What is Apple Intelligence? Release date, all new iOS features and compatible devices revealed
APPLE Intelligence is the iPhone-maker’s answer to the big AI craze that is sweeping the technology industry.
AI, which stands for artificial intelligence, can create boost tools that can make things like writing, photo editing, texting and emails much easier.
It has become the latest arena where smartphone makers like Apple and Google can go head to head for the smartest new tools.
Apple has been lagging behind its Android competitors in the roll out of AI features.
But the tech giant appears to have upped the ante, unveiling Apple Intelligence to the world in June.
Release date
Some features are already available in the iOS 18.1 update – but only for US users.
Brits can get around that, however, by switching their iPhone language to US English.
Apple Intelligence will officially launch in the UK in December, according to Apple.
No date has been put on the launch yet.
New features
iOS 18.1 doesn’t include the full breadth of features that Apple says will be available.
A brief overview of iOS 18.1
- Writing Tools
- Clean Up in Photos
- Create a Memory movie in Photos
- Natural language search in Photos
- Notification summaries
- Reduce Interruptions Focus
- Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing in Focus
- Priority messages in Mail
- Smart Reply in Mail and Messages
- Summaries in Mail and Messages
- Siri enhancements, including product knowledge, more resilient request handling, new look and feel, more natural voice, the ability to type to Siri, and more
Help with writing
Apple Intelligence claims it can help you write the perfect text message or email.
It will supposedly work in any app.
Simply ask the AI to rewrite, proofread, or summarise any form of text – be that in Gmail, WhatsApp or iMessage.
It can correct your grammar, edit your word choice and even the sentence structure – and then ask you to approve its recommendations.
Super-smart Siri
A new-and-improved Siri that uses AI is one of the most anticipated updates with Apple Intelligence.
It’s thought Siri will be injected with a touch of AI, to transform it from a voice assistant to a chatbot.
That means you’ll be able to be more conversational with Siri, and it should even be able to remember the context of your previous requests.
If you have the new Siri, you’ll notice the edges of your iPhone’s screen will light up when the voice assistant is activated.
Smarter Photos
The Photos app gains a tool that allows the AI to search for specific images by typing in specific things.
For example, “a picture of Hannah blowing out her birthday candles”.
It should work if you’ve attached names to the important people in your life in the app.
This also works for videos.
The Memories feature will also let you create movies from your videos and photos by typing in a description, such as “last summer in Ibiza”, and Apple Intelligence should do the rest.
Like Google’s Magic Eraser tool, Photos now has a Clean Up tool that lets you erase unwanted objects in photos.
Compatible devices
Only a handful of iPhones will be eligible for the update, including:
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
On the iPad front:
- iPad Pro with M1 chip or later
- iPad Air with M1 chip or later
- iPad mini with A17 Pro chip
As for Macs:
- MacBook Air with M1 and later
- MacBook Pro with M1 and later
- iMac with M1 and later
- Mac mini with M1 and later
- Mac Studio with M1 Max and later
- Mac Pro with M2 Ultra