Apple is now rolling out its first batch of Apple Intelligence features across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, available using a free software update side by side with the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. According to the company, Apple Intelligence is designed to help users in their daily work by blending language processing and image recognition with system-wide measures of privacy. It will be the first part of a personal AI experience specially designed for use across the company’s devices.
A focus on language tools across Apple devices
Apple Intelligence announces the availability of Writing Tools across the board in Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, and some third-party applications. The writing tools can be used for text rewrite, proofreading, and summarizing. There are those who will like a different way of wording an idea, so Rewrite will give several versions of text with a switch on tone from professional to concise or friendly.
Under Proofread, grammatical changes will be underlined with a suggested rewording plus the context so the person making the change will understand what is being changed. While summarizing, it gives information to the reader in formats that can be personalized, like bullet points, tables, and paragraphs.
Siri’s enhanced functionality and conversational capabilities
Siri has been designed and developed with improvements in functionality. The new visual indicator coupled with more flexibility in voice and text commands helps for smoother interaction across tasks by allowing users to switch between typing and voice commands. Its enhanced language capabilities allow Siri to maintain context over several queries and follow instructions even when speech is not so clear. Siri’s broader knowledge of device settings and features also offers more utility for users seeking quick guidance.
Photos app: Search, cleanup, and custom movie creations
Apple Intelligence brings to the Photos app a smarter search functionality. Users will be able to search using descriptions of images and videos. For instance, one can use words such as “Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt” to get what they need, specifically the content on both photos and videos. Other new features of Photos are the Clean Up tool for removing unwanted objects or people from images, and Memories, which curate the content into movies based on user input.
Prioritizing tasks and summarizing notifications
Another improvement to help users manage many incoming high-priority emails or notifications is the Priority Messages section in Mail, which notifies urgent emails and provides summarization of long message chains.
Moreover, Reduce Interruption Focus mode also prioritizes your notifications based on its importance. In addition to these, new transcription as well as summarization tools present in the Phone and the Notes apps allow users to have recorded, transcribed conversation as well as receive conversation and recording summaries.
Privacy-centered features: On-device processing and private cloud compute
The company has also infused privacy considerations into its Apple Intelligence, which focuses on on-device processing for many AI functions. Whenever a feature requires more computing power, Private Cloud Compute delivers that in the cloud but protects user data. According to Apple, it cannot store or share such data and has an independent verification of its claims of transparency.
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Availability and compatibility
Apple Intelligence features are now available as a free update for all eligible devices. Here’s the list of devices compatible for Apple Intelligence:
iPhones
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro
iPads
- iPad Pro (M1 or later)
- iPad Air (M1 or later)
- iPad mini (A17 Pro)
Macs
- MacBook Air (M1 and later)
- MacBook Pro (M1 and later)
Others
- iMac (M1 and later)
- Mac mini (M1 and later)
- Mac Studio (M1 Max and later)
- Mac Pro (M2 Ultra)
Apple also shared its plan to expand language support for Apple Intelligence starting December and throughout 2025.
Ongoing development and future expansions
This is just the beginning for Apple Intelligence. In December, the company will unleash additional features-including enhanced emoji creation, writing tools, and visual intelligence features. Localized English support in several countries arrives in December, with broader language support arriving in April.