Apple May Launch Gemini-Powered Siri Upgrade This Month, 9to5Mac Reports

Apple’s next‑generation Siri may land before the end of the quarter, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. The outlet says the company is poised to ship a Gemini‑powered “Personal Intelligence” upgrade as early as March, riding the momentum of a three‑week sprint that delivered eight new hardware products, a record‑breaking Mac launch and a preview of 13 iPhone enhancements. The timing would line up with Apple’s internal target of iOS 26.5, a version that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has identified as the likely home for the long‑promised, more contextual Siri experience.

The partnership behind the upgrade was announced on Jan. 12, 2026, when Apple and Google revealed a multi‑year collaboration that will base Apple’s next foundation models on Google’s Gemini AI and cloud infrastructure. The joint statement emphasized that Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, preserving the firm’s privacy‑first stance while leveraging Gemini’s capabilities. The Verge corroborates the deal, noting that Apple has “picked Google’s Gemini AI for its big Siri upgrade.” This move marks a shift from Apple’s earlier roadmap, which had slated a personalized Siri—complete with on‑screen awareness and cross‑app actions—to be delivered in the iOS 18 cycle. That rollout never materialized; Apple delayed the feature on March 7, 2025, promising delivery “in the coming year,” a phrase that now appears to have been stretched to the next calendar year.

Developers have already begun testing the Gemini‑enabled components in the iOS 26.4 beta, but the new Siri features are absent from that build. 9to5Mac reports that Apple has redirected its focus to the upcoming iOS 26.5 release, which is expected to become the stable platform until iOS 27.0 ships in September. The Verge adds that Apple may also rely on Google’s servers for data handling in the upgraded Siri, a detail that raises eyebrows given Apple’s historic aversion to external cloud services for core AI functions. Nonetheless, the company assures users that any data processed through Google’s Gemini will still be subject to Apple’s “industry‑leading privacy standards,” a claim echoed across the coverage.

If the March timeline holds, the Gemini‑powered Siri will likely debut a suite of features originally promised for iOS 18: deeper contextual awareness, the ability to act across apps, and a more conversational tone that builds on recent improvements such as “type to Siri” and product‑knowledge expansions. CNET’s brief on the upgrade hints that the rollout could begin in February, but the consensus among the sources points to a March launch tied to iOS 26.5. Apple’s strategy appears to be to bundle the overdue Personal Intelligence capabilities with the next minor iOS update, giving the company a chance to showcase tangible AI progress before the major iOS 27 unveiling slated for June.

The stakes are high. Siri has long lagged behind rivals like ChatGPT and Google Assistant in both capability and user perception. By anchoring its next AI leap to Google’s Gemini, Apple hopes to close that gap without sacrificing the on‑device processing that has been its privacy hallmark. If the upgrade arrives as scheduled, it will be the first concrete evidence that Apple’s “Apple Intelligence” branding is more than a marketing veneer—it will be a functional, privacy‑preserving AI layer that finally delivers the personalized assistant experience the company has teased for years.