Apple markets Apple Intelligence, its iPhone, Mac and iPad specific AI features, as “AI for the rest of us”. But how will AI work on the iPhone?
Apple is taking a slow but steady approach, adding new typing features, Siri upgrades, and AI-powered photo editing with this week’s iOS 18.1 update.
Apple CEO Tim Cook praised Apple Intelligence earlier this month, saying he’s used it to summarize long emails and it saves him time.
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“It changed my life,” he told the Wall Street Journal.
These features are a taste of what’s to come from Apple AI – the beta version of the next update, iOS 18.2, brings more AI, such as ChatGPT integration with Siri. iOS 18.2 will be available for general release in December.
For now, iOS 18.1 offers a glimpse of what Apple envisions for incorporating artificial intelligence into the iPhone. Here are some of the key iOS 18.1 features that will be introduced this week.
Writing help from AI
If you compose an email using the Mail app on your iPhone and highlight the message, you’ll see a Writing Tools option on a tab containing Copy, Paste, Add Link, and AutoComplete.
Apple’s writing tools help users rewrite emails in a “friendly”, “professional” or “concise” way by adjusting the tone and providing suggestions that you can accept or reject.
The feature is available from the same toolbar that contains the copy and paste functions.
Related: Apple Adds AI Writing Tools to iPhone 16
The tool also has the ability to proofread or summarize, which can also apply to Notifications, Messages, and the Notes app. One iPhone user shared in a viral post that Apple Intelligence summarized the breakup text for him in a way that “felt surreal and dystopian.”
Redesigned Siri on iOS 18.1
Siri has a new look: Instead of a glowing orb at the bottom of the screen, Siri appears as a light around the edge of the iPhone, wrapping around the edges of the screen. While talking to Siri, you can continue to use your iPhone and the light will move in response to your voice.
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Siri is also programmed to understand more context. If you say something like “Siri set a reminder – wait, I mean an alarm”, Siri will not stop working – the voice assistant will set the alarm.
iPhone 16 Plus. Photo credit: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Apple also trained Siri on training documents, so she can now help with tech support and answer questions like, “How do I share my WiFi password?” or “How do I take a screen recording?”
Double-tapping the bottom of the iPhone screen now brings up Siri, and you can use the keyboard to type, ask Siri questions, and switch between text and voice. Apple has made a typeable Siri available as an accessibility feature for years, but AI means the keyboard can better predict what you might be typing with AI suggestions.
Photo editing gets AI support
Apple has a new “Clean Up” tool that edits people or objects from an image. The AI detects someone or something in the background, removes it, and then fills in the area so it looks like the person or thing was never there.
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The tool even covers shadows and reflections.
This is Apple’s version of Magic Eraser that does the same thing and is available for Pixel phones.
How do I activate Apple Intelligence?
The update applies to iPhone 16s and iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. The device and Siri language must be set to US English.
Go to the Settings app and tap on Apple Intelligence & Siri. Then select Join the Apple Intelligence Waitlist.
Can I opt out of the update?
You can opt out of Apple Intelligence at any time, even after you’ve been waitlisted and approved.
In the Settings app, go to Apple Intelligence & Siri and select the opt-out option.
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