Apple’s entry into artificial intelligence, known as Apple Intelligence, has been eagerly awaited since its announcement earlier this year. With the launch of iOS 18.1, iPhone users can now experience some of Apple’s AI tools, though the features are still limited.
Currently available only for the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, and their Plus and Max versions, Apple Intelligence is in its beta phase, and users need to opt-in for access. Despite the limited features, they offer useful new functions that show how Apple plans to integrate AI into our daily lives. Here’s a look at three practical features you can start using right away on your iPhone.
Summarizing Notifications, Emails, and Web Pages
For those overwhelmed by digital messages, the Summaries feature from Apple Intelligence provides much-needed relief. This tool offers quick, concise summaries of your Messages notifications, emails, and even Safari web pages.
- Notifications: When you receive a new message in Messages or a supported app, your iPhone generates a single-sentence summary that captures the essence of the message. While it may miss some nuances like sarcasm, the summaries usually provide a helpful overview that’s easy to read quickly.
- Emails: In the Mail app, the Summarise button at the top of an email gives you a brief overview of its contents, letting you quickly assess the urgency or relevance of the message without having to read the whole email.
- Web Pages: While browsing a page in Safari that supports the Reader feature, you can tap the Page Menu, select Show Reader, and choose Summary. Apple Intelligence will create a short summary of the article, helping you decide if it’s worth your time without reading the entire text.
Siri’s New Look and Improved Interaction
Siri has received a fresh update. In iOS 18.1, Siri features a new full-screen animation with colorful edges, giving it a modern and dynamic appearance that reflects the enhanced AI capabilities behind it.
Siri’s interactions are also more natural. With Apple Intelligence, Siri can now recognize commands better, even if you mispronounce words, and it listens more closely after providing answers, making follow-up questions easier. Although Siri isn’t yet personalizing responses based on user data, a ChatGPT integration is expected in a future update (likely with iOS 18.2). This update suggests significant improvements in Siri’s usability and responsiveness.
Clean Up: Remove Distractions from Your Photos
With the Clean Up feature in the Photos app, Apple Intelligence allows you to eliminate unwanted objects from your pictures directly on your iPhone. Whether it’s a piece of trash or a smudge, Clean Up uses AI to identify and erase distractions, seamlessly filling in the background.
To use Clean Up, simply open the Photos app, tap Edit on the image, and select Clean Up. The app analyzes the photo, suggests areas to remove, and highlights them for easy selection. While it may not always produce perfect results, Clean Up is great for quick edits and can handle minor fixes without needing a third-party app.
Apple’s AI Journey: What Comes Next?
While Apple Intelligence’s initial features are practical, they represent just a glimpse of what’s possible with Apple’s AI technology. With more updates on the way, including potential ChatGPT integration and greater personalization, Apple aims to be a key player in the AI field. If these early tools are any indication, iOS users can look forward to Apple Intelligence significantly enhancing productivity, personalization, and convenience in the future.
