I was halfway through my morning coffee when the news dropped — and I have to say, it made me spit out a little of that coffee.
Hey, I’m Hanks, I've spent the last 3 years testing AI tools inside real workflows. I've watched assistants promise everything and deliver... well, less. So when I saw this joint statement drop on January 12, 2026, I did what I always do: I read every word of the official announcement, cross-referenced it with Apple's existing documentation, and started mapping out what this actually means for people who just want their phone to work better.
Apple and Google announced they're teaming up to rebuild Siri from scratch using Gemini AI — two companies that usually feel like they’re in entirely different solar systems.
My first thought? "Wait, what about privacy?"
My second thought? "When can I actually use this?"
And my third thought — the one that matters most if you're reading this in early 2026 — was: "What do I do in the meantime?"
Here's what I found — and more importantly, what you can do right now while we wait for this thing to ship.
What Google × Apple Actually Announced (60-Second Summary)
Let me cut through the corporate speak.
On January 12, 2026, Apple and Google released a joint statement that basically rewrites the rulebook for how your iPhone's AI brain will work. Not in five years. Not "eventually." This year.
3 Confirmed Facts: Foundation Models / Apple Intelligence / Siri
Here's what's actually confirmed in black and white:
Multi-year collaboration locked in. Apple and Google entered a multi-year partnership where the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be built on top of Google's Gemini models and cloud infrastructure. Not "inspired by." Not "similar to." Built on.
Apple Intelligence gets a new engine. These Gemini-based models will power future Apple Intelligence features across your devices. That's the umbrella term for all the AI stuff Apple's been rolling out — summarization, writing tools, photo search, the works.
Siri gets personal. The headline feature? A "more personalized Siri" launching later this year. Finally. After what feels like a decade of Siri barely understanding my dinner preferences.
I've tested enough AI assistants to know that "personalized" can mean anything from "slightly less dumb" to "actually remembers I'm lactose intolerant." We'll get to what that might actually look like in a minute.
What's Official vs. What's Still Unknown
Now here's where it gets interesting — and frustrating.
Apple's statement is about 200 words long. That's not a lot of detail for something this big. So I built a table to separate what we actually know from what we're still guessing at:
What bugs me most? The stuff they didn't say.
No pricing details. No specific features beyond "more personalized." No word on whether my 2023 iPhone will even support this. And absolutely zero information about international rollout.
When I see a tech announcement this vague, I get suspicious. But I also get curious.
So I kept digging.
2026 Siri & Apple Intelligence: Timeline & Availability
Alright, let's talk about the question everyone's actually asking: when can I use this thing?
When Is the New Siri Coming Out? (Official: "Later this year")
The official word is "later this year" — meaning sometime in 2026.
That's it. That's all they said.
No beta timeline. No specific quarter. Just "this year."
If you've followed Apple launches before, you know this probably means one of two things: either it's coming in the fall with the new iPhone lineup, or it's coming whenever they feel like it's ready and we'll all just have to wait.
I've learned to trust timers more than promises, so here's what I'm actually tracking: Apple Intelligence features have been rolling out in waves since late 2024. Some features came fast. Others took months. The pattern suggests they're prioritizing stability over speed, which — honestly — I respect when it comes to something that's going to live in my pocket.
But "later this year" still leaves a lot of room for disappointment.
4 Things to Check: Region, Language, Device, OS Version
Here's where it gets messier.
The joint statement doesn't mention region support, language availability, device compatibility, or required OS versions. At all.
So I'm working from patterns based on how Apple Intelligence rolled out previously:
Region: Apple Intelligence features typically launch in the US first, then expand to other major markets. If you're in Europe or Asia, you might be waiting a few extra months. The EU just got access to Apple Intelligence features in early 2025, so there's precedent for delayed rollouts.
Language: Apple's been pretty good about English support. Everything else? It depends. As of early 2025, Apple Intelligence supports English (multiple variants), Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and several other languages. Expect English first for the Gemini-powered features, then gradual expansion.
Device: This is the big question mark. Current Apple Intelligence features require:
- iPhone 15 Pro and later
- iPad with M1 chip or later
- Mac with M1 chip or later
I'm guessing the Gemini-powered Siri will follow the same pattern, because running these models on-device isn't cheap from a processing standpoint.
OS Version: You'll almost certainly need the latest iOS/macOS version. That's a safe bet. Apple's not going to backport something this significant to older OS builds.
