Apple is preparing to roll out major AI enhancements for Siri in iOS 26.4, powered by Google Gemini, according to recent announcements. The developer beta is scheduled to drop the week of February 23, with a public beta likely following in March, marking a significant partnership between the two tech giants.
The integration represents Apple's strategic pivot toward leveraging external AI models to enhance Siri's capabilities, following years of criticism about the voice assistant lagging behind competitors like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Gemini-powered features are expected to significantly improve natural language understanding, contextual awareness, and task completion.
Industry analysts suggest the partnership demonstrates Apple's pragmatic approach to AI development, recognizing that partnering with Google's advanced language models can accelerate Siri improvements faster than developing equivalent capabilities in-house. The move comes as Apple faces mounting pressure to demonstrate AI leadership amid fierce competition from Microsoft, Google, and startups.