Despite big promises, the Siri experience in iOS 18 is nowhere as good as it should be. An improved Siri reportedly will arrive with iOS 18.5 in May this year, one that is much smarter. However, don’t expect Siri to become like ChatGPT or Gemini until at least 2027.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: A new leak of CAD files gives us our supposed first look at the full iPhone 17 lineup. And, looking further into the future, it sounds like Apple ironed out the final wrinkle that was holding back a folding iPhone. We discuss the latest iPhone leaks and rumors, digging into what sounds good and what sounds bad. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for an action-packed gaming experience, Smoke Lara takes you on a thrilling adventure—check out our Guardian of Light iPhone review to learn more.
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You can get Apple Intelligence right now on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro. All you have to do is update to the latest developer beta release. You’ll get access to Visual Intelligence, Image Playground, Genmoji and more.
The developer beta of iOS 18.4 enables Apple Intelligence in the European Union for the first time. visionOS 2.4 brings the featureset to the Vision Pro.
Apple Intelligence is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and the new iPhone 16 lineup. Unfortunately, older devices (or even the iPhone 15) don’t have enough RAM to support Apple’s Foundation models. Luckily, you can also try it out if you have an iPad or Mac with an M-series or A17 Pro chip.
Here’s how to get it all.
iPhone 16e vs. iPhone 16 — it’s decision time for anyone considering an affordable iPhone. The iPhone 16e, Apple’s newest addition to its iPhone 16 family, costs $599. It iPhone replaces the iPhone SE 3 to become the cheapest Apple smartphone with an A18 chip.
At first glance, the iPhone 16e seems quite similar to the iPhone 16, despite a $200 lower price. So, how does the iPhone 16e compare to the iPhone 16? Should you save your money and get Apple’s newest iPhone? Or pay extra and go for the iPhone 16? If you’re wondering which device best suits your needs, our iPhone for life guide breaks it down in detail.
Apple’s budget iPhone SE morphed into the new iPhone 16e Wednesday, bringing a thorough redesign with a larger screen, longer battery life, a more robust camera, and a processor that can handle Apple Intelligence tasks. It’s a whole new “budget” iPhone, and it comes at a 40% price increase over the iPhone SE 3, at $599.
This is iPhone 16e with our latest-generation Apple silicon, breakthrough battery life, an incredible high-resolution, two-in-one camera system, and the powerful features of iOS 18, all in a durable and beautiful design,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a video about the new entry-level iPhone. However, unlike the standard model, the 16e lacks some premium features like the iPhone 16 Dynamic Island, which enhances user experience with interactive notifications and multitasking improvements.
“iPhone 16e joins the iPhone 16 family as its most affordable member,” he added. “And it has Apple Intelligence, our powerful personal intelligence system with features that help you save time, quickly get more things done, and express yourself in new ways.”
A major visionOS update in April will add Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. It will reportedly also introduce an updated guest mode and a new spatial content app.
Apple will roll out these features with visionOS 2.4 in April. The beta will drop as early as the week beginning February 16th.
Apple might push back the launch of a new AI-powered version of Siri after running into unexpected problems during development.
Rather than releasing the upgraded voice assistant in April, Apple might delay the smarter Siri several months or more. Some reports suggest that Apple is adjusting its broader AI strategy, which could also impact other anticipated releases, such as spring loading Mac updates. Read more about the latest developments here.
In the meantime, users looking for a Siri picture of how the AI assistant is evolving can check out the latest updates on its development here.
Apple will rely on Alibaba to bring Apple Intelligence to China. While the Cupertino giant launched its AI features with iOS 18.1 late last year, they are yet to go live in China.
Apple reportedly held talks with several Chinese companies, including Baidu and ByteDance, to power its AI services in the country.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulls the plug on a secret AR glasses project. What does this mean for Vision Pro?
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Apple’s rollout of Apple Intelligence has been slow. The AI suite debuted with iOS 18.1 but initially launched in only a limited number of markets and languages.
Since then, the company has expanded support to more regions and languages, but there is still significant ground to cover. This April, the company will further accelerate its efforts and expand Apple Intelligence’s availability to more languages.
