Apple Rebuilds Siri on Google Gemini — iOS 27 Reportedly Lets Users Choose Claude or ChatGPT

Siri's new brain is Google Gemini. Apple and Google publicly confirmed a multi-year collaboration in January 2026 under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Gemini models and cloud technology — their joint statement described the arrangement as powering "a more personalized Siri coming this year." WWDC on June 8 is the product unveiling: a rebuilt Siri running on Gemini, shown publicly for the first time. Bloomberg previously reported Apple is paying roughly $1 billion per year for a custom 1.2-trillion-parameter Gemini model — a figure neither company has officially confirmed, but which has been widely corroborated in reporting.

The rebuilt Siri debuts as a standalone app across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, with an iMessage-style chat interface, persistent conversation history synced via iCloud, Dynamic Island integration, and a system-wide "Search or Ask" gesture. Personal context access — emails, photos, files — and on-screen awareness are included, bringing Siri structurally in line with ChatGPT and Gemini's existing assistant surfaces. Gemini runs inside Apple's Private Cloud Compute — on Apple Silicon servers, stateless and ephemeral — meaning Google does not retain user queries or use them to train future models, per Apple's contract terms.

User AI choice is the operator-relevant shift. iOS 27 reportedly introduces an Extensions system — accessible in Settings under Apple Intelligence and Siri — that lets users select which AI model powers their assistant interactions. ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are the three options reported by Bloomberg ahead of WWDC and shown at the June 8 keynote; Apple will surface download links for any model apps not already installed. This is not a minor preference toggle: the same Extensions system reportedly extends to Writing Tools and Image Playground, meaning users can route generative writing and image creation through any compatible third-party model rather than Apple's defaults. For app developers and content creators who have built workflows around Apple's existing AI surface, the underlying model is now variable.

The ChatGPT relationship context. Apple and OpenAI first integrated ChatGPT into Siri in iOS 18, but that arrangement was never exclusive — a detail MacRumors and 9to5Mac confirmed when OpenAI reportedly considered legal action against Apple in May 2026 over unrelated contract grievances (inadequate integration depth and marketing, not exclusivity). What changes in iOS 27 is that ChatGPT is no longer Apple's sole third-party AI partner at the Siri level — it becomes one option among several alongside Gemini (the new default), selectable by the user. See our ChatGPT vs Gemini comparison for how the two differ on the tasks users will now choose between them for. Apple is no longer positioning ChatGPT as the default fallback when Siri reaches its limits.

Release timeline. Developer betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 land immediately following the keynote. Public betas follow in July 2026. The full public release is scheduled for fall 2026 — the standard September/October window. iOS 27 requires at minimum an A14 Bionic chip, dropping support for iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation).

Scale context. Apple has approximately 1.4 billion active iPhone users globally. The decision about which AI model runs at the assistant level on that installed base is the largest AI distribution decision made by any single platform in 2026 — larger than any single model launch or enterprise rollout. The default is Gemini; the option is open.