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Apple didn’t dive head first into this new era of generative AI like Google, Microsoft, and others, but it’s releasing new AI features all the same. After months of previews and vague timelines, Apple has dropped the first version of Apple Intelligence today, giving users the chance to reformat text, declutter notifications, and do more with the latest AI models.
Apple Intelligence is available on most newer devices in Apple’s lineup. It’s on Apple’s computers via a macOS update, and it’s in iOS 18.1 for the iPhone and iPad (including the new Mini). However, you need to be using an iPhone 16 or one of the iPhone 15 Pro models. Unlike most generative AI systems, Apple Intelligence defaults to local processing that requires specific hardware, resorting to the cloud for more advanced features using ChatGPT.
New Apple Intelligence features will roll out every few months through early next year. This first batch of AI tools is nothing we haven’t seen before—it’s mostly text-based, revolving around summarizing and editing content. So, you can highlight some text on your device and tell the AI to proofread it or modify the vibe to be more professional, casual, or friendly. Some apps will have dedicated buttons for these Writing Tools, but usually, you’ll access them from the pop-over menu.
Credit: Apple
The Notes and Mail apps have a healthy dose of AI in this update, offering tools to summarize content in a few taps. The Mail app can also prioritize emails with AI to (allegedly) show you the most important ones first. This mirrors a change to notifications, which will get a new summary of recent activity courtesy of Apple Intelligence. So, you might not have to read that 30-message Slack conversation to know what’s happening. The models can also reduce interruptions from notifications with a new Focus mode feature. If the AI thinks a notification is sufficiently important, it will allow that one through while keeping others silent.
Apple is adding some classic AI features to its Photos app, too. The new Clean Up feature lets you highlight and remove elements from images, and it can suggest edits for you—it’s a carbon copy of Google’s Magic Editor. The app can also find and combine photos and videos into personalized memories based on a text prompt. In the same vein, you can search for images with natural language similar to the way Google Photos has worked online for years. Microsoft is planning a similar feature for Copilot+ PCs.
Apple confirms the next Apple Intelligence update will arrive in December, featuring numerous changes to Writing Tools. You’ll be able to explain how you want text rewritten, and ChatGPT integration will be available. We’ll also get Image Playground to create AI images, including emoji-style reactions for use in iMessage. Finally, the camera will get visual intelligence that can identify objects in the viewfinder.