Apple Intelligence Introduces Image Playground, Genmoji, and Additional Features

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December 11, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

Apple has just rolled out exciting new features for Apple Intelligence, including Image Playground, Genmoji, improved Writing Tools, seamless ChatGPT support, and enhanced visual intelligence.

Today also marks the start of broader language support with localized English for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K.

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Apple has released iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, bringing a fresh set of features to Apple Intelligence that enhance how users interact with their iPhones, iPads, and Macs while emphasizing privacy in AI advancements. With these updates, users can explore creative visual expressions through Image Playground, craft unique emojis with Genmoji, and utilize enhanced Writing Tools for more dynamic text creation. Additionally, users with iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro can leverage visual intelligence to learn about their environment through Camera Control. ChatGPT is now integrated into Writing Tools and Siri, allowing users to access its capabilities without switching apps, making tasks quicker and easier.

Apple Intelligence is also expanding its language offerings with localized English for countries like Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K., giving more users worldwide powerful new ways to use their Apple devices. More languages, including Chinese, Indian English, Singaporean English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, will be added throughout the year, with a first batch arriving in an April software update.

Design Fun, Original Images with Image Playground

Image Playground allows users to effortlessly create fun and unique images using themes, costumes, accessories, and locations. Users can add text descriptions and even create images resembling family members or friends using their photo library. Image Playground offers distinct styles like Animation and Illustration and is integrated into Messages and apps like Freeform and Keynote. It’s also available as a standalone app.

Create Genmoji to Fit Any Moment

Genmoji takes emojis to the next level, making conversations more fun and introducing new ways to communicate. By typing a description into the emoji keyboard, a Genmoji with multiple options appears. Users can personalize Genmoji with photos from their library, accessories, themes, and activities, making them unique. Genmoji can be added to messages or shared as stickers or reactions.

Take Notes to the Next Level with Image Wand

The Notes app now includes Image Wand, which helps users create more visual notes. By circling a rough sketch, Image Wand turns it into a polished image. It can even generate images from empty spaces by analyzing surrounding text. Users can create images in Animation, Illustration, and a new Sketch style.

Describe Changes in Writing Tools

Writing Tools now offer a “Describe Your Change” option, allowing users to specify desired changes, like adding dynamic action words to a resume or rewriting a dinner invitation as a poem. This option is available across Apple and many third-party apps.

Learn More About Surroundings in One Click with Visual Intelligence

The new visual intelligence feature helps users instantly learn about objects and places with the iPhone 16’s Camera Control. It can summarize text, translate, detect phone numbers or emails, and more. Users can also search Google for items or use ChatGPT for explanations. They control when third-party tools are used and what information is shared.

Tap into ChatGPT with Siri and Writing Tools

ChatGPT is now accessible within Siri and Writing Tools across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, offering its expertise and document understanding without switching apps. Siri can suggest using ChatGPT for certain requests and provide direct responses. Users can enable ChatGPT integration and control its usage and shared information. By default, a ChatGPT account is not required, and OpenAI doesn’t store requests or use data for model training when used without an account.

Even More Capabilities Coming Soon

Additional Apple Intelligence features will be released in the coming months. Siri will become more personalized and gain onscreen awareness, increasing its capabilities across Apple and third-party apps. Priority Notifications will highlight important information. Users will also be able to create images in a new Sketch style within Image Playground.

A Breakthrough for Privacy in AI

Apple Intelligence is designed with user privacy in mind, using on-device processing. For larger models, Private Cloud Compute extends privacy to the cloud without storing or sharing data with Apple. Independent experts can verify this privacy promise by inspecting the code on Apple silicon servers.

Availability

Apple Intelligence is available as a free software update with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2. It’s accessible in most regions when the device and Siri language are set to localized English for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the U.K., or the U.S.

Mac users in the EU can access Apple Intelligence with compatible devices and settings. In April, Apple Intelligence features will start rolling out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, a redesigned Siri, and ChatGPT integration.

Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPads with A17 Pro or M1 and later, and Macs with M1 and later.

About Apple

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the Macintosh in 1984. Today, it leads the world with innovative products like the iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — offer seamless experiences across devices and provide groundbreaking services such as the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are committed to creating the best products and making a positive impact on the world.

Genmoji creation is available on iPhone and iPad and will be available on Mac soon.