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What to Know about Apple Intelligence and AI-Driven Features in iOS 18

Melissa Girimonte | July 30, 2024

Apple Intelligence represented by an iPhone with the WWDC banner.

Apple is introducing a new era of computing with Apple Intelligence, a powerful on-device AI system designed to improve user experiences across its ecosystem. Apple Intelligence is built into iPhone, iPad, and Mac, providing a personal intelligence system that enhances user experience with advanced features while prioritizing user privacy through on-device processing. This innovation uses state-of-the-art machine learning models to enhance AI capabilities for daily activities while emphasizing privacy and security. This groundbreaking technology serves as the basis for a range of innovative features that will revolutionize how users interact with their iPhones. First announced in June 2024, it is expected to be available as part of iOS 18 on iPhones later this year.

iOS 18 is the first operating system to fully utilize Apple Intelligence. It brings a variety of AI-powered features that enhance the user experience. From smart personal voice assistants to advanced photography tools, iOS 18 showcases Apple’s dedication to pushing the limits of mobile technology.

In this article

  1. Key Takeaways on Apple Intelligence and Voice Over iPhone Features
  2. What is Apple Intelligence?
  3. What does AI on iPhone Do?
  4. Apple’s AI-Driven Features in iOS 18
  5. VoiceOver on the iPhone
  6. What is the Vocal Shortcut Feature?
  7. Final Thoughts
  8. Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaways on Apple Intelligence and Voice Over iPhone Features

  • Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 focuses on enhancing user experience with AI while prioritizing privacy through on-device processing.
  • The new AI-driven features in iOS 18, like systemwide Writing Tools and Image Playground, significantly boost productivity and creativity by offering real-time suggestions and image editing capabilities without third-party tools.
  • iOS 18 introduces powerful accessibility features, including the VoiceOver screen reader and Vocal Shortcuts, making the iPhone more inclusive for users with visual impairments and other disabilities. These features help users connect seamlessly with their devices.

What is Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence is poised to revolutionize our interaction with technology. It imbues Apple devices with advanced artificial intelligence while still upholding a strong commitment to user privacy. This breakthrough from Apple offers a virtual assistant that not only predicts your needs but also prioritizes the confidentiality of your information.

Apple Intelligence sets itself apart with its focus on privacy. It distinguishes itself from other AI technologies that rely on cloud processing by embracing in-device operations to ensure the safety of data. Whether through on-device computation or secure communication encryption with servers, Apple has designed its intelligent ecosystem with maximum discretion in mind.

A multitude of features within Apple Intelligence greatly enhances the user experience. With integrated Writing Tools, refining emails, composing messages, or jotting down quick thoughts is made easier. These tools assist with rewriting, support for proofreading, and efficient text summarization directly within the apps themselves.

Also worth noting is Genmoji, an innovative approach to emojis that enhances expressiveness like never before. The updated Siri now offers a more authentic experience, with improved cognitive memory that allows for seamless interactions resembling natural conversations, making them incredibly intuitive and lifelike.

What does AI on iPhone Do?

AI on the iPhone is a revolutionary advancement. With the integration of Apple’s silicon, iOS 18 brings improved on-device processing that enhances speed and efficiency while protecting user privacy. This built-in processing ensures that your private information stays on your device, reducing the risk of data breaches.

As mentioned earlier, the systemwide Writing Tools powered by artificial intelligence are an impressive development. These features provide text rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing across various apps, making effective communication easier than ever. Picture drafting an email on your iPhone with real-time suggestions for improvements. This not only increases productivity but also enhances writing skills.

In the world of visuals, Image Playground allows users to creatively generate stunning images in Animation, Illustration, or Sketch styles, perfect for those passionate about visual arts who want to add a unique touch to their photos or designs. The Photos app now includes a new Clean Up function that can remove unwanted elements from the edges of an image without affecting its main focus, producing professional-quality images effortlessly.

Siri has also seen significant enhancements thanks to Apple Intelligence. It can perform hundreds more tasks within and between apps while maintaining conversational context smoothly from one command to the next, creating a natural flow in dialogue that makes interactions with Siri feel more engaging and seamless for users.

Apple’s AI-Driven Features in iOS 18

iOS 18, equipped with AI features, has been thoughtfully designed to enhance the personalization and efficiency of your iPhone experience. It introduces a variety of customization options that let you arrange apps and widgets on the Home Screen to suit your preferences, customize buttons on the Lock Screen for quick access, and utilize new controls in a redesigned Control Center. This commitment to flexibility ensures that your iPhone aligns perfectly with your usage habits.

