What is Apple Intelligence? iPhone AI Features

Apple is the latest company to jump into the hyper-competitive AI arena with the upcoming launch of its artificial intelligence platform.‍

‍Fittingly named Apple Intelligence, the technology delivers productivity and privacy-focused features that promise to make your iPhone smarter than ever.‍

Apple Intelligence allows your iPhone to create AI-generated images, draft messages, and summarize the most important information from your emails and texts — as long as you have a compatible device like the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 16 lineup, or the latest iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. And yes, Siri has received (and is still getting) some long-awaited improvements.

In this article, we’ll highlight the most promising Apple Intelligence features now available with iOS 26, Apple’s newest operating system.

What Is Apple Intelligence?

First revealed at Apple WWDC 2024, Apple Intelligence is an AI platform running on Apple silicon that can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text, understand and create images and language, and streamline day-to-day tasks.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple Intelligence combines “generative AI with a user’s personal context to deliver truly helpful intelligence.” It also uses personal information in a “completely private and secure way to help users do the things that matter most to them.” Understanding personal context remains a central part of what drives Apple Intelligence.

That means whether you’re drafting an email or organizing your photo library, Apple Intelligence aims to simplify the process or offer suggestions while keeping your data secure. It also supercharges Siri to handle everything from summarizing messages to managing notifications and other new features.

While Apple Intelligence features are exclusive to Apple devices, it's part of a crowded market with offerings like Google AI, Meta AI, Microsoft AI, and Samsung’s Galaxy AI.

However, iPhone users can still access versions of Google AI, Meta AI, and Microsoft AI through the companies’ respective iOS apps (the Google app for Google Gemini, Facebook and Instagram for Meta AI, and the Copilot app for Microsoft AI). Samsung’s Galaxy AI remains exclusive to Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and laptops. iPhone owners can still test out some of its capabilities by downloading the “Try Galaxy” web app.

How to Use Apple Intelligence?

Because Apple Intelligence is implemented system-wide across Apple devices — from your Photos library to your email inbox on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — users can access its features in a variety of ways.

On iPhone, you can launch Apple Intelligence by tapping its colorful, circular “flower” icon where it appears. You’ll see this most often in Writing Tools, which are accessible anywhere you can type — whether in Mail, Notes, Messages, or third-party apps:

‍Other times, Apple Intelligence features can be triggered through a Siri request, within the Photos app, through a keyboard or menu option, or even displayed automatically in a suggestion window or notification.

When Apple Intelligence is working with Siri, Apple also designed a special glowing light effect that appears around the edges of your screen to show that it’s active.

When Did Apple Intelligence Come Out?

Apple Intelligence was first announced at WWDC 2024 and originally expected to debut alongside the iPhone 16 and iOS 18. However, the platform wasn’t ready for launch in September 2024 and instead began rolling out with iOS 18.1 in October of that year as an English-language beta.

Since then, Apple has gradually expanded the feature set and device compatibility through updates to iOS 18, culminating in the version now available in iOS 26.

Apple Intelligence is integrated across iPhone 15 Pro and later, including the iPhone 16 lineup, iPhone 17 lineup, and the new iPhone Air.

Does Apple Intelligence Work on iPhone 14 or Older iPhones?

Not all iPhones that can run iOS 26 are compatible with Apple Intelligence, particularly older models. Apple confirmed that only devices with the A17 Pro chip or later support the platform.

That means Apple Intelligence is limited to:

• iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
• The iPhone 16 lineup (iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max)
• The iPhone 17 lineup (iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max)
• The new iPhone Air
  

If you have an older iPhone but want to try Apple’s AI features, Navi’s free and unbiased Phone Deal Finder can help you find the best new iPhone offers available based on your needs. You can also check out our roundups of the latest iPhone 16 offers and iPhone 17 deals across major carriers.

What iPads and Macs Have Apple Intelligence Features?

If you own other devices in the Apple ecosystem, here’s a rundown of the products that support Apple Intelligence with iPadOS 26 and macOS Sequoia:

• iPad Pro with M1 chip or later
• iPad Air with M1 chip or later
• MacBook Air with M1 chip or later
• MacBook Pro with M1 chip or later
• iMac with M1 chip or later
• Mac mini with M1 chip or later
• Mac Studio with M1 Max or later
• Mac Pro with M2 Ultra or later
  

In short, Apple Intelligence is available on any iPad or Mac powered by Apple silicon. Intel-based Macs are not supported.

How Much Does Apple Intelligence Cost?

Apple Intelligence is free and available only on compatible devices running recent iOS and iPadOS versions, and macOS Sequoia. There’s no subscription required to use it.

However, Bloomberg has reported that Apple may eventually consider turning some of its AI services into paid plans — potentially through an “Apple Intelligence+” offering or enterprise-focused options. Other companies are already signaling similar moves: for example, Samsung has hinted that its Galaxy AI features may only remain free until late 2025.

What Are the Key Apple Intelligence Features, So Far?

Apple Intelligence has a wide range of AI-powered tools designed to make the iPhone (and other Apple devices) more helpful and context-aware. These include new grammar and writing tools, smarter notifications, enhanced email management, and redesigned photo and video search capabilities.

Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT Integration

Apple is integrating ChatGPT with Apple Intelligence into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS so you can access its extensive toolset without hopping between apps. This includes automatic image generation, which can create pictures based on your text prompts. That does not mean that Apple Intelligence is operated by ChatPGT — it is just one of the third-party tools at its disposal. 

