Apple officially launches the first features of Apple Intelligence — its generative AI that adds new tools for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This is the first wave, already available to users with the update to iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Apple Intelligence is currently labeled as “beta,” and users need to join a waitlist to activate the features.
The main features available now include the “Writing Tools,” which allow you to summarize notes, change the tone of messages, and format text as lists or tables. There are also summary notifications and an enhanced “Focus Mode” that automatically filters out unimportant messages. In addition, the “Photos” app now offers a “Clean Up” tool for removing unwanted objects from images. Unlike similar tools from competitors, this one works directly on the device.
Siri updates are also part of the Apple Intelligence launch. It now features a new design with a glowing frame around the screen and allows users to enter text queries by double-tapping the bottom of the screen. However, major changes for Siri — such as ChatGPT integration, app action support, and contextual awareness of on-screen information — are expected only in 2025. Nevertheless, as early as December this year, Visual Intelligence features will be supported — a tool that can identify objects in the user’s surroundings.
Apple Intelligence is currently available only to US users and works in English. In December, the company plans to expand the features to other English-speaking countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and more. The full set of features, including localized support for French, German, Italian, and other languages, will be available in the European Union in April 2025.
Apple Intelligence features are limited to the latest device models, including iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, iPads with the A17 Pro chip, M-series models, and the newest Macs. Apple emphasizes that this restriction is necessary due to the high server performance requirements for generative AI.
