At Apple’s developer conference, WWDC, Apple announced perhaps its most significant new feature, namely Apple Intelligence. Apple wants to join the innovations in generative AI and plans to deeply integrate it into its operating systems macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. In this article, we summarize everything you need to know about Apple Intelligence.
- What exactly is Apple Intelligence?
- Which devices does Apple Intelligence work on?
- Will Apple Intelligence be available in the EU?
- How to enable Apple Intelligence on macOS?
- Will Apple Intelligence cost money?
- What are the features of Apple Intelligence?
- Does Apple Intelligence use ChatGPT?
What exactly is Apple Intelligence?
Apple Intelligence is a collective term for all AI features coming to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia. Specifically, these are ‘generative AI’ features. Generative AI is a term for artificial intelligence that generates text, images, or videos.
Which devices does Apple Intelligence work on?
Apple Intelligence is supported on the following devices:
- iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
- iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
- iPad Pro with an M1 chip or newer
- iPad Air with an M1 chip or newer
- MacBook Air with an M1 chip or newer
- MacBook Pro with an M1 chip or newer
- iMac with an M1 chip or newer
- Mac mini with an M1 chip or newer
- Mac Studio with an M1 Max chip or newer
- Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip
This means that the iPhone 14 Pro and older models are not supported. The same applies to the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and of course, all Macs with Intel chips are also out of luck.
Apple Intelligence has such strict hardware requirements because the AI models run on the device itself. It takes a lot of processing power to run such an advanced AI model on your own device.
Will Apple Intelligence be available in the EU?
That’s the question. At the time of writing, Apple Intelligence is not available in the EU, at least not without a workaround. Due to the Digital Markets Act, Apple says it is hesitant to introduce it in the European Union. Apple may need additional time to comply with the DMAs requirements, and as a result Apple Intelligence might be available sometime late next year.
If you are running the correct version (iOS 18.1/iPadOS 18.1), you need to change your Apple ID region to the United States and switch your iPhone’s language to English. After some time, you’ll be able to enable Apple Intelligence from the Settings app if you are in the EU. For macOS 15.1 or newer, you only need to change the system language to English (US) to enable Apple Intelligence.
How to enable Apple Intelligence on macOS?
Click the Apple logo at the top left and choose System Settings. First, make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID. If you see your name on the top left, you’re already signed in.
In the System Settings app, go to General / Language & Region. Click the plus button under Preferred Languages and select English (US) from the list (not English (UK) or any other English!) and click Add. Then click Use English and Restart Now.
Next, turn on Siri. Open the System Settings app again, click on Apple Intelligence & Siri, toggle the switch next to Siri and click Enable. Then click Join the Apple Intelligence Waitlist at the top. Close the Settings app and wait a moment. After a while, you will see the new orange Apple Intelligence logo at the top right instead of the Siri icon. Only then can you start using it.
Since macOS 15.2, you can log in with ChatGPT for Apple Intelligence. To do this, go to the Settings app on your Mac, then to Apple Intelligence & Siri, and click on ChatGPT.
Will Apple Intelligence cost money?
Initially, the features of Apple Intelligence will be available for free. According to rumors from Bloomberg, there might be a premium version of Apple Intelligence, but it would only be introduced several years later.
What are the features of Apple Intelligence?
Apple Intelligence consists of the following features:
- Revamped Siri: Siri is thoroughly revamped with Apple Intelligence. The assistant will understand you much better and can handle the context of your iPhone, such as photos, messages, contacts, and locations. Apple calls it the beginning of a new era for Siri.
- Writing text: Apple Intelligence helps you write text. You can generate text, easily change the tone of a text, quickly create summaries, extract the main points from a text, or generate tables.
- Images: With Apple Intelligence, you can create images based on text input. You can also create your own emojis based on a sentence.
- Summaries: In the Mail app, you will see summaries of emails, and Mail will automatically categorize your emails.
You can find a complete overview of all Apple Intelligence features on Apple’s website.
Does Apple Intelligence use ChatGPT?
Apple Intelligence includes both its own AI model and ChatGPT. However, to use ChatGPT, you need to sign up for the service and give permission for ChatGPT to be used.