Apple’s rebuilt Siri will run on a custom version of Google’s Gemini model — and the full reveal is six days away. WWDC 2026 begins Monday, June 8, with a keynote that’s shaping up to be the most significant software announcement Apple has made in years.
The Apple-Google AI partnership, first confirmed in January 2026, puts a 1.2-trillion-parameter custom Gemini model at the core of iOS 27’s rebuilt Siri. Apple is reportedly paying Google roughly $1 billion per year for the arrangement. Queries are routed through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure — not Google’s servers — in an attempt to keep Apple’s privacy commitments intact.
The Part of the Deal That Has Everyone Nervous
The obvious tension: Apple built its brand on privacy, and it just embedded Google — whose entire business model is data — into the most personal part of the iPhone. Apple says queries are anonymized and never used to train future Google models. Whether that holds up under scrutiny is something developers and privacy researchers will test starting June 8.
On the capabilities side, the new Siri is a different product than the one users have complained about for a decade. Expected features include personal context awareness (Siri reads your emails, calendar, and messages to give useful answers), on-screen understanding, multi-step task execution across apps, and a standalone Siri app with conversation history. That last one puts Siri directly in competition with ChatGPT and Claude for the daily-use AI slot on your phone.
iOS 27 Opens Siri to Third-Party AI
In a move that surprised many, iOS 27 will let users set third-party AI services — including Claude and ChatGPT — as the default for Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools and Image Playground. Siri can also hand off questions to third-party chatbots if they’re installed on the device. Apple appears to have concluded that locking users into a single AI backend is a worse outcome than opening the system and keeping the hardware relationship. It’s a significant shift from the controlled-ecosystem approach Apple typically takes.
This is good news for Anthropic and OpenAI, whose mobile distribution was previously limited to standalone apps. A native integration with Siri’s Extensions framework — activated via Dynamic Island on supported devices — could expose Claude and ChatGPT to hundreds of millions of iOS users who’ve never opened either app.
What Developers Will Be Watching on June 8
The big questions heading into the keynote: How much of Gemini runs on-device versus in the cloud, what the latency looks like on older iPhones, and whether Apple will disclose anything about what user data actually passes through the pipeline. The Gemini 3.5 Flash benchmarks that landed this week suggest Google’s models are faster than they’ve ever been — which matters a lot for voice assistant response times.
For a broader look at how Gemini compares to competing AI services, see our 2026 AI subscription comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is WWDC 2026?
WWDC 2026 runs June 8–12, 2026. The keynote is Monday, June 8 at 10am PT. It will be livestreamed on Apple.com, the Apple TV app, and Apple’s YouTube channel.
What AI model powers the new Siri in iOS 27?
Siri in iOS 27 is built on a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter version of Google’s Gemini model. It runs through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. Apple says data is anonymized and not used to train future Google models.
Can I still use Claude or ChatGPT with iOS 27?
Yes. iOS 27 introduces an AI Extensions system that lets users set third-party AI services — including Claude and ChatGPT — as the default for Apple Intelligence features. Siri can also hand off questions to installed third-party chatbots directly.
What’s the difference between Gemini in Google apps and Gemini in Siri?
Apple’s Siri uses a custom version of Gemini tuned specifically for personal assistant tasks. Unlike Gemini in Google apps, it processes queries through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute rather than Google’s own servers, which Apple says provides stronger privacy protections.
Is Gemini-powered Siri coming to older iPhones?
Apple hasn’t confirmed exactly which devices will support all features. Previous Apple Intelligence features required at least iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16. The most advanced Siri capabilities are expected to require Apple’s latest chips, though basic improvements may reach older supported devices.
WWDC 2026 starts June 8 — we’ll be covering the keynote live. In the meantime, check out how Google has been expanding Gemini across its entire product line ahead of this week’s Apple announcement.
Last Updated: June 2026
