Apple has played the long game with its generative AI features, opting not to rush into adding AI copilots to devices like rival Microsoft has done. Instead, Apple’s upcoming generative AI features aim to fulfill the promise Siri made over a decade ago — a humanlike assistant that can make using devices more intuitive — while also adding well-known generative AI capabilities like image generation on smartphones.
Apple Intelligence is an umbrella term for various generative AI features that can operate on Apple devices. It includes:
Apple Intelligence is enabled by Apple’s own A17 Pro, A18, A18 Pro, M1, or M2 chips, which include a neural network component that runs on-device generative operations. Some of the more processing-intensive generative AI tasks on iPhones will be offloaded to Private Cloud Compute, a gateway between the phone and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
SEE: Our cheat sheet has everything you need to know about iPhone 16.
Apple Intelligence runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iOS 18.1 or later. The full list of devices is:
| iPhone 16 (A18) iPhone 16 Plus (A18) iPhone 16 Pro Max (A18 Pro) iPhone 16 Pro (A18 Pro) iPhone 15 Pro Max (A17 Pro) |
iPhone 15 Pro (A17 Pro) iPad Pro (M1 and later) iPad Air (M1 and later) MacBook Air (M1 and later) MacBook Pro (M1 and later) |
iMac (M1 and later) Mac mini (M1 and later) Mac Studio (M1 Max and later) Mac Pro (M2 Ultra) |
Apple Intelligence is not available in China and may be limited in the EU.
No. Devices with hardware older than the ones listed above don’t have suitable chips to run Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence is free with a software upgrade on the supported devices.
As of September 2024, Apple Intelligence is in preview via the iOS 18.1 beta release. The full release will happen in October. However, not all Apple Intelligence features will be available at that time. First to launch will be Writing Tools, Photos features, summarization and audio support in Notes, Reduce Interruptions, Priority Messages and Smart Reply in Mail, and enhancements to Siri.
Later this year and in the months following, Apple will introduce more image-editing features, enhanced personal context and on-screen awareness in Siri interactions, and world knowledge powered by ChatGPT.
Apple Intelligence will initially roll out in American English. In December, it will gain localized English for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. Other languages — including Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish — will follow next year.
It depends on the definition of the term. Prior to the upgrade she received from Apple Intelligence, Siri could be referred to as artificial intelligence, but not generative AI. Siri wasn’t remixing any content but was instead simply performing operations.
Some argue that these computing capabilities shouldn’t be considered AI, as the term suggests a science-fiction level of human-like intelligence that algorithms, no matter how advanced, can’t achieve. However, “AI” has become a widely accepted term for certain types of computing. Still, it might have been more accurate to call Siri a digital assistant rather than a true AI.
After the upgrade to Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 or the beta, it could now be accurate to call Siri generative AI.
Apple Intelligence will arrive on applicable iPhones as an automatic software update in October. To check for software updates manually, visit Settings > General > Software Update.
As of September 2024, iPhone users can make sure they’re among the first to get Apple Intelligence by joining the waitlist after updating to iOS 18.1. Go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Join the Apple Intelligence Waitlist.
Samsung and Google have both integrated generative AI into their newest phones. The Google Pixel 9 series, which came out in August, uses Google Gemini for photo editing, summarization, and conversations. The Samsung Galaxy S24 series, which came out earlier this year, also uses Google Gemini and other Google AI products for similar capabilities.
