I purchased an iPhone 16 for its AI options, however I have not used them even as soon as – this is why

iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium

I’m a person of instruments. I work an incredible many hours every week. Anytime I discover a instrument that helps me meet my deadlines, do one thing I in any other case couldn't do, or get somewhat extra sleep or private time, I add it to my package bag, even when which means spending some cash. For instance, I've invested in a whole military of digicam robots as a result of they assist me end up higher and extra fascinating movies.

When Apple Intelligence was introduced, and its massive options have been tied to the iPhone 16 collection, I made a decision it was time to improve my four-generation previous iPhone 12 Professional Max. I purchased my iPhone 16 Professional Max particularly for the productiveness advantages I anticipated to get from Apple Intelligence.

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The truth that I haven't touched any of the Apple Intelligence instruments since they have been launched with iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2 is proof that I haven't discovered a motive to. Jason Perlow was proper. After all, Jason is nearly at all times proper, which is without doubt one of the many causes I'm glad I get to work with him right here at ZDNET.

On this article, I'm going to go down the checklist of Apple Intelligence options in iOS 18.1 and 18.2 and share with you why I'm not utilizing them. I did check Apple's AI options whereas writing, simply to verify facets of what I used to be writing. However I haven't discovered any precise productive use for any of them.

Let's first talk about privateness

Earlier than I’m going down the checklist of instruments, let's talk about privateness. Apple has made a reasonably large fuss about privateness, particularly the best way it makes use of its personal non-public cloud to maintain your AI requests non-public. Whereas most Apple Intelligence AI processing is finished on the cellphone, some facets that require cloud capabilities are remoted particularly for privateness safety.

Additionally: iOS 18.2 was killing my iPhone's battery till I turned off this characteristic

That is good, and if I have been deeply involved with my privateness, I might most likely select to make use of Apple's instruments over these of ChatGPT. However Apple does ship queries to ChatGPT, and whereas they’re anonymized, the content material of these queries will go into ChatGPT's data maw to be cataloged and processed in undisclosed methods.

I've lived my life within the public eye for just a few many years now, so Apple's privateness answer isn't all that necessary to my private wants. If it have been, I most likely would discover Apple Intelligence's implementation of options like writing instruments to be a extra worthwhile providing.

Writing instruments

iOS 18.1 launched the flexibility to proofread, summarize, and rewrite textual content in your cellphone. iOS 18.2, launched in December 2024, added the flexibility to compose textual content primarily based on a immediate.

These options have been desk stakes in each chatbot launched since 2022. There’s nothing notably "Apple" in regards to the AI right here, besides that among the processing is finished on-device.

Personally, I don't write on my cellphone. Manner again within the PalmPilot days, I did. It was thrilling to have the ability to take my little Palm machine and a folding keyboard to a espresso store and get work achieved. However laptops have been massive and heavy again then, and iPads didn't exist. Now, if I count on to be out and must do some writing, I take my MacBook Air or an iPad with a keyboard case.

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ZDNET doesn’t enable articles to be created with AI assist, so it doesn’t matter what machine I’ve, I wouldn't use Apple Intelligence writing instruments for my articles. The textual content I principally produce whereas on the go, particularly once I simply have my cellphone, consists of Slack responses, textual content message responses, and electronic mail responses.

These can all simply be dictated utilizing instruments which were in iOS for years. Apple Intelligence provides nothing in these contexts.

There’s one writing instrument that has confirmed to be a sport changer for me, however it got here out in iOS 18, earlier than Apple Intelligence was formally launched. That's the flexibility for iOS to transcribe voice memos. I described how that characteristic reworked my Apple Watch into a strong dictating and writing assistant. That characteristic was a win, however it's not formally tied to Apple Intelligence.

  • Writing instruments: May assist some people, no actual worth to me.

Siri-ously?

OK, sure, Siri is now prettier. That new colour band across the iPhone is sort of good. However does it add any actual productiveness worth? No.

In April, I confirmed how Logitech launched somewhat free add-on software program app that means that you can ship prompts to ChatGPT. As a result of it ties properly to a mouse key, it's a tiny comfort when working all through the day. All it does is present a dialog to simply accept a immediate, ship the immediate to ChatGPT, after which show ChatGPT's leads to a window.

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Apple Intelligence's Siri "improve" barely supplies as a lot performance. In case you activate ChatGPT in Settings (you can even hyperlink your ChatGPT Plus account), when Siri can't reply a query, it’ll ask for those who'd wish to ship the query to ChatGPT. In case you approve that motion, it passes your question to ChatGPT, and also you get again a text-based response in somewhat pop-up.