Here's a verification table you can use once official details emerge:
I'll update this as soon as Apple releases actual details. But right now? We're flying blind.
US/Los Angeles Users: What to Expect
If you're in the US — especially in a major market like Los Angeles — you're probably in the best position to access this early.
Apple tends to prioritize big US cities for beta testing and early rollouts. Makes sense: dense population, high iPhone penetration, lots of feedback potential.
So what might a personalized Siri actually look like for someone in LA?
Based on how Apple Intelligence works now and what Gemini can do, here's what I'm imagining:
Smarter local context. Traffic updates that actually understand your commute patterns. Restaurant suggestions that remember you hate seafood. Event planning that knows you prefer outdoor venues.
Better continuity. Ask Siri something on your iPhone, pick up the thread on your Mac, finish it on your Apple Watch. The whole ecosystem thing, but with actual memory this time.
Privacy-first processing. Everything running on your devices and Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. No data floating around in Google's servers. (More on this in the next section, because I know you're wondering.)
But here's the thing that keeps nagging at me: "personalized" is a marketing word. It doesn't tell me how much better this will actually be than the Siri we have now.
I've tested too many "next-generation" assistants that turned out to be the same old assistant with a fresh coat of paint.
So yeah, I'm cautiously optimistic. But I'm also keeping my expectations in check.
Privacy Deep-Dive: How Your Data Stays on Apple
Okay, this is the part where I know half of you started sweating.
Google. Apple. Your personal data. All in one sentence.
I get it. I had the same reaction.
So I went straight to the source: Apple's Private Cloud Compute documentation and the joint statement. And honestly? The privacy story here is better than I expected.
What Is Private Cloud Compute?
Private Cloud Compute — or PCC, because we love acronyms — is Apple's answer to a very real problem: how do you run powerful AI models in the cloud without turning your data into someone else's training material?
Here's how Apple describes it: PCC is a cloud intelligence system designed specifically for private AI processing. It extends the security and privacy of Apple devices into the cloud by using custom Apple silicon and a hardened operating system.
What does that actually mean?
When you ask Siri something that's too complex to process on your phone, the request gets sent to PCC. But here's the key difference from how most cloud AI works: your data is processed ephemerally. That means it's used to answer your question, then immediately discarded. Not stored. Not logged. Not kept around for "quality improvement" or "personalization."
Think of it like a conversation in a soundproof room that burns all the notes afterward.
I've seen a lot of companies claim they're privacy-first. Most of them are lying. Apple's PCC is one of the few systems where the architecture itself makes it nearly impossible to violate that promise.
Nearly. Not completely. But we'll get to that.
Will Google/Gemini Access My Data? (Official Answer: No)
This is the question I've gotten from every single person I've talked to about this announcement.
"Wait, so Google's powering Siri now? Doesn't that mean they can see everything I say?"
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: Still no, but let me show you why.
The joint statement is explicit: "Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple's industry-leading privacy standards."
Here's how this works in practice:
Gemini provides the foundation model. That's the underlying AI technology — the "brain" that powers the system. Think of it like an engine blueprint.
Apple customizes and runs it. Apple takes that foundation, adapts it to their needs, and runs it entirely within their own infrastructure. Your devices. Their private cloud. Not Google's servers.
Processing stays in Apple's ecosystem. When you interact with Siri, your data flows between your device and Apple's PCC infrastructure. Google never touches it. They don't see it. They don't log it. They're not even in the loop.
It's like buying a car engine from one company and installing it in a completely different car with its own security system. The engine maker doesn't get a tracker in your vehicle.
Now, is this airtight? Let me be honest: nothing in tech is ever 100% guaranteed. But based on the architecture Apple's built and the explicit language in their statement, I'm more comfortable with this setup than I am with basically any other AI assistant on the market.
3 Privacy Principles Apple Confirmed
Apple's PCC documentation lays out three core principles that govern how this whole system works. I'm going to break them down in plain English because the official language is... let's say "extremely technical."
1. Stateless Computation
Your data is only used to fulfill your request. Once Siri answers you, the data is gone. Not stored. Not logged. Not kept around in case you ask a follow-up question later.
Why this matters: Most AI systems keep your data around to "improve the model" or "personalize your experience." PCC doesn't. Every interaction is isolated. That's harder to build, but way better for privacy.
2. Enforceable Guarantees
All PCC components are auditable and constrained in ways that make privacy violations technically difficult, not just policy violations.
