AI WORLDGetting Started with Apple Intelligence on Your iPhone
Learn how to easily polish your writing, chat with a smarter Siri, and keep your private data secure.
Imagine having a helpful companion tucked directly inside your iPhone, ready to tidy up your rushed emails, summarise long group chats, and understand you even when you stumble over your words. That is the magic of Apple Intelligence—Apple's built-in system of smart features designed to help you write, communicate, and get things done more easily.
By the end of this guide, you will know how to wake up these features on your phone, use them to improve your daily writing, and talk to a much smarter Siri.
- Check your device: You will need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, or a newer model.
- Update your software: Ensure your iPhone is updated to the latest version of iOS that supports these features.
- Set your language: Go to your settings and ensure your device language is set to a supported English option (such as English (Australia) or English (US)).
Wake up Apple Intelligence
To keep your phone secure, these smart features do not turn on automatically. You need to activate them in your system settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and look for a menu option called Apple Intelligence & Siri.
- Tap Join the Apple Intelligence Waitlist (or tap Turn on Apple Intelligence if it is already active).
- Your phone will download the necessary software in the background, which might take a few minutes. You will receive a notification when it is ready.
Polish your words with Writing Tools
Once active, your phone can help you rewrite, proofread, or summarise text in almost any app where you can type, such as Mail, Messages, or Notes. This is powered by Writing Tools—a built-in helper that can change the tone of your text or fix spelling.
- Open the Notes app and type a quick, messy message.
- Double-tap on any word, then drag the selection handles to highlight your entire text.
- In the black pop-up menu that appears above the highlighted text, tap Writing Tools (you may need to tap a right-pointing arrow to find it).
- Tap Friendly or Professional to see your text change instantly.
Chat with a smarter Siri
Siri has received a major upgrade. The digital assistant can now follow your train of thought, even if you change your mind mid-sentence. You will also notice a beautiful glowing rainbow light wrapping around the edge of your screen whenever Siri is listening.
- Say "Siri" or hold down your iPhone's side button to activate the assistant.
- Ask a question, change your mind halfway through, and see how it keeps up.
- If you are in a quiet place, you can now double-tap the very bottom edge of your screen to type your request to Siri instead of speaking aloud.
Enjoy on-device privacy
One of the best things about Apple Intelligence is how it handles your information.
Unlike many web-based tools that send your personal notes to a server (a massive computer system in another location) over the internet, your iPhone uses on-device processing. This means your phone does most of the heavy thinking locally on its own physical microchip.
Your personal photos, calendar events, and text messages stay private on your device. If a task is too big for your phone to handle alone, it uses a secure cloud system that processes your request without ever storing or sharing your data.
- Expecting it to work on older phones: Apple Intelligence requires a lot of processing power. If you have an iPhone 14 or older, these features will not appear in your settings.
- Thinking it only works in Apple apps: While Writing Tools are built by Apple, they actually work in many third-party apps too, like WhatsApp or social media apps. Just highlight your text to check!
- Worrying about your battery: Because the system is carefully designed to work with your phone's specific microchip, it is highly efficient and won't drain your battery like constant internet browsing does.
Let's test it out in the next two minutes! Open your Notes app, type "I am running late see you soon" and highlight the text. Tap Writing Tools, select Friendly, and watch how your phone instantly transforms your rushed note into a warm, polite message.
✦ Original step-by-step guide by AI World Co.'s AI editorial team. Written in plain language, reviewed for accuracy.
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