Apple’s rollout of Apple Intelligence on iPhones has been anything but smooth. While ChatGPT integration was added later in iOS 18 to handle more complex queries, Apple has confirmed that users will eventually have the option to choose other third-party AI models in the future. Now, it appears that Google’s Gemini AI could be next in line for integration.
iOS 18.4 Beta Hints at Gemini AI Integration
Apple recently released iOS 18.4 Beta to public testers and developers, introducing a slew of fresh features. However, beyond these updates, the firmware contains clues suggesting that Gemini AI could soon be integrated into iOS, according to a discovery by known leaker Aaron Perris.
A screenshot shared by Perris on X reveals references to “Third Party Model”, along with “Google” and “OpenAI” within the code. These keywords strongly suggest that Apple is preparing to expand its AI model options, allowing users to select Gemini as an alternative to ChatGPT for handling advanced queries beyond Siri’s capabilities.
Apple’s backend has revealed that the next 3rd party iOS-AI integration will be Google Gemini pic.twitter.com/0rIuJhT5Lj
— Aaron (@aaronp613) February 21, 2025
At WWDC 2024, Apple’s SVP Craig Federighi stated that the company is open to integrating more third-party AI models into iOS. This latest finding indicates that Google’s Gemini is Apple’s next pick, though the AI model is already available to iPhone users through a standalone app.
How Gemini AI Would Benefit iPhone Users
Integrating Gemini AI directly into the system could offer several advantages, including the ability to access Gemini through Siri or a dedicated gesture. Additionally, different AI models have varying capabilities and approaches to data handling and privacy, so offering Gemini as an option would give users more control over their AI preferences, rather than being limited to a single model.
It remains unclear which version of Gemini will be integrated and what features it will offer to iPhone users. However, we can take cues from the existing Gemini app for iOS, which includes reasoning capabilities via the Gemini 2.0 Flash model, along with text and image generation and support for multi-modal input.
The exact timeline for Gemini integration in iOS is still unknown. However, based on these findings, it is likely that Apple will expand AI options in an upcoming iOS 18 update—possibly with iOS 18.4, which is expected to launch in April.
Which Gemini AI features would you like to see integrated into iOS? Share your thoughts in the comments!
