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Apple has been working on a fundamental overhaul of Siri for some time. The goal is to elevate the voice assistant to a new level technically and make it competitive with modern AI systems. For a long time, it was unclear which external partner would provide the technological foundation. A recent report now shows that Apple almost opted against Google and for another provider.
Siri has been an integral part of the Apple ecosystem for over a decade, but recently it has been considered significantly less powerful than newer AI chatbots. While other providers have focused heavily on large-scale voice models, Siri has remained functionally limited. The next version aims to change that. Apple is planning a significantly more intelligent, more personalized Siri that understands content, connects contexts, and interacts more deeply with apps. However, the path to this new Siri has been less straightforward than it initially appeared.
Apple initially planned Siri with Anthropic and Claude
In an interview with the tech podcast TBPN, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple originally planned to redesign Siri in collaboration with Claude. Claude is a large language model from the AI company Anthropic and is considered one of the leading systems in the field of generative AI.
According to Gurman, Anthropic had long been Apple's preferred partner internally. Talks were said to be at an advanced stage. Gurman stated that Anthropic had Apple "in its grasp." The decisive sticking point, however, was the price.
Financial demands led to the change of course
According to Gurman, Anthropic demanded several billion US dollars per year for the collaboration. This amount was also set to double annually for the following three years. This cost structure proved unacceptable to Apple.
From a financial perspective, Apple therefore opted against Anthropic and for Google's Gemini platform. Google was apparently able to offer a significantly cheaper and more predictable long-term solution.
It's noteworthy that, according to Gurman, Apple hadn't planned to use Google for the new Siri "until a few months ago." The decision was therefore made relatively late in the development process and suggests intensive internal deliberations.
Collaboration with Anthropic continues internally
Despite the cancellation of the public version of Siri, the relationship between Apple and Anthropic is not over. Gurman clarified that Apple continues to collaborate with Anthropic internally.
Claude is used at Apple for numerous internal activities, particularly in product development. Apple also operates its own customized versions of Claude, running on company servers. These versions are used for internal tools and development processes but are not part of the officially announced Siri features.
New Siri with Google Gemini coming in 2026
Apple has announced that it will release a revamped version of Siri later this year, based on Google Gemini. The new Siri is expected to be part of iOS 26.4.
The beta phase is scheduled to begin in February. The release to all users is planned for March or April. To use the new Siri features, at least an iPhone 15 Pro or a newer model will likely be required.
These are the features the new Siri is supposed to offer
Apple presented initial details about the new Siri back in June 2024. The revised version is expected to offer significantly more features than previous iterations. Planned features include:
- understanding personal connections
- the recognition of screen content
- the combination of information from multiple apps
- significantly deeper in-app controls
In a demonstration, Apple showcased a scenario in which Siri combines information from the Mail and Messages apps. Siri was able to correctly answer questions about flight details and the lunch reservations of an iPhone user's mother. This contextual understanding is intended to be a key feature of the new Siri.
Siri, AI and calculation: Apple's path to a new solution
A look behind the scenes reveals that Apple didn't focus solely on technical quality when redesigning Siri; economic factors also played a crucial role. Anthropic apparently impressed with its technology but failed due to its financial demands. Google Gemini offered Apple a more economically viable solution.
At the same time, Apple remains strategically flexible by continuing to use Claude internally. With the new Siri, Apple is taking a significant step in the AI race. Whether Google Gemini will truly bring Siri up to par with other modern AI assistants will become clear after its release. (Image: Shutterstock / Poetra.RH)
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