Synopsis

Apple is launching Apple Intelligence, bringing AI to its devices. New features will enhance Photos, Safari, and communication apps. Users can expect smarter editing tools, automatic tab organization, and proactive suggestions. Password management and home automation are also getting an AI boost. These updates are expected to roll out later this year.

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Alongside the debut of Siri AI, Apple used WWDC26 to showcase the next phase of Apple Intelligence, bringing AI-powered features across Photos, Safari, Messages, Mail, Home, Shortcuts, and several other parts of its ecosystem.

One of the biggest areas of focus is Photos. Apple is introducing new editing tools that allow users to reframe images after they've been captured, extend backgrounds beyond the original frame, and more cleanly remove unwanted objects. The company says AI-edited images will carry hidden SynthID watermarks to identify them as modified content.

Safari is also receiving a significant AI upgrade. The browser can now automatically organise tabs into categories based on what users are researching or planning, while a new "Notify Me" feature can monitor webpages for changes such as product restocks or price drops. Apple is even bringing AI into password management, allowing the Passwords app to automatically upgrade weak credentials by navigating supported websites on a user's behalf.

Image Playground is getting a major refresh as well. The image-generation tool can now create photorealistic images, alongside existing artistic styles, and allows users to edit generated content using natural language prompts. Generated images will also include hidden SynthID watermarks.

Communication features are becoming more proactive across Messages and Mail. Apple demonstrated contextual suggestions that can turn conversations into reminders, notes, or calendar events with a tap. Smart Reply is also being expanded with a stronger understanding of individual writing styles, while Mail gains deeper integration with third-party apps.

Calendar is becoming more intelligent too. Users can create or modify events simply by describing them, with Apple Intelligence automatically identifying locations, contacts, and relevant details from natural language input.

For power users, Shortcuts receives what may be one of the most interesting updates. A new feature allows users to describe an automation in plain language, after which the Shortcuts app builds the workflow automatically. Users can then refine or modify it through additional prompts.

The Home app is also benefiting from AI integration. Notifications from connected devices can now be grouped into a single activity stream, while HomeKit Secure Video cameras gain searchable video clips and AI-generated summaries of recorded events.

Apple is extending these capabilities to accessibility features as well. VoiceOver can provide richer image descriptions, Voice Control becomes more flexible by allowing users to describe interface elements rather than memorising commands, and Accessibility Reader gains summarisation and translation tools.

Underlying many of these features is a new generation of Apple Foundation Models, which Apple says powers both on-device intelligence and cloud-based processing through its Private Cloud Compute system. The company continues to emphasise privacy as a core part of its AI strategy, with personal data remaining inaccessible to Apple when cloud processing is required.

The new Apple Intelligence features are available to developers starting today and are expected to roll out to users later this year as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27.

We'll be diving deeper into the most useful Apple Intelligence features, testing how they perform in real-world scenarios, and bringing hands-on impressions and video coverage from WWDC26 on ET.