What this actually means: You can't just trust Apple's word that they're not logging your data. The system is designed so that even if someone at Apple wanted to break that promise, they'd have to rebuild the entire infrastructure to do it. That's way harder than flipping a switch in a config file.
As documented in Apple's security research, the company has released source code for key PCC components on GitHub and made the Virtual Research Environment available for independent security researchers to verify these claims.
3. No Privileged Access
There are no backdoors. No special access for Apple employees. No way for anyone — including Apple itself — to bypass the system's guarantees and peek at your data.
Real talk: This is the principle I was most skeptical about. Every company says they don't have backdoors until a court order shows up. But Apple's track record here is actually pretty solid. They've fought government requests for access before, and PCC's architecture makes it genuinely difficult to create that kind of access without breaking the whole system.
Could it still happen? Sure. But the barriers are higher here than almost anywhere else.
Can't Wait for 2026? Personal AI Agents You Can Use Today
Alright, here's where we shift gears.
Everything I've talked about so far is coming "later this year." Which could mean next month. Or it could mean December. Or it could slip into 2027 if something breaks in testing.
Meanwhile, you still need help with daily decisions. Meal planning. Outfit coordination. Health tracking. All the stuff Siri promises to do but barely manages.
So what do you do now?
What Is a Personal AI Agent (vs. Siri)?
Let me clear up some terminology first, because "AI assistant" and "AI agent" get thrown around like they mean the same thing.
They don't.
Siri is an assistant. You ask it a question, it gives you an answer. You ask it to set a timer, it sets a timer. Every interaction is isolated. Siri doesn't remember that you asked for a timer yesterday, or that you prefer 10-minute intervals, or that you always ask for this right before you start cooking.
It just... responds. Then forgets.
A personal AI agent is different. It builds context over time. It remembers your preferences, your patterns, your goals. It doesn't just respond to requests — it anticipates them. And it doesn't just give you information — it helps you take action.
I've been testing macaron.im for the last few months, and it's the closest thing I've found to what I think Siri should have been all along.
Here's the core difference: macaron uses something called Deep Memory. That means it doesn't just process your requests in isolation. It builds a long-term understanding of who you are, what you care about, and how you work.
Ask it to help you plan meals? It remembers you're vegetarian and allergic to nuts.
Ask it to suggest an outfit? It remembers your casual style and the fact that you live in Los Angeles where the weather changes every three hours.
Ask it to calculate your calorie needs? It remembers your fitness goals from last week and adjusts based on your progress.
That's not an assistant. That's an agent.
And more importantly: it exists right now. Not "later this year."
3 Ways to Use macaron.im Right Now
I'm going to give you three specific use cases I've personally tested. Not hypotheticals. Not marketing promises. Things I actually use.
1. Daily Decisions: Meal planning, outfit styling, health calculations
This is where most people hit friction. What should I eat? What should I wear? How do I balance my health goals with my actual life?
Macaron has pre-built mini-apps for this stuff. The one I use most is the Baby Meal Planner — yes, it's designed for parents planning baby meals, but the logic works for anyone who wants personalized, quick, healthy meal suggestions.
You tell it your dietary preferences, allergies, and time constraints. It generates a weekly meal plan with shopping lists. It remembers what you liked last week and adjusts.
Quick reality check here: I've tested a lot of meal planning tools. Most of them give you generic recipes pulled from some database. Macaron actually adapts based on what you tell it. That's the difference between software and an agent.
Other daily decision tools I've used: outfit styling (remembers your wardrobe and local weather), health calculations (tracks your fitness goals and adjusts recommendations).
2. Task Execution: Turn AI suggestions into actionable plans
This is where things get interesting.
Most AI tools stop at suggestions. They'll tell you what to do, but they won't help you actually do it.
Macaron doesn't stop there. It converts suggestions into actionable plans — often by generating custom mini-apps on the fly.
Example: I asked it to help me plan a weekend trip to Big Sur. It didn't just give me a list of places to visit. It built me a full itinerary with driving times, backup options if the weather turned, and links to reservations.
Another example: I needed a tool to track my weekly writing goals. Instead of recommending some third-party app, macaron built me a simple tracker that synced with my workflow.
This is what I mean by "agent." It's not just answering questions. It's doing work.
3. Privacy-First: How macaron handles your data
Here's the part that matters if you've been paying attention to the Siri privacy discussion.
Macaron encrypts your data in transit and at rest. It uses your data only to serve you — not for training models, not for selling ads, not for "improving the product" in ways that benefit everyone except you.
