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Apple Intelligence officially rolls out today for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

By Johanna Romero

Published: Oct 28, 2024, 12:15 PM

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An image showing Apple devices with Apple Intelligence

Apple today has announced the release of Apple Intelligence, its new personal intelligence system, bringing a host of new features to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The system is designed to leverage Apple Silicon to understand and create language and images, streamline tasks, and enhance user experience while prioritizing privacy. These capabilities are now available upon updating to iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Below are the new capabilities that will be available to you:

Writing tools

One of the standout features of Apple Intelligence is its Writing Tools, which are deeply integrated across Apple's operating systems. These tools empower users to refine their writing by rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text in various apps, including Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. With Rewrite, users can choose from different versions of their text and adjust the tone to suit their needs. Proofread offers grammar and word choice suggestions, while summarization condenses text into digestible formats.

An official screenshot from the new Apple Intelligence features

Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools. | Image credit — Apple

The new Siri

Siri has undergone a significant transformation with Apple Intelligence. It now boasts a more natural and conversational voice, a new design, and enhanced language understanding capabilities. Users can type to Siri on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, switching seamlessly between text and voice. Siri's knowledge base has also been expanded, allowing it to answer a wider range of questions about Apple products and features.

Apple Intelligence Type to Siri. | Image credit — Apple

Photos App: intelligent search and editing
The Photos app has become even more intelligent with the addition of natural language search, enabling users to find photos and videos by simply describing what they are looking for. Additionally, the Memories feature now allows users to create movies by typing a description, with Apple Intelligence selecting and assembling the best photos and videos based on the user's input.

Apple Intelligence Photos search and Memory Movie. | Image credit — Apple

Apple has also introduced a 'Clean Up' tool within the Photos app. This AI-powered feature allows users to remove unwanted objects or distractions from their images while preserving the overall quality and composition of the photo. This could be particularly useful for removing photobombers, stray objects in the background, or blemishes on a portrait, offering users more control over the final look of their pictures.

Apple Intelligence Photos' cleanup tool. | Video credit — Apple

Prioritization and focus: streamlining everyday tasks

Apple Intelligence introduces features designed to help users prioritize and stay focused. In Mail, Priority Messages highlights urgent emails, and message summaries provide key details without requiring users to open the message. Smart Reply offers quick response suggestions and identifies questions in emails to ensure they are answered. Notification summaries allow users to scan long or stacked notifications with key details on the Lock Screen.

Apple Intelligence Priority Messages and Summarize feature. | Image credit — Apple

Enhanced audio features

In the Notes and Phone apps, users can now record, transcribe, and summarize audio. When a recording is initiated during a call in the Phone app, participants are automatically notified, and Apple Intelligence generates a summary of the call after it ends.

Apple Intelligence Phone app's Summarize Audio feature. | Image credit — Apple

Future developments

In its announcement, Apple also stated that additional Apple Intelligence features will be available in December, with further capabilities rolling out in the coming months. These include new visual intelligence features, enhanced Writing Tools, and integration with ChatGPT, providing access to its broad world knowledge and image- and document-understanding capabilities.

Apple Intelligence Image Playground and personal context. | Images credit — Apple

Privacy at the core

Of course, we cannot talk Apple features without talking privacy. Apple emphasizes that Apple Intelligence is designed with privacy in mind. Many of the models that power it run entirely on the device, and for requests requiring more processing power, Private Cloud Compute extends privacy and security into the cloud without storing or sharing user data with Apple.

To experience the power of Apple Intelligence, users will need to update their compatible devices to the latest version (iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1). The feature is currently available in most regions where the device and Siri language are set to U.S. English, with expanded language support rolling out in the coming months. Apple Intelligence is compatible with a range of devices, including the iPhone 16 series (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max), iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPads equipped with the A17 Pro or M1 chip and later, and Macs with M1 and later.

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Johanna 'Jojo the Techie' is a skilled mobile technology expert with over 15 years of hands-on experience, specializing in the Google ecosystem and Pixel devices. Known for her user-friendly approach, she leverages her vast tech support background to provide accessible and insightful coverage on latest technology trends. As a recognized thought leader and official member of #TeamPixel, Johanna ensures she stays at the forefront of Google services and products, making her a reliable source for all things Pixel and ChromeOS.