Apple’s Google Gemini-powered Siri could debut in iOS 26.4 beta next month

Apple Siri

• Apple to debut Gemini-powered Siri features in iOS 26.4 beta, likely in February
• New Siri will better understand context and take actions inside apps for users
• Apple to add advanced AI features in iOS 27 and macOS 27 with Gemini models

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Apple’s partnership with Google is about to become very real for users. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing to debut its first Google Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence features in the iOS 26.4 beta, potentially rolling out as soon as February. Apple is also expected to publicly demonstrate the new Siri capabilities, marking a major turning point after years of stalled AI progress.

New Siri features are finally taking shape

Gurman reports that Apple is now less than a month away from unveiling the results of its Gemini partnership. The company is planning to showcase the new Siri experience sometime in the second half of February, either through a dedicated event or a smaller, tightly controlled media briefing.

The updated Siri in iOS 26.4 is expected to be significantly more capable than today’s version. It will better understand what’s happening on your screen, have deeper awareness of personal context, and be able to take actions inside apps on your behalf. These features will be powered by Gemini models running on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, internally referred to as Apple Foundation Models v10. Gurman notes that this setup relies on a 1.2 trillion parameter model, a major step up from Apple’s earlier in-house efforts.

While iOS 26.4 represents the first phase, it’s far from the end of Apple’s AI ambitions. Gurman says Siri will become even more advanced in iOS 27, with Apple planning to introduce chatbot-style interactions across iOS 27 and macOS 27. These future features will reportedly run on Apple Foundation Models v11, which are said to be close in quality to Google’s Gemini 3. Some of these capabilities may rely more directly on Google’s infrastructure, with discussions still ongoing.

Why Apple ended up choosing Google

The road to this partnership wasn’t straightforward. According to Gurman, Apple explored multiple alternatives before settling on Google. Internally, there was resistance when reports first surfaced last year that Apple was considering third-party AI models, with Siri chief Mike Rockwell reportedly dismissing the idea in an emergency meeting.

Despite that, Apple held talks with both Anthropic and OpenAI. Discussions with Anthropic reportedly fell apart due to the cost, with the startup seeking multi-year commitments worth several billion dollars annually. A deal with OpenAI was also unappealing, particularly as the company was aggressively recruiting Apple talent and pursuing its own hardware ambitions with Jony Ive.

The calculus shifted after a court ruled that Apple’s long-standing deal with Google to make Search the default on iPhones was not illegal. That decision made a deeper partnership with Google far more viable, clearing the way for Gemini to become the backbone of Apple’s next-generation Siri.

If Gurman’s timeline holds, iOS 26.4 could finally deliver on the Apple Intelligence promises made at WWDC 2024, bringing Apple back into the AI conversation in a meaningful way.