Apple has officially launched Apple Intelligence , the artificial intelligence system built into its iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. It lets you edit and write text, remove elements from photos , summarize notifications and messages, search for images and videos, and more.
It’s free to use as long as you have an iPhone (models 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 15 Pro, or 15 Pro Max), an iPad with an A17 Pro or M1 chip or later, or a Mac with an M1 chip or later, with the operating system updated to iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1.
You also need Siri set to US English and at least 4GB of free storage on your device.
In this article, you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to easily activate Apple Intelligence.
Steps to activate Apple Intelligence
To activate and take advantage of Apple Intelligence capabilities, simply follow these steps:
-Update your device to the latest compatible version by going to “Settings.” There, under “General,” click “Software Update.”
-Once your device is updated, you’ll have the option to join the waiting list to activate Apple Intelligence. Go to “Settings” and tap “Apple Intelligence” and “Siri.” Select “Join Apple Intelligence Waitlist.”
-The activation process may take a few hours. When you’re ready to use it, you’ll receive a notification on your device to activate Apple Intelligence and automatically download the essential AI models to use all the advanced features.
Features you can already use in Apple Intelligence
Once Apple Intelligence is enabled on your device, you can explore and take advantage of features like:
-Cleanup tool. Includes an eraser to remove all those unwanted elements from your photos, without having to resort to photo enhancement apps .
-Writing tools. You can write and rewrite fragments of text in different versions until you achieve the tone that best suits your needs. The system provides suggestions or alternatives to achieve the best result.
– Improved Siri. The virtual assistant will be more efficient and natural in its responses than ever before. It’s able to understand your needs much better and will provide you with a fluid and friendly conversation experience.
The assistant can also provide you with more detailed answers related to the operation of Apple products.
For example, you could ask how to view the WiFi passwords saved on your iPhone , and you’ll immediately receive a simple explanation and step-by-step instructions.
-Voice note and call recording transcriptions. This is a tool that allows you to convert your voice notes and recordings into text.
It’s perfect, especially if you need to review a specific piece of information in detail without listening to the entire audio. It also makes it easy to organize, access, and understand.
-Notification, email, and message summaries. This way, you can organize your notifications and messages into highly concise summaries that allow you to focus on the most important information.
-Natural language search in the Photos app. You can search for photos using keywords such as birthdays, beach or pool trips, and more.
-Memories feature for creating movies in the Photos app. This tool allows you to automatically create movies by writing a short description, such as “Mountain Vacation.”
Apple selects clips and photos that match the description and produces the video in seconds. You can share it on social media like Instagram or upload it to TikTok Stories .
-Priority messages in emails. You can organize and highlight your most urgent emails, automatically identifying those that need your immediate attention.
-Smart Reply for emails. It gives you super-fast replies and suggestions for your emails. This way, you can speed up responses to both casual and professional conversations.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the Genmoji feature is expected to arrive in December. Meanwhile, accessibility features like Image Playground and Visual Intelligence (for the iPhone 16 family ) have been postponed to be included in upcoming updates in 2025.
