I recently updated my devices and saw that Apple now has new AI features on iPhone and Mac. I’m interested in trying them out but don’t know where to start or what settings to check. Can anyone walk me through how to enable or use these Apple AI tools?
Okay, so you’ve noticed some new AI stuff after updating your iPhone and Mac—welcome to the club of ‘wait, what actually changed?’ Apple sort of sneakily sneaks these features in, and then expects us all to just know how they work. Typical.
First things first, their latest “AI” bits on iOS and macOS are mostly called “Apple Intelligence” after WWDC 2024—super catchy. Stuff like smarter Siri, writing tools, and image features, but most are only on newer devices (iPhone 15 Pro and M1+ Macs, for now). Anyway, to get started:
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Basic Setup: Settings > General > Software Update—make sure you’re all latest-ed up. Then check Settings > Privacy & Security, you should see “Apple Intelligence” or “AI Features” if you’re on compatible hardware. If not, well, Apple gonna Apple.
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Siri Got Smarter: Now supposedly Siri can summarize, launch stuff, and do simple tasks better. Hold down the side button or say “Siri”—try asking it to summarize a long message, rewrite a note, or schedule something. It’s hit or miss, honestly.
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Writing Tools: Open Mail or Notes, start typing, highlight your text—look for an AI “sparkle” or “wand” icon. Tap it to rewrite, summarize, or change tone (professional, friendly, etc.). It’ll spit out suggestions, you choose. Not always magical, but sometimes funny.
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Image Play: In Messages and certain apps, there’s “Image Playground” or a little stars icon. Tap that, describe a silly image, and give it a shot. Expect cartoon-y fun, not midjourney masterpieces.
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Settings and Control: For anything AI, Apple buries controls. So back in Settings > General > Apple Intelligence (if you see it), you can toggle stuff like “On-device processing” and “Allow Siri to use ChatGPT.” If you’re privacy paranoid, poke around here.
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Mac Side: Most stuff mirrors iPhone, but for AI text rewriting, select text, right-click, and see if you get the “Rewrite” or similar option. Siri on macOS: use Spotlight (Cmd+Space), then talk away.
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Beta Stuff: A lotta features might require you to be on betas or roll out “later this year,” which means either patience or living on the wild side with experimental OSes.
No, you’re not missing obvious buttons—they’re just that hidden or not rolled out for everyone yet. Half these tools are low-key, so don’t stress if it feels underwhelming yet. Most of Apple’s “AI” is like, “We already did this, but now with extra sparkle emojis.” If you’re waiting for iPhones to start cooking breakfast, keep waiting. Still, give these a whirl and see if any stick!
You know, all the buzz around “Apple Intelligence” makes it sound like our phones are about to write novels and do our taxes. But the truth—at least so far—is way less sci-fi than the hype. Could Apple possibly make these so-called AI features more buried or janky to access? I kind of doubt it.
@ombrasilente is right, you’ll see most of the fun if you have the absolute latest gear. But honestly, I feel like Apple masquerades stuff as “AI” that’s more like “slightly smarter autocorrect and dumber Photoshop.” They talk about giving us “on-device privacy” and “semantic intelligence,” but what you get is Siri still misunderstanding you except now she occasionally rewrites your note with more sparkle. Wow.
What nobody mentions: most features require devs to support them in third-party apps (good luck waiting for that), and you’ll see ZERO indicators that “Apple Intelligence” is even working unless you seek it out. They couldn’t even give us a cool little logo on-screen? C’mon.
Want to try new AI writing help? Be ready for it to flake out, especially if you write anything weird. Also, the “Rewrite” feature on Mac sometimes just…doesn’t show up. Is that AI, or is that just Apple being Apple? Sometimes I wonder.
And don’t bother hunting for a master switch in Settings—if it’s there, it’s different for everyone and depends on Apple’s celestial alignment or whatever. I’ve been digging and the best way to “use” AI on Mac, half the time, is to find sample text, right-click it, and pray a Rewrite button materializes.
If you’re into privacy, double-check what data you’re actually sending to Apple and OpenAI (when Siri “gets help with that”) because it’s not that clear-cut, TBH.
Can’t shake the feeling we’re all beta-testing this for them, but hey—at least you can send your friends AI-generated unicorn pancakes in Messages, right? Progress!