Among the notable updates is a comprehensive redesign of the Photos app, which offers:

  • A consolidated view for easier navigation through your photo library
  • Upgraded collections with customizable organizing features for your photos
  • Focused notifications that aim to reduce distractions while helping you stay on task

These enhancements are strategically implemented to boost user interaction and streamline the management of your photos.

A broad expansion of writing tools and image generation features is evident across multiple applications, going beyond just text or images. These tools offer convenience for composing emails, creating presentations, or taking quick notes by providing real-time suggestions and improvements that simplify complex tasks significantly.

Siri has also undergone notable enhancements. It can now execute a variety of new commands while retaining context from previous conversations. This development allows Siri to function as a more intuitive assistant, facilitating smoother task management and faster information retrieval through straightforward voice commands, thereby enhancing connectivity.

Additionally, advancements have made iOS 18 more accessible than ever. With innovations like Eye Tracking technology and Music Haptics, the platform fosters greater inclusivity, ensuring that all users can fully utilize their device’s capabilities, regardless of their unique needs or challenges.

VoiceOver on the iPhone

VoiceOver transforms the way people with visual impairments use their iOS devices. This feature, which comes pre-installed, allows users to interact with text, buttons, and hyperlinks without needing to see the screen. By touching the screen, users can hear VoiceOver speak the names of the items they are touching. This makes it easy for visually impaired individuals to navigate and use their iPhones.

Activating VoiceOver is simple. Users can ask Siri to turn it on by saying “Turn On VoiceOver.” Once activated, users have access to a range of accessibility features. It’s important to wait for audible cues before using VoiceOver gestures. Users can navigate through information by swiping with three fingers or using the Rotor feature by twirling two fingers on the device.

VoiceOver supports various touch-based commands, including taps and swipes with two, three, or four fingers. For example, a double-tap gesture with two fingers pauses spoken feedback temporarily, and another tap resumes it. There are also convenient navigation gestures, such as swiping upwards with three fingers to start reading from the top of the screen and swiping downwards to scroll back up one page length.

Other useful gestures within VoiceOver include muting and unmuting the speech, as well as performing quick operations. A triple-finger double tap gives immediate control over this functionality, making it easy for all users, regardless of visual challenges, to utilize all aspects of the iPhone.

What is the Vocal Shortcut Feature?

The newest iOS 18 introduces an exciting feature called Vocal Shortcuts, allowing users to assign specific tasks and actions to unique vocal commands. This feature aims to assist individuals who struggle with device interaction or have speech impairments, offering extensive customization options and precise command capabilities.

Setting up Vocal Shortcuts is a straightforward process, enabling users to:

  • Set up Siri commands
  • Trigger shortcuts
  • Navigate system settings
  • Control other accessibility functions

Users can activate all these functions using personalized voice commands. Vocal Shortcuts allow for complete customization of trigger phrases, going beyond the standard Siri commands. This enhances user experience based on personal preferences and makes the commands more memorable.

The commands for Vocal Shortcuts are processed directly on the device, ensuring quick response times and increased privacy. Processing occurs on the iPhone itself, eliminating external delays or data exposure concerns.

Final Thoughts

Apple is introducing new AI-driven features in iOS 18 that aim to revolutionize how we use our iPhones. With a focus on privacy and on-device processing, as well as improved Writing Tools and image creation capabilities, Apple is providing users with a blend of powerful AI functions and strong privacy safeguards. The enhancements in Siri interactions, along with the addition of new accessibility features like VoiceOver and Vocal Shortcuts, make iOS 18 a truly inclusive update.

These advancements not only boost productivity and creativity but also ensure that all users, regardless of their abilities, can fully utilize their iPhones. Looking ahead, it’s evident that Apple is dedicated to making technology accessible and advantageous for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence offers a range of privacy-focused features such as Writing Tools and dynamic images, as well as Genmoji and an improved Siri. This personalized intelligence system provides users with advanced tools to enhance their experience with Apple products.

How does AI on the iPhone protect my privacy?

By leveraging on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute, the AI in your iPhone guarantees that your data is safeguarded against external threats while upholding privacy protection.

What are some of the new features in iOS 18?

Get ready for an exciting update that brings a refreshed Photos app, improved Siri capabilities, and new customization options in iOS 18. The update will also introduce groundbreaking accessibility features such as Eye Tracking and Music Haptics to enhance the user experience.

How do Vocal Shortcuts work?

Users have the option to create personalized voice commands called Vocal Shortcuts, which provide a more convenient and customized way to control device functions and perform tasks.

What accessibility features does VoiceOver offer?

Gesture-based navigation in VoiceOver allows users to interact with text, buttons, and links without relying on visual cues. This feature includes intuitive gestures and the Rotor function, which allows users to switch focus between different types of content.

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