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Google is rumored to be on the cusp of reaching an agreement with Apple to bring Gemini integration to the iPhone. According to a source, this move would make Gemini available as an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant option for Apple devices, assisting the native voice-based assistant, Siri, in responding to more complicated questions. Although the transaction has not yet been finalized, multiple meetings have been rumored to have taken place between the CEOs of both major behemoths, and if all goes as planned, Gemini on iPhone might be accessible by the end of this year.
Gemini Integration for iPhone
According to The Verge, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged Google's plans to bring native Gemini integration to the iPhone during the hearing in the United States of America v. Google search monopoly trial on Wednesday. When asked about the alleged transaction, Pichai said it was "correct" and revealed specifics of his meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
"He [Cook] was trying to understand our plans for how we're evolving AI technologies, our roadmap," Pichai said at the hearing. Both CEOs also discussed plans for "Gemini app distribution as well."
The Alphabet CEO stated that Google wants to reach an agreement with Apple to bring Gemini integration to the iPhone by the middle of this year, with the deployment starting by the end of 2025. It is believed to function similarly to the existing ChatGPT integration in Siri, which was launched with iOS 18 last year. Siri can use OpenAI's chatbot to compose text, draw graphics, and react to sophisticated inquiries.
According to the article, Cook also informed Pichai that more third-party AI models will be accessible on Apple Intelligence later this year.
However, this is not the first time that Apple's ambitions to launch new AI models on the iPhone have surfaced. During a post-keynote session at WWDC 2024 in June 2024, Apple Senior Vice President Craig Federighi allegedly hinted at intentions to integrate Gemini into Siri.
"We want to allow users to eventually choose the models they want, possibly Google Gemini in the future," the official was said to have remarked at the time.
Furthermore, MacRumors researcher Aaron Perris uncovered lines of code from the iOS 18.4 beta that included Google to a "Third-party model" section window, implying that Apple is attempting to incorporate Gemini AI models into the operating system.
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