After quite some time, Apple finally launched its much-awaited Apple Intelligence features, which add some new software tricks across its many devices, primarily the iPhone, iPad and Mac products. The new AI features are included with the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 software updates, and include new improvements for productivity and everyday usage within different apps and Apple services. With that in mind, here’s a quick refresher on what these new features are, in case you forgot about them.
CHECK OUT: Apple Boasts New AI Features at WWDC 2024
A Smarter Siri?
It’s probably safe to say that the addition of improved AI capabilities to Siri is one of the most anticipated features of the new update – after all, Apple did tout Siri as the smartest on-device assistant (highly debatable) for years on end. With the new update however, Apple claims that users will be able to interact with Siri in a more natural and flexible manner. One way to tell this version of Siri apart from older iterations is the glowing pulse of light that surrounds a user’s display when it is activated. More importantly, Apple says that Siri now has enhanced language-understanding capabilities, staying within context during queries and conversations with users, and can even address questions regarding device settings, how-to tips, and more.
Photos App Upgrades
While many have previously aired their complaints about the Photos app’s new layout, Apple is doubling-down on the changes in terms of usability. There’s a new Natural language search capability that allows users to be more specific in terms of what they’re searching. If you were for example to search for a photograph of a certain person wearing a particular design of clothing, the Photos app will be able to locate it more accurately – Apple adds that this feature will also be available for video clips. There’s also a new Clean Up tool, which is essentially Apple’s version of Google’s Magic Eraser feature launched a couple of years back and lets users remove unwanted objects from their photos.
New Productivity Features
Apple has added a new approach to system-wide writing – Writing Tools makes it easier for users to proofread, rewrite and even summarize text across different apps such as Notes, Messages, Mail, and even apps from third-party providers. Apple’s new Rewrite feature lets users take something they’ve written and pick a different version, with tweaks to grammar, tone, proofreading and more. The Mail app now comes with Priority Messages, which presents users with the most urgent emails first, as well as summaries of messages without needing to fully open the actual email. The summarization feature also works with long message threads, and there’s also Smart Reply for quick, pre-generated reply suggestions based on context.
With all that said, Apple states that more features will come later in December, although users in the EU might have to wait a bit longer as certain Apple Intelligence functionality won’t be available until 2025.