After more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 18.3 to the public Monday. Unlike the last two point updates, iOS 18.3 is light on big additions. However, it brings minor new features and some usability improvements. Check them all out below.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Is 2025 the year we see a big iOS 19 redesign based on the look and feel of visionOS? A new rumor says so, starting with the Camera app. There’s much to discuss!
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Apple just appointed seasoned executive Kim Vorrath to spearhead improvements to its artificial intelligence capabilities and Siri virtual assistant, signaling renewed focus on competing with AI leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic, according to a new report Friday.
iPhone users who install iOS 18.3 after the upgrade launches next week will find that Apple Intelligence is now on by default for those who use a compatible handset.
Previously, using the suite of AI-powered functions required opting in, but no longer. It’s a seemingly subtle but important change.
Following major criticism from major media outlets, Apple is making changes to how its AI-powered notifications summaries work with iOS 18.3 beta 3.
The newest iOS 18.3 beta disables notification summaries for apps in the news and entertainment categories. It also makes several other changes to highlight the feature being in beta and potentially generating summaries with errors.
Apple’s 7-inch smart home hub may not arrive this quarter as initially rumored. A new report indicates the device will launch later in 2025 due to a key iOS 18 feature not being ready for release. For the latest apple homepod news and updates on Apple’s smart home ecosystem, stay tuned.
One of the top Apple Intelligence features is a new set of system-wide AI writing tools. You can invoke these intelligent writing helpers anytime, anywhere to help you compose, edit, rewrite, summarize, reformat or proofread text.
In my experience, they can really streamline reformatting a document and can be helpful for making your written communication better. Here’s how to make the most of Apple Intelligence writing tools.
After facing pressure to remove its AI news summaries after multiple reports of false headlines, Apple plans to tweak how the feature works.
Apple will update notification summaries to highlight when they are generated using Apple Intelligence.
Imagine a Siri capable of opening your preferred email client on your iPhone and sending an important email seamlessly. Picture an Apple-branded smart home hub, elegantly wall-mounted in your kitchen, equipped with Apple Intelligence for instant access to smart home controls and a conversational voice assistant. Envision an iPhone just 6mm thin, standing out for its ultra-sleek, stylish design.
All of this could turn into a reality in 2025, with Apple already working on these devices and services for launch next year.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Some new iPhone 17 Pro renders make us ponder whether Apple will (or should) create such a device. We discuss the pros, cons and alternative theories.
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International journalism organization Reporters Without Borders called Thursday for Apple to remove its new artificial intelligence-powered news notifications, following a complaint from the BBC over a wildly inaccurate news summary. Apple Intelligence’s notifications summary feature generated a misleading BBC News headline last week about a high-profile murder case in the United States, falsely stating the accused shooter had shot himself.
The iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 release date is here. They bring in the second wave of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground, optional ChatGPT integration and more.
watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2 and visionOS 2.2 also went out, though these don’t include any AI features.
Monday isn’t the iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 release date, as some had hoped. Instead, Apple sent out another round of pre-release versions for testing, a slightly unusual step.
UPDATE: Apple just announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 are set to launch on Wednesday, December 11. They are not yet out at the time of this writing, and the most likely time is 10 A.M. Pacific/1 P.M. Eastern.
UPDATE 2: It’s here!
When they debut, these operating systems bring to iPhone, iPad and Mac a new collection of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground and more, so there’s plenty of anticipation.
Apple’s upcoming iPhone SE 4 might bring significant camera upgrades to the budget phone, with plans to incorporate a 48-megapixel main camera and a 12MP TrueDepth front-facing camera, according to a new report.
That, plus other improvements, marks a substantial upgrade over the iPhone SE 3. Unfortunately, that means you can expect the new handset to come with a bit of a price increase, too.
iOS 18.2 drops a huge number of new features onto the iPhone. The second major iOS 18 update, available now, expands the capabilities of Apple Intelligence — and adds plenty of goodies for everyone else, too.
Keep reading or watch our video on the new features awaiting iPhone owners in iOS 18.2.