Ooh. Ahh.

The ChatGPT app on the iPhone is vastly higher. You’ll be able to have complete audio discussions with ChatGPT through the cellphone's speaker and microphone. Utilizing AI hands-free is a strong method to profit from AI, however with Siri's ChatGPT integration, you simply get somewhat pop-up with textual content.

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Oh, and now you may thumb-type into Siri as an alternative of simply dictating. Ooh. Ahh.

I imply, what the heck, Apple? All this time, delaying options for 3 months after the cellphone launches, and the very best you may have is passing on a question by way of an API name? Freshman programming college students have been doing that again in 2023. Your devs may have discovered how to do that in a single free course, over a weekend.

  • Siri integration: It appears to be like cool, however that's it. No added worth. Yawn.

Notification Abstract and Scale back Interruptions Focus Mode

These two go hand-in-hand in my thoughts. Each are designed that can assist you handle the incoming move of notifications, surfacing solely the notifications you need to see and summarizing the small print to make it simpler so that you can take motion.

However… you're counting on a provably fallible AI to handle your notifications. That's wonderful if you wish to scale back the variety of spam notifications about gross sales from Harbor Freight Instruments, for instance. However it's not wonderful if you wish to be sure to get necessary work and household notifications.

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iOS has lengthy had higher instruments for this. First, I've turned off notifications from all apps the place I actually don't need to see notifications. This method doesn't work for Instacart, as a result of whereas a client is out procuring, I would like these notifications. I don't need the ineffective sale promos, particularly after they promote meals I don't eat.

In Instacart's case, I simply stay with the additional notifications. However as a result of I've turned off most notifications from most apps, the Instacart notifications aren't overwhelming. My concern with utilizing the AI can be that Apple Intelligence would ship the notification that there's a sale on Twinkies however not the notification that my shopper desires to know if he can change contemporary strawberries with a pint of strawberry ice cream.

One other instrument I exploit is discovered within the Ringtone space of Contacts. If I need to be certain that a member of the family can attain me, I activate Emergency Bypass. That characteristic ensures that even when my cellphone is muted or in a do-not-disturb focus mode, my most necessary contacts can get by way of.

These approaches are way more dependable than hoping Apple Intelligence can work out what messages I actually need to get and which I need to ignore.

  • AI notification administration: There are higher and extra dependable instruments obtainable

Precedence electronic mail notifications and mail classes

Hey, Apple. Welcome to 2013. I exploit the Gmail app on my iPhone. Not one of the Apple Intelligence options focused at electronic mail work within the Gmail app. That's OK as a result of new Apple Intelligence options like mail categorization and precedence electronic mail notifications have been obtainable in Gmail since roughly 2013.

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I’ve been coaching my electronic mail inbox for years. Once I get an electronic mail that's not extremely necessary, I transfer it out of the Major class. Gmail now is aware of to ship precedence messages to Major, all of the promotions and press releases I obtain to Promotions, all my family-related correspondence to Social, all status-related notices to Updates, and all tech help requests to Boards. Every now and then, Gmail places the fallacious factor within the fallacious class, and a easy drag-and-drop trains it on what's proper.

Then, in my Gmail app, I’ve my electronic mail notifications set to excessive precedence solely. That manner, the Gmail app solely sends me notifications once I get a high-priority electronic mail.

  • AI electronic mail administration: Not obtainable for Gmail, the place functionally equal options have been obtainable for years.

Photograph-related options

I discover the Take away Background characteristic obtainable from the Finder fairly helpful. However it's been round since iOS 16 and isn’t a part of Apple Intelligence.

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Apple does supply a brand new Images Clear Up characteristic, which is mainly a generative fill characteristic. It removes the chosen object and fills the now-open house with what would have been behind the picture.

I a lot want to tweak my images in Photoshop, however I can see this as a strong instrument for these touring and easily desirous to add a barely cleaned-up picture to a social media account. I'm not that person, so whereas useful, I don't use it.

Now, that brings us to the customized reminiscence film maker. I don't like this. I'm not the goal person of this tradition reminiscence film factor. Maybe if I had a child and wished to share a set of images with the grandparents, it’d apply. However for me, it’d as nicely simply not exist. I don't prefer it when apps determine to blindside me with previous recollections once I'm not within the temper to reminisce.

Then there's Apple Intelligence's characteristic that means that you can describe a photograph or video and get clever outcomes again. Looking for "Pixel below a blanket" resulted in Images figuring out that Pixel is my pet, however not one of the footage returned confirmed him below a blanket. For the report, now we have a whole lot of footage of Pixel curled up within the blanket.

