Apple introduces permission prompt for AI features that run on Google Cloud
Apple has added a new user consent dialog in iOS 26 and iOS 27 to inform users when certain AI functions send data to Google Cloud, extending its Private Cloud Compute service to the third-party platform.
Apple is rolling out a permission prompt in iOS 26 and the upcoming iOS 27 that alerts users when data for specific artificial-intelligence features is transmitted to Google Cloud. The dialog appears when using shape-generation tools in iWork on iOS 26 and similar AI capabilities in Freeform on iOS 27, as well as in the recent Apple Creator Studio update.
The change follows Apple’s 2024 launch of Apple Intelligence, which originally relied on Private Cloud Compute (PCC) running exclusively on Apple-owned servers. Apple now says its AI models, developed in partnership with Google, will also operate on Google Cloud while maintaining the same layered security architecture used on Apple silicon. According to the company, PCC on Google Cloud isolates network data parsing in dedicated processes, recycles inference software with short lifespans, and stores attested keys in a confidential virtual machine separate from external inputs.
The new prompt is intended to obtain user consent for data handling under the expanded backend arrangement, marking the first instance of Apple’s AI services leveraging external cloud infrastructure.
