iOS 19 to feature Google Gemini integration? Google CEO Sundar Pichai hopes it does

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has confirmed that the company is in discussions with Apple to integrate its Gemini artificial intelligence model directly into iPhones. Speaking during court proceedings in Washington on Wednesday, as part of the ongoing antitrust trial brought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Pichai said he hopes to finalise an agreement with Apple by the middle of 2025.

According to Reuters, Pichai revealed under questioning by DOJ attorney Veronica Onyema that he had discussed the possibility of a partnership with Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2023 and continued those conversations throughout 2024. He added that a deal this year would see Gemini AI included within Apple Intelligence, Apple’s suite of AI-powered features.

A report by Bloomberg earlier noted that the inclusion of Gemini in iPhones could coincide with the launch of iOS 19, expected to be announced at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. Code discovered in an iOS 18.4 beta earlier this year, as reported by MacRumors, had also suggested Apple was preparing to add Gemini as an AI model option.

Currently, Apple’s AI offering includes integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Since iOS 18.2, Siri has been able to deliver responses generated by ChatGPT when it cannot independently answer a query, subject to user consent. ChatGPT also powers elements of Apple Intelligence, such as the writing tool and Visual Intelligence features. A partnership with Google would give users the option to choose between Gemini and ChatGPT for these tools, without needing to install a separate app.

The Gemini app is already available on iOS, but the proposed integration would embed it more deeply into the operating system, thereby providing a more seamless AI experience similar to how ChatGPT is used today.

However, the discussion of a partnership comes at a critical time for Google. The DOJ and a coalition of state attorneys general are seeking major antitrust remedies that could alter Google’s business practices. These include prohibiting it from paying to be the default search engine on devices, forcing it to share search data with competitors, and even divesting parts of its business like the Chrome browser.

Pichai warned that such measures would significantly undermine Google’s ability to invest in research and development. "It would be trivial to reverse engineer and effectively build Google Search from the outside," he said, according to Reuters, describing the proposals as "extraordinary" and a "de facto divestiture of our IP related to search."

He also noted that Google is experimenting with introducing advertising into its Gemini app, which could signal broader monetisation plans as the AI space becomes more competitive.

If the partnership between Apple and Google goes through, it would mark a major step toward Apple’s stated goal of offering multiple AI options within its ecosystem, and further intensify competition in the mobile AI space.