The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro reveal is nearly here with Apple’s next best iPhones set to appear at the company’s “Glowtime” event on September 9.
This year’s iPhones are expected to introduce bigger screens, faster chips, better cameras, new colors, and more internal upgrades. Spec bumps aside, however, the iPhone 16 lineup is likely to be Apple’s first major iPhone launch focused on AI with rumored RAM increases to help power all the fancy new Apple Intelligence features we first saw at WWDC in June.
iOS 18 is expected to launch alongside iPhone 16, and while Apple Intelligence won’t be available until 18.1, there are plenty of AI features to look forward to on your next iPhone. Here’s every Apple Intelligence feature coming to the next generation of iPhone and when you can expect to use them on your shiny new device.
Apple Intelligence's first wave
Apple Intelligence will arrive on iPhone 16 as part of the iOS 18.1 update expected to go live later this year. iOS 18.1 is currently in beta, so we’ve been able to test some of the new Apple Intelligence features in advance.
The update will bring core Apple Intelligence features such as the ability to proofread text, summarize webpages, use Clean Up to remove objects from photos, take control of your notifications with summaries, and even capture audio recordings from phone calls.
You’ll also be able to quickly reply to messages with AI replies and the Notes and Calculator apps now have a really cool Math Notes feature that lets you handwrite equations and get answers back as if you wrote them — it’s magic.
The Mail app will also get an overhaul in iOS 18.1 with new features including smart reply, summaries, and Apple’s AI will also prioritize your emails to make life easier.
Finally, Siri will have a new stylish look that pulsates from the edges of the display and the voice assistant will be able to maintain context throughout multiple requests. It’s not quite the Apple Intelligence-powered Siri we’re all hoping for but it’s definitely better than anything we’ve had before.
Think of the first wave of Apple Intelligence as nice to have AI features we’ve seen on a lot of other smartphones like the Google Pixel 9 and Samsung S24 Ultra but with Apple’s polish and approach. Apple Intelligence will take a while to reach its full potential but incremental updates should add new features throughout the iPhone 16’s lifespan.
The second wave
Following on from the launch of iOS 18.1, the iPhone 16 will gain access to more Apple Intelligence features in later updates including some of the more exciting additions like an ‘actually’ smart Siri.
Siri 2.0 is expected to arrive in 2025 with iOS 18.4 according to top insider Mark Gurman at Bloomberg bringing with it major Apple Intelligence improvements like on-screen awareness and personal context. This new Siri overhaul should turn the voice assistant into the personal assistant of the future, helping you take control of your life planning.
Siri will also gain ChatGPT integration, allowing you to ask OpenAi’s chatbot more complex prompts that can’t be answered on device.
AI image generation will also arrive at a later date. Apple is calling the app Image Playground but we’re yet to see any sign of the feature in beta just yet. Alongside Image Playground, Genmoji is likely to arrive after iOS 18.1 too. The emoji generator will allow you to combine multiple emojis or create your own with prompts such as the dinosaur on a skateboard Apple showcased in June.
We also expect to see the Mail app design overhaul with Inbox categories in a future update, but there’s no timeframe on when this will appear.
What else could we see?
So that’s about it. If Apple continues the trend of a September iPhone release then Apple Intelligence will not be available on the new devices at launch. Rumors expect iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence to arrive in October, and we don’t quite know the release date of the new iPhones just yet so there’s a slim chance they coincide. We also don’t know for sure what new iPhones will be compatible with Apple’s AI. Could we see Apple Intelligence only on the Pro devices? Or are the rumors of RAM upgrades across the board accurate and we’ll see Apple Intelligence on all the latest iPhones?
While Apple revealed Apple Intelligence in June there’s still a chance that more AI features could be exclusive to the new iPhones, but we’ll need to wait until September 9th’s Apple event to know for sure. As it stands the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max should be capable of everything Apple Intelligence has to offer on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