Siri is getting smarter, too, and it can use ChatGPT's technology to answer questions or perform other tasks. 

Apple's system-wide Writing Tools feature also uses ChatGPT to help you craft emails, messages, and creative projects. We'll discuss more about that below. 

Rewriting and Proofreading Tools

With "Writing Tools," Apple Intelligence offers various ways to enhance your writing across applications, such as Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. 

Here's what it can do:

• Rewrite: The Rewrite feature can refine your text, whether for a blog post or a casual text to a friend or loved one. You can choose different versions of your writing to better suit your audience, with options like Friendly, Professional, and Concise.
• Proofread: This tool checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure, offering suggestions and explanations to help polish your text.
• Summarize: Need a quick recap? This feature provides a concise summary of longer texts in different formats, making it easier to understand information quickly.

Enhanced Email Management

Notifications got a makeover with Priority Notifications, which show your most important updates, like emails about upcoming meetings or flights, at the top of your notifications list. 

The Reduce Interruptions feature is a new option in the Focus settings that helps you concentrate by filtering out other non-essential alerts.

Transcribing and Summarizing Features

With the Notes and Phone apps, you can now record, transcribe, and summarize audio using Apple Intelligence.

When you start recording during a call, everyone gets a heads-up, and after the call ends, Apple Intelligence steps in to create a transcription of the conversation and a summary of all the key points you discussed. 

Image Creation Features

Image Playground‍

Apple Intelligence's Image Playground feature adds an entertaining twist to image creation. Available in Messages and other apps, the tool lets you design images based on pictures from your personal photo library or messages.

You can create images based on a few styles, such as Animation, Illustration, or Sketch, and add accessories and costumes. All you need to do is type in a description of the image you want, and AI will do the rest. 

Using Image Playground in the Messages app also allows you to create images of your friends, and Apple Intelligence gives you suggestions based on your recent conversations. 

If you're using the Notes app, Image Playground can turn sketches into lifelike images or use text to create an illustration based on the words you've used. ‍

Genmoji Creation 

With Genmoji, you can create personalized emojis by typing a description or using photos of friends and family. Genmojis can be sent in text threads or as stickers within the Messages app.

Photo Library Features

Smart Search and Clean Up 

Apple Intelligence makes searching through your photo library more intuitive.

You can type in a request to find specific images or videos in the Photos app, like "Mom at the Park" or "Jimmy at the Zoo." You can also use the same search feature to find specific clips within videos, so you won't have to spend time scrubbing through them.

The new Clean Up tool can also remove distracting background objects from your photos, allowing you to focus on what you like the most in the picture. 

Apple also says you can make a custom “memory movie” of clips based on a description you provide the AI.  

As mentioned, Apple Intelligence has access to ChatGPT’s image generation features. 

Personalized Memories‍

With Memories, you can create custom photo stories by typing a description. Apple Intelligence will then select the best photos and videos, arrange them into a story-like narrative, and even suggest music from Apple Music to enhance your trip down memory lane.

Improved Siri

Siri is set to receive significant upgrades from Apple Intelligence over time. So far, it is more contextually aware and able to handle complex queries — something Siri users may already know it has long struggled with.

Siri will also be able to perform various tasks, from scheduling emails to finding specific articles or photos. These improvements will be integrated system-wide so Siri can provide relevant and personalized responses based on your actions regardless of the app you are using. 

Privacy and Security Features

With Private Cloud Compute, Apple says it can ensure your personal data remains exclusively yours while using Apple Intelligence.

Apple explains that it prioritized on-device processing for the iPhone to keep data decentralized and secure from centralized attacks. However, some complex AI tasks require extra computational muscle. AI platforms like Apple Intelligence often use the cloud to tap into this additional power. 

But Apple Intelligence operates differently here. 

When cloud processing is necessary, Private Cloud Compute uses sophisticated and encrypted security measures to ensure no one can access the information — not even its own engineers. Apple published a detailed summary of how it works here. 

How to Turn on Apple Intelligence Features on iPhone

Once you update to iOS 18.1 or later, your iPhone will be able to access Apple Intelligence features, as long as it's compatible.

To turn it on, go to Settings, tap Apple Intelligence & Siri, and switch on "Apple Intelligence."

How to Turn Off Apple Intelligence

To turn off Apple Intelligence once it’s enabled, go to Settings, tap Apple Intelligence & Siri, and switch off "Apple Intelligence."

The Bottom Line

Apple’s collection of Apple Intelligence features is transforming how you interact with your iPhone and other Apple devices by integrating powerful AI into the apps you use every day. From advanced Writing Tools and smarter email and notifications management to a much more capable Siri, the platform acts like a digital assistant that simplifies daily life.

By focusing on on-device processing and privacy, Apple also sets its AI apart from competitors like Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Samsung Galaxy AI.

With iOS 26, Apple Intelligence is available today on even more compatible devices including the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 lineup, and the latest iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I use Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence is out now, and available on with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Sequoia on supported devices.

What does Apple Intelligence do?

Apple Intelligence delivers smarter, privacy-focused AI features that enhance your iPhone’s abilities to draft and rewrite text, summarize emails and messages, generate images, manage notifications, and power a more advanced Siri.

Is Apple Intelligence free?

Yes. Apple Intelligence is free on compatible devices, including the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 lineup, and the newest iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models. There’s no subscription required, though Apple may introduce premium tiers in the future.