The architecture is privacy-by-default. You control what gets stored. You control what gets deleted. And unlike most AI tools, macaron doesn't try to trick you with confusing settings buried in some policy document.
I've poked around in the privacy settings. They're straightforward. That's rare.
3 Copy-Paste Prompt Templates to Try Today
Alright, enough theory. Let me give you three prompts you can literally copy, paste, and run right now on macaron.im.
Prompt 1: Meal Planning
Based on my preference for quick, healthy vegetarian meals and my allergy to nuts, create a weekly baby meal planner with shopping lists.
Why this works: It's specific enough that macaron can generate a real plan, but flexible enough that it'll adapt to your actual constraints.
Prompt 2: Outfit Styling
Remember my casual style and Los Angeles weather — suggest outfits for a weekend hike, including links to similar items.
Why this works: It combines memory (your style), real-time context (local weather), and actionable output (outfit suggestions with links).
Prompt 3: Health Calculations
Track my fitness goals from last week: Calculate my daily calorie needs for weight loss and suggest a personalized workout plan.
Why this works: It references past context (last week's goals) and asks for both data (calorie needs) and action (workout plan). That's the agent behavior kicking in.
I've used variations of these prompts dozens of times. They're not magic. But they're way more useful than asking Siri to set a timer.
FAQ
These are the questions I've gotten from people after they hear about this announcement. I'm answering them based on what's actually confirmed, not what I think might happen.
Will Gemini access my iPhone data?
No.
Processing runs on Apple's devices and Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. Your data doesn't flow to Google. Gemini provides the foundation model technology, but Apple customizes and runs it entirely within their own ecosystem.
This is explicitly stated in the joint announcement and backed up by Apple's PCC architecture.
When exactly does the new Siri launch?
Official answer: "Later this year" (2026).
No precise date. No beta timeline. Just "this year."
If I had to guess based on Apple's patterns, I'd say fall 2026 alongside the next iPhone launch. But that's speculation. The only confirmed fact is "2026."
What if my region/language isn't supported?
We don't know yet.
Apple hasn't released availability details. Based on previous Apple Intelligence rollouts, expect the US and major English-speaking markets first, then gradual expansion to other regions and languages.
If you're outside the initial launch areas, you might be waiting months. Maybe longer if there are regulatory issues.
In the meantime? Tools like macaron.im support multiple languages (including English and Japanese) and work globally right now.
How is macaron.im different from Siri?
Macaron is a personal AI agent designed for life enrichment. It uses Deep Memory to build long-term context about your preferences, habits, and goals. It generates custom mini-apps to turn suggestions into actions. And it focuses on strict privacy — your data isn't shared, sold, or used to train models.
Siri is a voice assistant focused on device tasks and quick responses. The 2026 update will add personalization powered by Gemini, but it's still fundamentally designed for short, isolated interactions.
Think of it this way: Siri helps you control your phone. Macaron helps you organize your life.
Final Thoughts: The Age of Personal AI Agents Is Here
Look, I've been testing AI tools long enough to know that most "revolutionary" announcements turn out to be incremental improvements with better marketing.
But this one feels different.
Not because Apple and Google teamed up — though that's wild in its own right.
Not because Gemini is supposedly better than whatever Apple was using before — though it probably is.
What makes this different is the timing.
We're at a point where personal AI agents aren't science fiction anymore. They're real. They're usable. And they're starting to actually reduce the friction in daily life instead of just adding another layer of complexity.
The Gemini-powered Siri coming later this year is going to be interesting. I'll test it the moment it's available. I'll compare it to what we have now. And I'll write about what actually works versus what's just marketing.
But here's what I know right now: you don't have to wait.
Tools like macaron.im already exist. They already work. And they're already solving the problems that Siri has been promising to solve for a decade.
So yeah, keep an eye out for the 2026 Siri update.
But in the meantime? Start using a real personal AI agent today.
Don't wait for Siri's 2026 update. Sign up for macaron.im free and start using a real personal AI agent today.
See how a personal AI agent works — try macaron's Baby Meal Planner free in 30 seconds.
About the Author Hanks is a first-principles AI workflow tester with three years of experience in automation, content systems, and SaaS tools. He documents real experiments, failures, and system behavior to help creators make better decisions faster. At macaron.im, he's building privacy-first personal AI agents that actually work.
Related Resources
- Apple Intelligence Feature Availability
- Private Cloud Compute Security Guide
- How to Get Apple Intelligence
Data Sources