It didn’t discover this or the lots of of different Pixel below a blanket image now we have taken. This was taken with the iPhone 16 Professional Max.

Then again, looking for "3D printer" did return a whole lot of outcomes with 3D printers within the photos or movies. I do a whole lot of 3D printer-related content material on my YouTube channel, and Apple Intelligence did discover these photos. It was not in a position to separate out photos of a sure model of printer, however at the least it's a begin.

  • Photograph options: Blended bag, the place some options are higher in Photoshop, some I don't use, and a few which might be unreliable.

Picture Playground, Picture Wand, and Genmoji

These are three AI picture technology instruments, and so they're… cute.

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I attempted my hand at Picture Wand, which takes a picture you attract Notepad and turns it right into a extra usable image. The gotcha is that it requires a immediate in addition to the picture. I "drew" an image of my canine Pixel, then used the wand instrument to pick it and prompted "Pixel." I didn't inform the AI my image was a canine, and also you'd be forgiven for those who couldn't inform, both. Even so, it did generate a canine image that was loosely much like my pup.

I attempted once more, merely drawing a circle after which prompting as "Pixel." This time, the AI generated just a few totally different rings however no canine.

Picture Playground takes the concept a step past, delving into DALL-E 3 and Midjourney territory, however in a much more restricted manner. It solely permits for 3 graphic types. I usually don't count on to make use of this instrument as an alternative of Midjourney, which I pay for. That stated, it's attainable that Apple's photos aren't generated primarily based on a publicly obtainable dataset, in order that they is probably not copyright violations ready to occur. I don't but have any good particulars on how Apple is establishing its photos, however that is an space we shall be following.

After which there's Genmoji. Genmoji is a instrument that allows you to create an emoji from an concept or immediate you kind in. It may be enjoyable, however I actually can't see myself utilizing it for something. I'm not a giant emoji person, so I'm once more most likely not the goal market.

  • Picture creation instruments: Different instruments are rather more wealthy and helpful, these are cute, however serve no actual sensible function in my workflow.

Visible Intelligence

Look, as somebody who spent years in product advertising, I'm as appreciative of a branding scheme as anybody. However Visible Intelligence, which is meant to be a giant characteristic of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional, is a big nothingburger.

So, right here's the way it works. You’ll be able to solely entry it utilizing the Digicam Management button on the iPhone 16 or 16 Professional. Why? As a result of some product supervisor figured individuals would possibly purchase an iPhone 16 to get it.

All it does — all it does — is allow you to snap an image after which ship it to ChatGPT for evaluation or Google to seek for related photos. That's proper, Apple Intelligence's vaunted Visible Intelligence characteristic is a shortcut. That's it.

You don't want an iPhone 16 or 16 Professional to get options like this. Google Lens will run on any iPhone that runs iOS 15 or later. That's an iPhone 6s or newer. An iPhone 6s! Google Lens does all that Visible Intelligence does, and extra.

Additionally: 5 Google Lens methods to stage up your picture search

After which there's the ChatGPT app. All it is advisable do is open the ChatGPT app, hit the plus signal, take an image, after which give ChatGPT a immediate. ChatGPT will do the remaining. ChatGPT will run on an iPhone 8 or newer. Simply be sure to're working iOS 16.1 or later.

  • Visible Intelligence: Unnecessarily predatory advertising hype. C'mon, Apple. You're higher than this.

The ultimate verdict

It's attainable that a few of it’s possible you’ll discover among the Apple Intelligence options compelling. I do know there are at the least two or three of you on the market who spent a whole weekend creating customized emoji. Don't fear — your secret is secure with me.

However none of those options are compelling. Worse, few are even helpful. And Visible Intelligence is hype with out substance, tied to promoting a higher-end mannequin of cellphone.

I do give just a few factors for the privateness argument, and I’ve discovered worth in Voice Notes transcription, however in any other case, nothing right here will profit my cellular life in anyway.

For a corporation based on the precept of "insanely nice," I believe Apple Intelligence is leaning manner too closely on that previous actuality distortion subject, however Apple not has anybody with the chops to maintain the sector working lengthy sufficient to idiot anybody.

You’ll be able to observe my day-to-day challenge updates on social media. Remember to subscribe to my weekly replace publication, and observe me on Twitter/X at @DavidGewirtz, on Fb at Fb.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, on Bluesky at @DavidGewirtz.com, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.

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