What Is Apple Intelligence and When Does the iPhone 16 Get It? Everything to Know

3 weeks ago 10

Now that the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro are out, Apple's push for generative AI, under the none-too-subtle name of Apple Intelligence, is almost officially real. Right now the iPhone 16 series ships without Apple Intelligence, but rumors from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman point to Apple releasing some Apple Intelligence features on Oct. 28.
Apple Intelligence won't be limited to just the iPhone and will be added across Apple's multiple OSes. Hype for Apple's AI has been on the rise ever since Apple Intelligence stole the show during the WWDC keynote back in June and took a step forward at the It's Glowtime event earlier in September that introduced the iPhone 16 lineup.

During the Glowtime keynote presentation, Craig Federighi, Apple's head of software engineering, said that Apple Intelligence is "at the heart of the iPhone 16 experience."

The company had opened up Apple Intelligence for public testing days before the iPhone 16 hit stores, which included some of Apple's promised AI-powered writing tools, Siri enhancements and photo-library-connected requests. But it's not being released in full until later this fall for a subset of iPhones, iPads and Macs equipped with the necessary chipsets -- and even then it will debut as a beta feature to opt into.

So Apple Intelligence is really a beta within a beta: it's part of the public beta of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and MacOS Sequoia 15.1.

Apple is not introducing all its promised AI-driven upgrades at once. The public beta version of Apple Intelligence has AI-suggested writing tools that pop up in documents or emails, photo tools including Clean Up to remove unwanted parts of an image and a number of Siri changes, including a new voice designed to sound more natural, more contextual conversations, a new glowing border around the display when Siri is running, and a double-tap gesture on the bottom of the screen to type to Siri.

There's also instant movie memory requesting in Photos and AI summaries in Messages, Mail, Notifications and Notes. But ChatGPT plug-ins, Apple's GenMoji and Image Playground features and other Siri features aren't on board yet.

The public beta has an option in the Settings app that lets you opt into Apple Intelligence features for testing, a process that Apple says could take hours to get approved for. It's still unknown whether Apple's public release of the Apple Intelligence beta arriving later this year will have a similar opt-in process.

While some of Apple's AI features sound genuinely useful, the limited rollout to only certain iPhones, iPads and Macs later this year (iPhone 15 Pro models or later, and Macs and iPads with M-series chips) means it won't be used by everyone. We will, hopefully, begin to understand what those features will actually be capable of doing.

What will Apple Intelligence do?

Apple Intelligence calendar reminder on an iPhone

Apple Intelligence is billed as "AI for the rest of us." The idea is that Apple Intelligence is built into your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to help you write, get things done and express yourself. It draws on personal context across your Apple devices to make recommendations, and generates results more specific to you. Apple touts the AI feature as setting a brand-new standard for privacy in AI.

CNET's Lisa Eadicicco, in her story about Apple Intelligence, says that understanding personal context when delivering answers and carrying out tasks is a big part of Apple's approach with Apple Intelligence.

"Apple seems to be using this tactic as a way to distinguish its own AI efforts from those previously announced by competitors," wrote Eadicicco. "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 devices will Apple Intelligence work on?

At the moment, Apple Intelligence is available in beta on the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any iPad or Mac with an M1 chip and later, with Siri and device language set to US English.

This fall Apple Intelligence will get its public release as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS Sequoia.

Here's a list of current Apple devices that will be able to run 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 is Apple Intelligence available to use?

The initial set of features that make use of Apple Intelligence features will be available in beta in October as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1. Gurman posits that Apple Intelligence will drop on October 28. Additional features will be made available "in the months to come," Apple said.

Currently, you can use Apple Intelligence on a compatible iPhone, iPad or Mac that's running the public beta for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and MacOS Sequoia 15.1, respectively, with Siri and device language set to US English.

Where will Apple Intelligence be available?

At launch, it will be available in the US. Specifically Apple says that Apple Intelligence will work on compatible iPhone, iPad or Mac models with Siri and device language set to US English. Support for additional languages will come in 2025.

Is Apple Intelligence using ChatGPT?

apple intelligence with chatGPT on screen

No. Apple Intelligence runs on-device (iPhone, iPad or Mac) and on Apple silicon-powered servers in the cloud which Apple calls Private Cloud Compute. It depends on your prompts and questions as to whether Apple Intelligence is processed on-device or in the cloud. Apple Intelligence is not ChatGPT nor does it run on OpenAI's well-known service.

However, Apple Intelligence does support supplemental third-party AI services, with ChatGPT being the first one announced. ChatGPT access will be integrated into Siri and writing tools on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS Sequoia allowing Apple device owners to access it without jumping between tools.

What tools will Apple Intelligence have?

Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max showing Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools

Apple Intelligence capabilities fall into one of three categories: writing, images and Siri. Writing tools will be available wherever you write. Apple Intelligence will be able to proofread your text, rewrite different versions adjusting the tone and wording, and summarize selected text with a tap.

Image tools will be able to create original images based on prompts in the new Image Playground app. You'll be able to turn a rough sketch into a related image that complements your notes with the Apple Intelligence-powered Image Wand. You will also be able to generate custom and unique Genmoji with Apple Intelligence straight from your keyboard. Apple says that you'll even have the option to pick someone from your Photos library and create a Genmoji that looks like them.

In the Photos app, you'll be able to make a custom memory movie based on the description you provide.

Apple Intelligence will give Siri a giant overhaul. Siri will have a new design, richer language understanding and the ability to type to Siri instead of dictating. Siri's voice and response will sound more natural and conversational. Apple Intelligence gives Siri an awareness of personal context and the ability to take action in and across multiple apps, and product knowledge about your devices' features and settings. Apple says that Siri will be able to assist you like never before.