Google has begun private testing of a Gemini AI application for Apple’s Mac computers, Bloomberg reported Thursday. The move comes as Apple prepares to integrate Google’s AI technology more deeply into its products, including a significant overhaul of Siri.
The testing phase indicates Google is actively preparing to support Apple’s ecosystem with its Gemini models, despite both companies maintaining competitive positions in several technology sectors. Apple announced in January a multiyear partnership with Google to utilize Gemini and Google Cloud technology for Apple Foundation Models, according to a joint statement. Apple’s decision to partner with Google followed evaluations of both Google and AI competitor Anthropic, with Google ultimately proving more cost-effective.
Apple is reportedly set to pay Google $1 billion annually for a custom 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini model, a figure that was considered against a potential $1.5 billion yearly cost with Anthropic, according to reports from November. The integration of Gemini into Siri is slated for a spring 2026 release, aiming to enhance the voice assistant’s capabilities in summarizing information, planning, and responding to complex requests.
The partnership represents a strategic shift for Apple, which has been comparatively slow to develop competitive AI models internally. While Apple will leverage Gemini for cloud-based AI functions, the company intends to continue running its own models on Apple devices to process personal data, maintaining a focus on user privacy. Apple does not plan to publicly acknowledge Google’s role in the upgraded Siri, Bloomberg reported.
This collaboration builds upon an existing financial relationship between the two companies, where Google already pays Apple billions of dollars annually to remain the default search engine on iPhones. However, that arrangement faced scrutiny following a finding that Google held an illegal monopoly in internet search.
The rollout of Gemini-powered features is expected to coincide with a recent phase of Apple Intelligence features planned for iPhone, iPad, and Mac in 2026. Developers examining Apple’s AI code framework earlier this year discovered references to external model endpoints, suggesting the company was preparing for this integration. Neither Google nor Apple responded to requests for comment regarding the testing phase.
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