A broader keynote or small media event may showcase the new capabilities before launch.
Further refinement and chatbot-style features with iOS 27 are anticipated later in the year, possibly demoed during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
If successful, this two-stage rollout could mark one of the most important transformations of Siri in Apple’s history from a basic voice assistant to a context-aware AI helper capable of sophisticated interaction and automation.
