Apple + Google = ❤️

Today in the newsletter: Apple and Google’s walled gardens begin to wilt as the two companies seem to be closer than ever. Plus, how to change your app icons if you hate them. And please submit your Old Things! 

Something happened at Google I/O this week. The unthinkable. The moment that made techies clutch their lanyards: Gemini product lead Josh Woodward did a demo with…gasp…an iPhone.

People on X were shaken. “Wait, they are using an iPhone 17 Pro in Google IO? Wow,” one person posted. “Even Google uses iPhones at their events,” said another.

Yet I just sat there nodding. Yeah, that makes sense.

I’m not saying Apple and Google are suddenly best friends. But on the frenemies scale of 1 to 5—5 being matching frenemies bracelets and 1 being actively breaking our group chats—they seem to be at least a 4.

Let’s look at the evidence. Last week, RCS gained encryption, improving privacy between iPhone and Android texters. Google also said it is expanding AirDrop/Quick Share compatibility to more Android phones and improving the process of switching from iPhones to Android. Some of this was Google’s doing. Some of it was a joint effort. Some of it was because regulators forced some improved interoperability standards. All of it makes life better for people who want to move between the two platforms or simply text or share stuff with friends and family who don’t share the same operating systems.

But something deeper is happening here, too. Apple and Google may still be rivals, but in the AI era, they also need each other. Here’s how it goes both ways:

Google wants to spread its AI.

It’s competing with Apple on operating systems, sure, but it’s also competing with OpenAI, Anthropic and every other frontier AI company trying to build the smartest models. So it benefits Google to show that its AI works on the most popular devices in the world, including iPhones. That doesn’t mean Android matters any less to Google. Quite the opposite: It just held a whole show about Android last week, which we covered here. It just means Google wants Gemini everywhere.

Apple wants AI.

Meanwhile, Apple is not a frontier AI model maker. It needs someone else’s models. In January, the two companies announced a “multi-year collaboration” where Apple's AI models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud infrastructure. The companies said explicitly that this will power “future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year.”

Not all AI camaraderie is going swimmingly, though. While Siri can already tap ChatGPT when it doesn’t know the answer, that relationship is on the rocks. See this week’s reports that OpenAI is considering legal action against Apple over that deal.

Ultimately, Apple wants to sell as many devices and services as possible. Google wants its AI and services used everywhere, even on Apple devices. So yes, Google I/O was this week. But in a way, the conference continues June 8, when Apple holds its own developers conference. Apple’s walled garden isn’t gone. But now there seems to be a gate with a tiny Gemini-shaped key.

That last part I credit to Mercury.

Virtual cards that work through Apple Pay. Contractors paid without the usual archaeological dig through portal menus. A dashboard that actually shows me what's happening with the money in real time, which turns out to be information I want when I'm running a business out of a carry-on.

Banking that works the way modern software does. Fast, clean, no in-person visits, no hold music. Exactly what I need right now. Check it out here.

The whole Spotify disco logo debacle got us thinking: Why do we have to stare at these companies' app icons, especially after they’re uglified? These are our phones. Our homescreens. Let’s rise up and redecorate. There are two ways to customize your iPhone app icons.

The easy way—change all your apps at once:

The hard way—change all your apps one at a time with a customized icon:

Also, Samsung lets you download style packs, and Google Pixels with Android 16 can change the shape of the app.

I’ve mostly used this as an excuse to go old school. My Spotify app is back to the original lime green icon and Instagram is once again a tiny Polaroid camera. Send us your custom app icons: @joannastern on social or [email protected].

Name? John Contrata

What’s your old thing? Texas Instruments TI-36X Solar Scientific Calculator

What year is your old thing from? 1987

Why do you love your old thing? My parents purchased this solar calculator for me as I prepared to start college and pursue an engineering degree. In fact, I still use it today on occasion. I love this calculator but it did provide one scary experience. Freshman year, my chemistry final exam was in a large, old lecture hall with poor lighting and this solar calculator would slowly fade in the numbers on the display when I pressed a key. I barely finished the exam in time from having to work so slowly. Why didn’t I ask to be moved to a seat closer to the lights? Apparently the “Anylite Solar” tagline at the bottom of the calculator doesn’t include 1950s era lecture halls.

This newsletter was written and curated by Joanna Stern and Adele Lowitz. Thanks for reading. See you Wednesday! And don’t forget to become a paid subscriber for the full Wednesday newsletter, extra tips and other perks! 👋🏻