Key Takeaways
- Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion annually for a custom Gemini AI model.
- The new Siri, codenamed ‘Linwood’, is scheduled for a Spring 2026 launch with iOS 26.4.
- This partnership is viewed as a temporary solution while Apple develops its own large-scale AI.
Apple is set to pay Google around $1 billion each year to power its next-generation Siri voice assistant with a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model. According to a Bloomberg report, this significant agreement is expected to be finalized soon, marking a major strategic shift for Apple’s AI capabilities.
The Linwood Upgrade
The upcoming Siri version, internally known as ‘Linwood’, is scheduled to launch in Spring 2026 as part of iOS 26.4. This represents one of the most substantial Siri overhauls since its initial introduction.
The Gemini model selected by Apple reportedly contains 1.2 trillion parameters, dramatically more powerful than Apple’s current 150-billion-parameter system used for its cloud-based Apple Intelligence. This parameter increase should significantly enhance Siri’s ability to understand context and process complex user requests.
How the Partnership Works
Under the arrangement, Google’s Gemini AI will handle Siri’s summarizer and planner functions—the core components that help Siri interpret user commands and determine appropriate responses. However, certain Siri features will continue running on Apple’s in-house AI models.
To address privacy concerns, the system will operate exclusively on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, ensuring user data remains separate from Google’s infrastructure according to the report.
A Temporary Solution
Apple reportedly views this collaboration as an interim measure while the company continues developing its own large-scale AI model. The technology giant ultimately aims to replace Google’s technology with a completely in-house alternative.
Despite the massive scale of this partnership—potentially worth billions—Apple doesn’t plan to publicly promote the collaboration. Google is expected to function strictly as a behind-the-scenes technology provider, with Apple maintaining its brand identity for the Siri experience.
