Some of Apple's new AI features no longer run solely on Apple's own servers, but instead rely on the Google Cloud. To ensure users are aware of this, Apple displays a consent popup in iOS 27 – and already in iOS 26 – before the relevant data leaves the device.
When Apple Intelligence 2024 launched, the real innovation lay less in the features themselves than in the underlying infrastructure: Private Cloud Compute, or PCC for short, was considered by security experts to be the new benchmark for privacy-friendly cloud AI – and at that time, it ran entirely on Apple's own servers. This is precisely where things are shifting, as Apple will now also process sophisticated AI requests in the Google Cloud. To allow users to understand when their data takes this route, Apple is introducing a dedicated permission popup – not only in iOS 27, but also in iOS 26.
A popup asks for permission before sending data to Google Cloud
As soon as an affected AI function sends data to the Google Cloud, a notification window appears and requests explicit consent. Only after confirmation does the information leave the device. This prompt appeared both in the iOS 27 beta and in the updates for Apple Creator Studio released just last week, which also included advanced AI features.
It's noteworthy that the query isn't limited to the upcoming system generation. Its appearance in both iOS 27 and iOS 26 clearly indicates that Apple is already rolling out the underlying technology across all systems, and not just for the major release in the fall.
Where the query already appears
Specifically, the popup appears, for example, in the shape generation functions in iWork under iOS 26. It is also used in Freeform under iOS 27 for comparable AI functions. The fact that the new AI capabilities in the updated Apple Creator Studio are already at the same level as those expected in iOS 27 this fall reinforces the impression that the same cloud technology is being used here, which is likely to see widespread use in the future.
From Apple's own servers to the Google Cloud
For Private Cloud Compute, this opening represents a fundamental change. Apple explains that the new Apple Foundation Models, developed jointly with Google, extend PCC support to Google Cloud. The security commitments will remain the same as before: Each request is processed in its own isolated process, the software used is only stored briefly and then discarded, and the cryptographic keys reside in a separate, isolated environment inaccessible to external access.
Technically, Apple is relying on Google infrastructure combined with specialized hardware for sensitive data processing for this step. The crucial idea behind this is that data protection should not depend on where the process is executed, but rather on the secure execution model – regardless of whether the computation takes place on Apple Silicon or in a Google data center.
Available in the EU – unlike the Siri AI package
For users in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, one point is particularly important that the announcement itself doesn't mention: Apple's generative intelligence tools, as found in iWork and Freeform, have long been available here – in Germany and Austria since the EU launch of Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.4. Unlike the new Siri AI package, which Apple is currently withholding in the EU due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), these features are not subject to any regional restrictions. Switzerland, as a non-EU country, is not affected by the DMA anyway and receives Siri AI without this limitation. The processing, now extended to Google Cloud, therefore affects not only the US market but also iPhones and iPads throughout the German-speaking world.
That's precisely why the data privacy issue isn't a side note for a privacy-conscious audience. Apple's promise surrounding Apple Intelligence was based from the outset on the premise that sensitive calculations wouldn't leave the Apple ecosystem – but as soon as requests land in the cloud of a US corporation like Google, questions about processing and control move to the forefront. Apple hasn't yet provided specific details about exactly where these calculations take place for users in this country; instead, the company focuses on its technical safeguards. The visible consent popup thus becomes a crucial element: it's the moment when users actually notice the transfer and must actively consent to it, rather than letting it happen silently in the background.
Apple's changing privacy promise
The consent popup offers a glimpse into the broader transformation of Apple's AI architecture: from a purely in-house cloud to a hybrid model that incorporates external data centers without compromising security principles – at least according to Apple. For users, this primarily means paying closer attention to when an AI function remains local and when it takes a detour via the cloud. The prompt provides a visible indicator of this for the first time. (Image: Shutterstock / pixadot.studio)
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