Long-standing rumors have suggested that Apple might collaborate with other AI chatbot companies to enhance its smart features in the future. In reality, Apple has already partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into the iOS ecosystem. This integration is currently available in the iOS 18.2 beta and is expected to be officially released in December.

However, there have been no official announcements regarding other integration plans. For instance, Bloomberg previously reported that Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude might be included, but there has been no further development. Notably, Apple software executive Craig Federighi mentioned in a June interview that he looks forward to seeing Gemini integrated into Apple's smart features.

Mark Gurman's latest update in the Power On newsletter provides more insights into the integration progress of Google Gemini: while future enhancements do include integration with Google Gemini, Apple may grant OpenAI an exclusive period, especially considering that Apple has not paid for this technology. Therefore, Gurman expects the Gemini chatbot to debut on iOS next year.

According to Gurman, we might have to wait until next year to see the integration of Google's Gemini, but the exact timing remains uncertain. It could occur sometime in the spring (such as with the release of iOS 18.4), later this year, or even during the iOS 19 release cycle.

In conclusion, we might not see the integration of Gemini within this year. However, for users eager to use Gemini on their iPhones, there is good news: Google released a standalone Gemini application on the App Store earlier this week, allowing iOS users to experience Google's latest AI technology on their devices.