Heads up, Apple users! After much anticipation, the tech giant’s artificial intelligence feature, called Apple Intelligence, is finally here!
Apple Intelligence is now officially available through a free software update with the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. The AI features, however, are only available on selected devices: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later, and Mac with M1 and later.
For those who are curious, below are some of the most notable Apple Intelligence features.
Smart Writing Tools
Don’t know what to write in your emails or how to respond better to your besties? Fret not, because the new Apple Intelligence brings with it various writing tools, available across all apps where you write, such as Mail, Notes, Pages, and Messages.
One of the features is Rewrite, which allows users to rewrite texts in different versions and adjust their tone, whether professional or friendly, to suit their needs. There’s also Proofread, which checks your grammar, sentence structure, and word choice and gives you suggestions on how to write your texts better.
If you don’t prefer reading long texts, you can also have them summarized in the form of a digestible paragraph, bulleted key points, a table, or a list.
More Ways to Manage Your Photos
We all know how annoying it is to have the perfect photo taken but ruined by a distracting background, or, as we call it, a photobomber. Apple Intelligence users can now say goodbye to this, as it also brings a Clean Up tool, which allows users to remove a distracting element from a photo and replace it with something that matches the background.
No need to scroll hard when you’re looking for a photo or video, too, because the new Photos app is now equipped with a Natural Language search. This feature lets users look for a photo or video by typing a description of the media they are looking for.
The Photos App also now has a Memories feature, which lets you create a movie or a video reel. This feature will pick out the best photos and videos based on a description you will input, then create a storyline with chapters and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc. Less manual editing!
Apple Intelligence Helps You Be More Productive
Stressed over work or study? Apple Intelligence got you! In Mail, for example, there’s a new section called “Priority Messages,” which shows you your most urgent emails, such as same-day lunch invitations or your boarding pass for your upcoming trip. There’s also a Smart Reply feature, which will identify all the questions in an email and suggest quick responses that you can send based on those queries. Talk about convenience!
Not only that, but you can also now record, transcribe, and summarize audio, particularly in a phone call. When a user initiates a recording while on a call, participants will automatically be notified and once the call ends, Apple Intelligence will generate a summary of the call.
A Smarter Siri
Our friendly Apple assistant Siri has become friendlier, too! With richer language-understanding capabilities, Siri can now follow along with your words even when you stutter or stumble and maintain context from one request to the next. Siri can now also answer all your questions about your Apple device, like how to record your screen or how to share your Wi-Fi password, among other things.
It also sports a new look, too! The glowing ball of light is gone and is replaced by an elegant glowing light that wraps the edge of your iPhone, iPad, or CarPlay screen. Siri can also be placed anywhere on Mac devices, so users can access it easily.
All these features are only the first wave of offerings from Apple Intelligence, with plans to roll out more in the coming months.
“Apple Intelligence introduces a new era for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, delivering brand-new experiences and tools that will transform what our users can accomplish,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in an announcement.
To learn more about Apple Intelligence, click here.
