Gemini Is Now in CarPlay. Siri Already Runs on Google. Now Google Doesn’t Need Siri

Google’s Gemini app now works in Apple CarPlay with full Gemini Live voice conversations, rolling out globally to all Gemini users on iOS. Drivers can ask it to read their unread emails or check their next appointment, joining ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Meta AI and Grok, which already had CarPlay apps.

In this article: Siri rents Google’s brain. Now Google comes without Siri · The car was Siri’s last home · Read my emails while I drive? No, thanks · Apple charges, Google gives it away · My guess: Siri loses the steering wheel button · What you should do before you tap that icon · FAQ

Siri rents Google’s brain. Now Google comes without Siri

Here’s the part nobody says out loud. Apple’s new Siri AI already runs on Google’s Gemini models. Apple wraps it, puts its own name on it, and in the fine print it talks about daily limits and a fee for more.

And now Google itself sits on your CarPlay screen, under its own logo. It’s like renting a famous chef for your restaurant, and one day the chef opens his own place across the street. Same food, his name on the door.

The car was Siri’s last home

On the phone, people already open ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini when they want a real answer. The one place where Siri still had everyone to itself was the car. You press the button on the steering wheel, and Siri answers. That habit was Apple’s.

Now every big AI is there: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Meta AI, Grok, and from today Gemini. Gemini was the last one missing. Apple didn’t lose the car in one day. But today the door is fully open.

Read my emails while I drive? No, thanks

Google is selling this as convenience: catch up on your unread emails, ask about your next meeting. To me, that’s the exact thing I said I’d never do: give an AI access to my email. And now it’s on a screen in my car.

We’re talking about Google, the company that already knows almost everything about us. Google itself says some Gemini conversations can be read by human reviewers. So your emails, read out loud by Gemini in your car, may end up in front of someone you’ll never meet.

Apple charges, Google gives it away

This is the part that should worry Apple most. Apple plans limits and a fee for Siri AI, just like it already sells AI by the pack. Gemini Live in CarPlay comes to all Gemini users on iOS. The same brain, one with a price tag in the fine print, the other just an app update.

When a free thing and a paid thing come from the same kitchen, I know which one most drivers will press.

My guess: Siri loses the steering wheel button

My prediction: within a year, a big part of iPhone drivers will talk to Gemini or ChatGPT in the car, not Siri. Apple will answer with a better Siri in CarPlay, probably still powered by Google, probably with a limit.

What you should do before you tap that icon

• Update the Gemini app, allow the microphone and use Gemini Live once on your phone. Then the icon appears in CarPlay.
• Think twice before you let it read your email. Your inbox is your life.
• In your Google account, check the Gemini activity settings and turn off saving your conversations if you don’t want them kept or reviewed.
• And keep your eyes on the road. A voice assistant is still a distraction.

Also on Evolt News: Apple’s Record Quarter Is a Price Tag, Not a Sales Record. And Now Siri Costs Extra · Five Days Ago, Siri Agents Had to Wait for “Security.” Now Apple Is in a Panic · Google’s AI Learns From Us. Nobody Pays Us For It

Featured image: Apple CarPlay in a Volkswagen ID.4. Photo: Sunnyboy122 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).

This article is opinion.

Gemini in Apple CarPlay: FAQ

Is Gemini available in Apple CarPlay?

Yes. Google is rolling out Gemini Live in CarPlay globally to all Gemini users on iOS, in every language Gemini Live supports.

How do I turn on Gemini in CarPlay?

Update the Gemini app on your iPhone, allow microphone access and use Gemini Live on your phone at least once. Then tap the Gemini icon on your CarPlay screen.

What can Gemini do in CarPlay?

You can have a voice conversation with Gemini Live, for example ask it to catch you up on unread emails or tell you when your next appointment starts.

Which other AI chatbots work in CarPlay?

ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Meta AI and Grok already have CarPlay support. Siri also has a standalone app in iOS 27 that supports CarPlay.

Does Siri use Google’s Gemini?

Apple’s current Siri AI relies on Google’s Gemini models, run on Apple’s servers.

Can Google see my Gemini conversations?

Google says some Gemini conversations can be reviewed by people. You can turn off saving your Gemini activity in your Google account settings.

I read this news on 9to5Mac.

Sources: Google, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider.

Our Take

Gemini was the last big AI chatbot missing from CarPlay. Now Google’s assistant sits on the same screen as Siri, while Siri itself runs on Google’s models.

Apple plans limits and fees for Siri AI. Google just ships an app update. Before you let any assistant read your email in the car, check what it stores and who can see it.