Google's Gemini AI might soon back up Siri on your iPhone – just like ChatGPT

iPhone users might soon be able to tap into Google Gemini for AI-powered assistance. 

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In a Friday post on X, MacRumors analyst Aaron Perris provided a screenshot of backend code for the newly released iOS 18.4 developer beta. Titled “Third Party Model,” the code shows Google alongside OpenAI, seemingly indicating that Gemini is joining ChatGPT as an integrated AI chatbot.

Integrated AI chatbots

Reports surfaced early last year that Apple was in talks with Google about integrating Gemini into its supported devices. At last year’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple Senior VP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said the company was looking forward to integrating models like Google Gemini in the future.

Of course, Apple had also been in talks with OpenAI about adding ChatGPT, which was added to supported iPhones (as well as iPads and Macs) last December. All you need is a device that supports Apple Intelligence, namely any iPhone 16 model, an iPhone 15 Pro, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPad with an A17 Pro or M1 or later chip, or any Mac with an M1 or later chip.

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Given Siri’s limitations and lack of AI abilities, the goal has been to give Apple users an easy and seamless way to work with a true AI bot. The process itself is relatively simple. You set up ChatGPT either anonymously with free access or through a paid account, such as ChatGPT Plus or Pro. Give Siri a request it can’t handle, and it will pass your query along to ChatGPT. You can also ask Siri directly to use ChatGPT to answer a question.

The process is likely to be similar with Gemini. Presumably, you’ll be able to use the basic version for free or access your own Gemini Advanced account. With both ChatGPT and Gemini on your device, you may have to choose your favorite AI as the default. Otherwise, you’ll probably be able to tell Siri which service you want to use for a specific request.

Launch date

Assuming Gemini is due to arrive with iOS 18.4, the launch date so far points to early April. Of course, the code inclusion isn’t conclusive proof that the AI’s debut is just around the corner. But assuming the talks with Google were fruitful, we should see Gemini pop up sooner or later.