- Apple released AI features for the iPhone 15 Pro and later models with Monday’s iOS 18.1 update.
- The AI features include writing tools, message summaries, and email suggestions.
- Users must update to iOS 18.1 and join a waitlist to access Apple Intelligence.
The first Apple Intelligence features are out now.
Apple’s generative-AI tools have been highly anticipated since they were first announced at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June, and eligible iPhone owners can now test out a handful of AI functions.
Apple Intelligence is available on only iPhone 15 Pro models or later. Users must update to iOS 18.1 and sign up for a waitlist in their Settings app.
Once that’s approved, you can start using the AI tools that Apple has been hyping up for four months. This update includes several new features, and Bloomberg reported that Apple was training store employees to demonstrate them to customers.
If you aren’t planning to visit your local Apple Store for a tutorial, a Tips widget on eligible iPhones should give a rundown on how to use the new software.
While further AI features are set to roll out over the next year, here are five major ones included in Monday’s massive iOS 18.1 update, as seen on an iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The ‘writing tools’ feature works across apps.
The “writing tools” feature has been one of the more visible Apple Intelligence features since it was first announced in June.
It can be used across the Mail, Notes, and Messages apps, and it’s meant to help you whenever you type text. For example, it can help you craft a response to an email or give suggestions on whatever you’re writing.
You can select a passage for it to proofread, summarize in bullets, or change the tone to sound more professional or friendly.
Summaries have come to Messages.
With Apple Intelligence enabled on the Messages app, iPhone owners can get texts summarized in the notification center.
Multiple messages can be summarized in short sentences to get the gist of what someone is talking about without reading as much.
For example, a text about having fun watching the Kansas City Chiefs win on Sunday was summed up with, “Enjoyed Chiefs game.”
The full text was much longer: “Hey, Desmond, I had fun yesterday when we went to the bar to watch the Chiefs win their football game over the Raiders. It was a good time!”
The Photos app has a ‘clean up’ tool.
The Photos app also looks different with Apple Intelligence.
One useful tool is “clean up.” It can be found in the same place you’d find other photo-editing features, such as cropping, but this tool uses AI.
You can use clean up to scrub away unwanted elements in the background of photos. The tool highlights distracting items in the picture, and you can use your finger to erase them.
The new picture is passable from afar compared with the original. When you zoom in, however, you may notice some visual anomalies.
The Mail app can summarize emails and suggest responses.
In the Mail app, you can read a summary of the chain you’re copied on or get a condensed version of one long email instead of reading the whole thing.
AI summarized an invitation to a restaurant’s anniversary party to include the who, what, when, and where. Then, it suggested a “smart reply” to the invite.
“I’ll be there to celebrate Jasmine’s 4th anniversary. Looking forward to the fun activities and delicious food,” the response read.
‘Reduce interruptions’ mode alerts you to important messages only.
The “reduce interruptions” mode may require some tailoring to reach its full potential. Like other Focus modes, you can schedule it and select the people or apps that you’d still like to receive notifications from.
You may not be alerted to a normal text message if you’re in reduce-interruptions mode, but someone saying “It’s an emergency” should prompt a notification.
It’s unclear whether there’s a list of specific words that will trigger a notification while using this feature. Apple, in a disclaimer on its website, said Apple Intelligence “outputs may vary.”
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