Apple announced Apple Intelligence in June 2024. That was the first time we got a glimpse into what the company was set to offer when it came to artificial intelligence and how it planned to compete with the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy AI and Google’s Gemini.
The iPhone 16 models launched a couple of months later but while I had plenty of great things to say about them when I reviewed them, they didn’t have Apple Intelligence at launch. It didn’t matter all that much because honestly, I don’t I think AI delivers the groundbreaking experiences it claims to yet – and that’s my opinion on all variations – but it was still a major feature missing from the iPhone 16’s box of tricks.
A few Apple Intelligence features arrived with iOS 18.1 in October but there were still plenty missing, like Image Playground, ChatGPT integration and Genmoji. Now in December, there’s good news, people. For those who had Apple Intelligence on their Christmas list, Santa has come early.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
Apple has released iOS 18.2, which brings some of the extra Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and newer models. If you have an iPad with an M1 chip or newer, you will also be able to take advantage of the new Apple Intelligence features by updating to iPadOS 18.2, also now available, and Macs running Apple Silicon also get the new features with macOS Sequoia 15.2.
Aside from those new features, those in the UK and a few other countries (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and Canada) will no longer need to have their devices set to US English in order to access Apple Intelligence. So what should you be excited about and how do you get all the latest Apple Intelligence features on your iPhone, iPad or Mac?
My top three Apple Intelligence features you should be excited about
Ok, so this might be an unpopular opinion but I am more excited about features like being able to search my 60,000 photos on my iPhone (not an exaggeration) using natural language, than I am about features like Image Playground.
I also very much enjoy being able to remove unwanted items from the background of my images with Clean Up, having notifications summarised and my emails prioritised with Priority Inbox, so I suppose I have four top features for Apple Intelligence.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
Still, for some, Image Playground will deliver plenty of fun. Ask it to create a dog in a snowy forest and you’ll get your cartoon-looking dog in the forest. Ask it to make an image with a man on a boat in the middle of the sea and it will ask you for inspiration of what you want your man to look like and you can choose from your contacts, with the resulting image a close resemblance to a cartoon version of that contact.
Genmoji is a bit of a giggle too. Here you can create a personalised emoji and it will again prompt you to pick someone to base your emoji on should you wish to. Elsewhere, there’s ChatGPT integrated into Siri with the software update, which I expect will be a welcomed introduction for some. I personally think any AI written words are robotic, and I’d say the same about suggested replies for emails and messages, but I also fully understand that not everyone finds the blinking cursor and a blank page exciting rather than daunting.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
Other features that are now available on iPhone and iPad include generating an image to add to notes with Magic Wand, proofreading, writing, summarising and composing text with Writing Tools anywhere you’ll find a cursor, and more natural conversation with Siri. You can also type to ask Siri too, which I must say is less awkward when walking down a busy street.
There’s a new Visual Intelligence feature on iPhone 16 models with the Camera Control button too, allowing you to learn about objects and places, summarise and copy text, translate text between languages, and detect phone numbers or email addresses.
How to get iOS 18.2 and update your iPhone or iPad
Apple released iOS 18.2 on 11 December at around 1PM GMT. Depending on your settings, you should have been prompted to update your software, but if you didn’t, or you’ve missed it, then follow these steps:
- Open Settings on your iPhone
- Tap on General
- Tap on Software Update
You should see iOS 18.2 within the Software Update menu. Follow the on-screen instructions to install it on your iPhone.
Apple Intelligence system requirements: Can I get Apple Intelligence on my iPhone, iPad or Mac?
You need to have an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max to run Apple Intelligence. You will still be able to run iOS 18.2 if you have an older iPhone (anything newer than iPhone SE 2nd generation supports iOS 18) but you won’t be able to run Apple Intelligence if you don’t have one of those six phones listed.
For iPad, Apple Intelligence is supported on all models running Apple Silicon chips – the ones with the ‘M’ in front of the number. This includes the iPad Pro (6th generation) and iPad Air (5th generation), as well as the new iPad mini (A17 Pro), new iPad Pro (M4) and new iPad Air (M2). The iPad (10th generation) doesn’t support Apple Intelligence but it does support iOS 18.
For Mac, you will need a MacBook running Apple Silicon too. These include the latest MacBook Pro (M4), as well as the MacBook Air (M3) and MacBook Air (M2). There’s also the iMac (M4), and the older iMac and older M-series MacBook models that support Apple Intelligence.
