What Apple Intelligence Features Are Available Now? | Quick View

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Apple Intelligence currently gives you writing help, image tools, visual lookups, and smarter Siri features on supported Apple devices.

Apple Intelligence is no longer a vague promise for “later updates.” A wide set of features now ships on recent iPhone, iPad, and Mac models, as long as they run the latest versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS Sequoia and meet the hardware requirements.

Quick check: you get the most current feature set by updating to at least iOS 18.2 or later on iPhone, iPadOS 18.2 on iPad, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 on Mac, then turning on Apple Intelligence in settings. Apple keeps expanding support with each 18.x and 15.x point release, so staying updated really matters here.

Right now, Apple Intelligence spans four big areas: system wide writing tools, new image features such as Image Playground and Genmoji, visual tools that understand what is on your screen or in your photos, and new Siri abilities, including optional access to ChatGPT. Each piece shows up in slightly different places, so it helps to know where to look and which device you need.

What Apple Intelligence Features Are Available On Your Device Today

Apple groups Apple Intelligence features across apps instead of putting them in a single standalone app. Once you switch the feature on, you start seeing buttons for rewriting text, generating images, or asking Siri for deeper help in places you already use.

You can read Apple’s own overview on the official Apple Intelligence page, which tracks the headline features and privacy design.

Here is a quick snapshot of what Apple Intelligence currently includes on supported devices:

Feature Group What You Can Do Now Where You See It
Writing Tools Rewrite, change tone, proofread, summarize, and create text in place. Mail, Notes, Pages, Messages, and many text fields.
Priority Notifications Group and rank notifications so the most urgent ones float to the top. Lock screen and Notification Center.
Image Playground And Genmoji Create fun images and custom emoji like stickers from prompts. Standalone Image Playground, Messages, and other apps.
Photos Clean Up Remove small objects or distractions from photos with smart selection. Photos app editing tools.
Visual Intelligence Ask about content in photos, screenshots, or the Camera view. Photos, Camera, and some system menus.
Siri Upgrades New interface, richer device control, and optional ChatGPT access. Press and hold side button or “Hey Siri” trigger.

Some features arrive in waves. Writing tools landed first, followed by Image Playground and Genmoji in a later 18.2 and 15.2 update, and then broader language and region support with 18.4 releases. Not every country, language, or device gets everything at the same time, so the exact feature mix on your Apple hardware depends on a few conditions.

Devices And Software Versions That Support Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence runs only on newer Apple silicon, since it leans on on device models and, when needed, Private Cloud Compute. That means not every iPhone, iPad, or Mac that can install iOS 18 or macOS Sequoia will actually get these features.

As of early 2026, you normally need:

  • iPhone 15 Pro or later — Includes iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 line and later models.
  • iPad with A17 Pro or M series chip — For example, the latest iPad Pro and many newer iPad Air models.
  • Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) — Most Macs sold since late 2020 fall into this group.

On top of that, your device must run a compatible software version. Apple’s newsroom posts state that the first wave of Apple Intelligence shipped in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with extra image features coming in 18.2 and 15.2, and language expansion arriving in 18.4 and 15.4. Apple keeps updating its support article on how to get Apple Intelligence, so that page is the safest place to double check the current requirements.

Quick check: if you open Settings on your iPhone, head to General, then Software Update, and you see an 18.x release available, install it before you hunt for Apple Intelligence toggles. Many people miss the features simply because they paused one update behind the version that turned them on.

Writing Tools You Can Use Across Apps

Writing tools are often the first Apple Intelligence feature people notice, since they show up right inside text boxes. When you select text in Mail, Notes, Pages, or many other Apple apps, you see a new sparkle style button that opens a panel of options.

With these tools you can:

  • Rewrite text — Keep the meaning, but reword a paragraph so it reads more clearly.
  • Change tone — Shift between more casual or more formal variants without typing from scratch.
  • Summarize long blocks — Turn long emails, notes, or documents into short bullet points.
  • Proofread content — Clean up basic grammar mistakes, spelling slips, and clunky phrasing.
  • Draft new content — Start a reply, outline, or short message from a short prompt.

These tools feel a bit like built in writing assistance, but with Apple’s on device privacy design and the option to route some prompts through Private Cloud Compute when a larger model is needed. When that happens, Apple’s servers run on Apple silicon and use protections described on the main Apple Intelligence site so your personal data stays guarded.

One handy detail: you are always in charge of what gets inserted. The writing panel shows a draft first, and you decide whether to Replace, Insert, or Revert, so you never lose your original text by mistake.

New Visual Tools: Image Playground, Genmoji, And Photos Clean Up

Apple Intelligence also reshapes how you handle images. Instead of sending you to a separate web service, Apple adds image creation and editing tools right into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Using Image Playground For Instant Artwork

Image Playground lets you type a short prompt and pick a visual style such as Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. It can also create Genmoji, which behave like custom emoji you can send in Messages or add as stickers. Apple’s Image Playground support guide shows the current styles and options.

On iPhone and iPad, you find Image Playground as a standalone app and as a button in Messages. On Mac, similar controls appear in Messages and some system panels. You can save created images to Photos, drop them into documents, or share them straight from the panel.

