Apple Intelligence is coming. Here’s what it means for your iPhone

Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to your iPhone soon and, according to Apple, it’s going to transform the way you use your device. Launching under the brand name “Apple Intelligence” the iPhone maker’s AI tools include a turbocharged version of its voice assistant, Siri, backed by a partnership with ChatGPT owner OpenAI.

Apple isn’t the first smartphone maker to launch AI. The technology is already available on smartphones including Google’s latest Pixel and Samsung’s Galaxy range.

Yet the vast amounts of data needed by AI are leading to concerns about data privacy. Apple has built its reputation on privacy – its ad states “Privacy. That’s iPhone” – so this is an area where the firm claims it is different.

What is Apple Intelligence and when will it be available?

Apple Intelligence is the catch-all name for the iPhone maker’s AI capabilities, including ChatGPT-4o integration coming with its iOS 18 software upgrade.

The first iteration of iOS 18 will debut alongside Apple’s iPhone 16 models in September, but the AI features are arriving later, in the iOS 18.1 update expected in mid- to late October.

The first iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence features available in the beta version include new writing tools, suggested replies in the Messages app, email summarisation and phone call transcription.

Other features coming later this year or in early 2025 include Image Playground – the ability to create your own animated images within apps – and custom emoji, called Genmoji. Meanwhile, the much-anticipated AI enhancements to Apple’s chatbot Siri include ChatGPT integration, richer language understanding and deeper integration with individual apps. Siri will also be able to view your calendar, photos and messages to respond better to text – for example, you could ask when your mum’s flight is landing and Siri would figure it out based on recent messages and emails, according to Apple.

Apple Intelligence will be rolled out across the world, but the features will face a significant delay in the EU and China due to regulatory concerns.

AI requires powerful hardware, so the features will not be compatible with older devices. According to Apple, you will need the iPhone 15 or later, or an Apple device using the M1 or M2 chip to access the full range.

How will using my iPhone change?

The features will roll out slowly, so the immediate change won’t be drastic. However, once you’ve enabled Apple Intelligence, you should notice your interactions becoming more personalised and tasks becoming speedier. For instance, you might use the summarising tools for writing emails on the move and you’ll be given the opportunity to record and transcribe phone calls for the first time – with the other caller’s permission, of course. “Performing everyday tasks will be easier and more enjoyable,” says Adam Biddlecombe, co-founder of the AI newsletter Mindstream.

Like ChatGPT, Apple’s intelligent assistant will develop the ability to provide contextual replies, ie to remember the thread of a previous Siri conversation. Regarding privacy, a new visual indicator around the Siri icon will let you know when it is listening.

But it’s worth noting that like any new and shiny technology, Apple’s AI could be a bit glitchy when it launches. AI models need data to operate, and while the technology is getting better, even Apple’s CEO Tim Cook admits he’s “not 100% certain” that Apple Intelligence won’t hallucinate. “I am confident it will be very high quality,” he said in a recent interview. “But I’d say in all honesty, that’s short of 100%. I would never claim that it’s 100%.”

So unless you have full confidence in the accuracy of chatbots, you may want to double check the airline website to confirm when your mum’s flight is landing.

How does ChatGPT on my iPhone differ from using the ChatGTP app?

Apple will use ChatGPT as a backup, and to power features it is not able to manage itself. You’ll be asking Siri the question, but if Apple’s chatbot can’t answer more complex requests, it will pass the baton to ChatGPT.

The same goes for composing text and creating images. While Apple Intelligence offers these capabilities, ChatGPT can write letters and create images from scratch, which Apple isn’t that good at, yet.

The key difference between the app and ChatGPT on your iPhone is in how your data is handled, says Camden Woollven, group head of AI at the consultancy firm GRC International Group. “When you use ChatGPT directly, your queries go straight to OpenAI’s servers – there’s no intermediary.”

However, he says, when you use Siri’s ChatGPT integration, Apple acts as a “privacy-focused middleman”.

“Siri tries to handle your request directly on your device and if it can’t, it sends some data to Apple’s servers, but in an encrypted and anonymised form,” he explains.

If both your device and Apple’s servers can’t fulfil the request, Siri reaches out to ChatGPT. “But even then, your request goes to Apple first, gets anonymised and encrypted, and only then goes to OpenAI,” says Woollven. “So with Siri, your data gets an extra layer of privacy protection that you don’t get when using ChatGPT directly.”

Users can access the GPT-4o powered Siri for free without creating an account, and ChatGPT subscribers can connect their accounts and access paid features such as a bigger message limit and the ability to access enhancements including the new voice mode, which allows you to communicate with ChatGPT by real-time video.

Are my conversations tracked or stored anywhere, and if so, by whom?

Apple says privacy protections are built in for users who access ChatGPT. Most of the processing will happen on your device, so data never leaves your iPhone.

Your IP address is obscured, and OpenAI won’t store requests. ChatGPT’s data-use policies apply for users who choose to connect their account.

For more complex queries that require the cloud, Apple says it will anonymise and encrypt your data end-to-end before sending it to its servers or to ChatGPT. “So this means that even Apple or OpenAI shouldn’t be able to see the content of your requests, only the encrypted, anonymised version,” says Woollven.

However, even anonymised data can sometimes be linked back to you if it’s specific enough, Woollven warns. “So while Apple isn’t directly storing your conversations in a way that’s linked to you, there’s still a small risk that a very specific query could potentially be connected to you.”

More broadly, any Apple Intelligence requests that need to be processed off your device will go to the firm’s own private cloud, Private Cloud Compute, which claims to safeguard your data from external sources.

Apple says it will be transparent about when it’s using your data. It will provide a detailed report on your device, called the Apple Intelligence Report, showing how each of your Siri requests was processed, so you can see for yourself what data was used and where it went.

That said, AI requires vast amounts of information to operate, and to power these features, Apple needs access to more of your data. “Apple will be able to read your messages, monitor your calendar, track your Maps and location, record your phone calls, view your photos and understand any other personal information,” says Moore.

I’m not sure about this. Can I opt out?

Yes, you have to toggle on Apple Intelligence in Settings. So whether you are concerned about data privacy or sceptical about the accuracy or usefulness of these features, you are not obliged to use them.