Apple Can Now Distill Google Gemini Into Smaller On-Device Models for Siri
Apple's deal with Google is considerably deeper than most observers initially assumed. New reporting from The Information reveals that Apple's multi-year agreement grants the company "complete access" to Gemini models running in Google's own data centers — not just API endpoints for user-facing queries, but the full model weights and infrastructure needed to use Gemini as a training foundation. That access lets Apple distill Google's large models into smaller, highly optimized versions built for on-device inference on iPhone hardware.
In practice, this means the next generation of Apple Foundation Models powering Siri and Apple Intelligence may carry significant Gemini DNA — trained on or shaped by capabilities that Google spent years and billions of dollars developing. It reframes the Apple-Google AI relationship from a simple distribution arrangement into something closer to a technology transfer at the model level, a dynamic that has major implications for both companies' competitive positions.
For developers building on either platform, the takeaway is clear: the boundaries between Google's AI capabilities and Apple's on-device intelligence are blurring in ways that will reshape what Siri can do, what Apple Intelligence means, and ultimately what users expect from AI features across the entire iOS ecosystem.