Cleaning Up Photos With Smart Object Removal

Clean Up in Photos gives you a simple way to remove small distractions in the background, such as cables on a desk or a stray person near the edge of a picture. You roughly brush over the object and Photos fills the area with nearby detail. It is not meant to rebuild whole scenes, but it handles quick touch ups far faster than classic manual retouch tools.

Since Clean Up sits inside the Photos editing view, it fits naturally into your current editing habits: crop, adjust exposure, then tap the Clean Up tool to tidy the frame before you save.

Visual Intelligence And On Screen Understanding

Visual Intelligence turns photos, screenshots, and even the live Camera view into things you can ask about. On supported iPhone models, you can press and hold the new Camera Control button or a related control and point the camera at an object to ask what it is, how to use it, or where to find similar items online.

This feature can also read text in screenshots and documents to answer questions, create reminders, or pull out details such as street details and tracking numbers. It works especially well when you combine it with the writing tools, since you can capture the raw content with Visual Intelligence and then reshape it with Rewrite or Summarize.

Visual Intelligence is still rolling out across devices. Apple’s own updates mention that newer iPhone 16 models get it first, with support extended to iPhone 15 Pro and some other devices through later 18.x updates. If you do not see the option yet, check for updates and then confirm that Apple Intelligence is switched on.

Smarter Siri, ChatGPT Integration, And System Features

Apple Intelligence also changes how Siri behaves. The assistant now has a refreshed visual design, can understand more of what is on your screen, and can hand some complex requests to ChatGPT when you agree.

What Siri Can Do With Apple Intelligence Turned On

With eligible hardware and software you gain Siri features such as:

  • Richer device control — Ask Siri to change settings deep in menus, open specific views in apps, or complete multi step actions with one request.
  • Context awareness — Refer to “that photo you just showed me” or “the article on screen” and Siri uses Apple Intelligence to figure out what you mean.
  • Writing help inside Siri — Dictate a rough reply or note and ask Siri to clean it up before sending or saving.
  • Optional ChatGPT routing — For some web heavy questions, Siri can ask if you want to send the prompt to ChatGPT and show a clear panel with the result.

Siri features are still expanding. Apple has chosen to ship the system in stages rather than waiting for every planned ability to be ready in all languages. That means the Siri experience you see in early 2026 already beats older versions in most day to day use, while some deeper agent like features are still in development.

How To Turn Apple Intelligence On Or Off

Once your device meets the region, language, hardware, and software requirements, Apple Intelligence usually appears as an option in Settings. On many devices running iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, or macOS 15.3 and later, Apple has started turning it on by default during setup, though you can always switch it off.

Turning Apple Intelligence On

On iPhone and iPad:

  • Open Settings — Tap the Settings app on your home screen.
  • Go to Apple Intelligence & Siri — Scroll until you see the combined Apple Intelligence & Siri menu.
  • Tap Get Apple Intelligence — Follow the prompts, confirm language, and agree to the data notices.
  • Pick feature options — Choose whether you want features such as Priority Notifications and image tools enabled right away.

On Mac:

  • Open System Settings — Click the Apple menu, then System Settings.
  • Select Apple Intelligence & Siri — You see the controls in the sidebar on recent macOS Sequoia builds.
  • Turn on Apple Intelligence — Walk through the setup steps, then test a writing tool in Notes or Mail.

Switching Features Off Or Limiting Them

If you decide Apple Intelligence is too noisy or you do not want some features, you can adjust them rather than turning everything off at once.

  • Adjust notification features — In Settings, open Notifications and disable Priority Notifications or summaries if they feel too heavy.
  • Limit image tools — You can simply ignore Image Playground and Genmoji, or remove buttons from the Messages app row.
  • Change Siri’s behavior — In Apple Intelligence & Siri, disable the option that sends prompts to ChatGPT or change when Siri can read screen content.

Apple labels AI generated notifications and summaries so you can tell which bits came from Apple Intelligence. If you see an odd summary, you can still tap through to the original message or article, which keeps you in control of the final decision.

Privacy, Language Support, And Regional Limits

Apple spends a lot of time talking about privacy in its Apple Intelligence material, for good reason. Most features run on device by default. When your iPhone or Mac needs extra power from Private Cloud Compute, Apple says that data is processed only to handle your prompt and is never stored long term. Independent researchers continue to watch these claims, but the company has tied much of the marketing for Apple Intelligence to this privacy model.

Language and region support has grown step by step. The first release focused on U.S. English, then Apple added localized English for more countries, and later shipped support for major European and Asian languages in iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. Some restrictions still apply in places such as mainland China, where local rules limit which AI features are allowed.

Quick check: open Settings, go to General, then Language & Region, and confirm that your device language is one of the supported options listed on Apple’s feature availability pages. If your language is not on that list yet, you might see only part of the Apple Intelligence set or nothing at all.

For the latest list of supported languages and countries, along with details about which specific tools work where, check Apple’s live iOS feature availability page. Apple updates that page when new languages, scripts, or regions gain support, so it is more reliable than older blog posts or screenshots you might see floating around social media.

All of this means that when you ask “What Apple Intelligence features are available now?” the real answer depends on your device, your language settings, and your region. If you have a recent iPhone, iPad, or Mac with the newest software and a supported language, you get a strong mix of writing tools, visual help, and smarter Siri behavior today, with more fine tuned versions on the way through regular software updates.