Apple Intelligence: What Is It? Everything We Know About The AI Features of the iPhone 16
Over time, the core of the iPhone 16 experience will be Apple’s generative AI capabilities. If you currently own an iPhone 15 Pro, any iPad, or Mac with Apple M1 chip or later, you are welcome to test out the public beta.
Apple has started implementing generative AI across its many operating systems, dubbed Apple Intelligence, which isn’t very subtle. This began when Apple Intelligence made a splash at the WWDC keynote in June and advanced further at the It’s Glow time event in early September when the iPhone 16 series was unveiled.
Apple’s head of software engineering, Craig Federighi, stated that Apple Intelligence is “at the heart of the iPhone 16 experience” during the Glowtime keynote.
Days before the iPhone 16 debuted in stores, the company had made Apple Intelligence available for public testing. This included some of the AI-powered writing tools, Siri advancements, and queries related to photo libraries that Apple had promised. However, it won’t be fully available until later this fall for a select group of iPhones, iPads, and Macs that have the required chipsets; even then, it will only be available as a beta feature that users can choose to use.
Given that it is a component of the public beta of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1, Apple Intelligence is essentially a beta within a beta.
Apple is not releasing all of the AI-powered updates at once as promised. AI-suggested writing tools that appear in emails or documents, photo tools like Clean Up to remove unwanted portions of an image, and several changes to Siri, like a more natural-sounding voice and more contextual conversations, as well as a new glowing border around the display when Siri is operating, are all included in the public beta version of Apple Intelligence.
Additionally, AI summaries may be found in Messages, Mail, Notifications, and Notes, and immediate movie memory requests can be found in Photos. However, other Siri functions, Apple’s GenMoji and Image Playground tools, and ChatGPT plug-ins are not currently available.
You can choose to test Apple Intelligence capabilities in the public beta through a Settings app option. According to Apple, approval for this process may take several hours. Whether Apple will use a similar opt-in procedure for its public release of the Apple Intelligence beta later this year is still up in the air.
Even while some of Apple’s AI capabilities seem really helpful, not everyone will be able to use them because they will only be available on a select few iPhones, iPads, and Macs later this year (iPhone 15 Pro models or later, as well as Macs and iPads with M-series CPUs). Hopefully, we’ll start to learn more about what those characteristics can truly accomplish.
How is Apple Intelligence going to act?
The tagline for Apple Intelligence is “AI for the rest of us.” The theory is that your iPhone, iPad, and Mac all have built-in Apple Intelligence to support your writing, productivity, and self-expression. It creates recommendations based on your own context across all of your Apple devices and produces more individualised results. Apple claims that the AI capability is a game-changer for AI privacy.
An important component of Apple’s approach to Apple Intelligence, according to CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco, is the recognition of personal context while providing responses and completing tasks.
“Apple seems to be using this tactic as a way to distinguish its own AI efforts from those previously announced by competitors,” Eadicicco noted. “As an example, the company explained how Apple Intelligence can understand multiple factors like traffic, your schedule and your contacts to help you understand whether you can make it to an event on time.”
Which gadgets will Apple Intelligence be applied to?
With Siri and the device language set to US English, Apple Intelligence is now accessible in beta on the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any iPad or Mac with an M1 chip or later.
Apple Intelligence will be made available to the general public this autumn as part of MacOS Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18.
The following is a list of current Apple products that support Apple Intelligence:
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
- iPad Air with an M1 or M2 chip
- iPad Pro with an M1, M2 or M4 chip
- MacBook Air with an M1, M2 or M3 chip
- MacBook Pro with an M1, M2 or M3 chip
- Mac Mini with an M1 or M2 chip
- Mac Studio with an M1 or M2 chip
- iMac with an M1 or M3 chip
- Mac Pro with an M2 chip
When will it be possible to use Apple Intelligence?
October will see the beta release of the first set of features utilising Apple Intelligence capabilities as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1. Appearing “in the months to come,” Apple promised further features.
With Siri and device language set to US English, you can currently utilise Apple Intelligence on a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the public betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1, respectively.
Where can I get hold of Apple Intelligence?
It will be accessible in the US upon launch. Apple specifically states that Apple Intelligence will function on compatible Mac, iPad, or iPhone models that have US English device language configured and Siri installed. By 2025, support for more languages will be available.
Uses ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence?
No. Apple Intelligence operates on Apple silicon-powered servers in the cloud, which Apple refers to as Private Cloud Compute, as well as on devices (iPhone, iPad, or Mac). The questions and prompts you ask will determine whether Apple Intelligence is handled in the cloud or on your device. Neither ChatGPT nor OpenAI’s well-known service powers Apple Intelligence.
That being said, Apple Intelligence does support more third-party AI services, the first of which is ChatGPT. On iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS Sequoia, ChatGPT access will be incorporated into Siri and writing tools, enabling users of Apple devices to access it without switching between tools.
Which tools will be available to Apple Intelligence?
There are three types of Apple Intelligence capabilities: text, photos, and Siri. Writing supplies will always be close at hand. With only a tap, Apple Intelligence can summarise a portion of your content, edit multiple drafts while changing the phrasing and tone, and proofread your writing.
With the new Picture Playground app, picture tools will be able to produce unique images in response to suggestions. With the help of the Apple Intelligence-powered Image Wand, you can transform a basic drawing into a relevant image that goes well with your notes. With Apple Intelligence, you will also be able to create personalised and distinctive Genmoji right from your keyboard. According to Apple, you’ll even be able to select a person from your photo collection and make a Genmoji that resembles them.
You may create a personalised memory movie in the Photos app by entering a description.
Apple Intelligence is going to completely revamp Siri. Along with a new look, Siri will recognise more languages and allow users to enter commands rather than just speaking them. Siri will sound more conversational and natural in both voice and response. Siri can act in and across different apps, understands your specific context, and is knowledgeable about the capabilities and settings of your devices thanks to Apple Intelligence. Siri will be able to help you like never before, according to Apple.
What is the price of Apple Intelligence?
As of right now, Apple Intelligence is free, and there are no plans to charge for it.