You don’t want me to inform you that Apple Intelligence has endured a rocky begin to life.
Not solely did Apple delay its AI toolset till after the launch of the supposedly AI-packed iPhone 16 line in September, however the Apple Intelligence options which have since arrived on one of the best iPhones are, by and huge, novelties somewhat than needle-movers.
“I believed in Apple Intelligence, however Apple let me down,” wrote TechRadar’s Senior AI Writer John-Anthony Disotto in a latest article summarizing Apple’s woes. And as a long-time iPhone person, I too have felt the sting of seeing my favored tech model path behind the likes of Google and Samsung within the Great AI Race.
But all just isn’t misplaced. For all its shortcomings, there are inexperienced shoots to be present in Apple Intelligence, significantly in the way in which Apple’s AI instruments are introduced and accessed. They won’t be probably the most highly effective options, however they do work fairly darn seamlessly, and after utilizing Apple Intelligence day-after-day for per week throughout a latest trip to Madeira, Portugal, I’ve come round to the concept that Visual Intelligence, particularly, is a genuinely helpful addition to one of the best iPhones.
Out within the discipline
Apple’s tackle Google Lens launched with iOS 18.2 in December – an entire three months after the iPhone 16 launched, by the way in which – and whereas I briefly performed round with Visual Intelligence on the time, I by no means actually discovered a purpose to make use of it persistently on a day-to-day foundation in London.
In Madeira, although, I made a degree of placing Visual Intelligence by means of its paces; not least as a result of it’s a spot of distinctive pure magnificence, unique animals, and region-specific customs.
Visual Intelligence is activated with a protracted press of the Camera Control toggle on all iPhone 16 fashions, and through the Action Button, Lock Screen, or Control Center on the iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. It makes use of the iPhone’s digicam to establish, interpret, and act on visible data, and is built-in with each ChatGPT and Google Search.
As an iPhone 16 Pro person, I at all times summon Visual Intelligence through Camera Control, and the previous has given the latter a brand new lease of life in my eyes.
I nearly by no means use Camera Control to take footage, however Apple’s physical-meets-haptic addition to the iPhone 16 collection is an ideal set off level for Visual Intelligence. Equivalent options on Samsung and Pixel telephones may be activated by urgent the facet button and energy button, respectively, however I like that my iPhone 16 Pro has what I now see as a devoted Visual Intelligence toggle.
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As for a way Visual Intelligence responded to my visible queries in Madeira? It served up helpful and correct data each single time. Granted, the function relied on ChatGPT within the majority of instances, however I don’t see that as an issue if ChatGPT stays free and built-in seamlessly into Visual Intelligence. It won’t be an Apple software, but it surely’s definitely an iPhone software.
As you possibly can see through the TikTok video above, Visual Intelligence was capable of decide my location based mostly on a reasonably nondescript valley and an much more obscure botanical backyard. It accurately translated each Portuguese and Latin textual content, and defined that the lizard I stumbled throughout was a typical wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). It recognized a conventional Portuguese spice crusher and even instructed me the place I may buy some somewhat scrumptious Madeira wine.
And even in instances the place Visual Intelligence couldn’t pinpoint my actual whereabouts or decide the origin of the grilled fish on my plate, it gave me one thing to work with. For occasion: “This is a surprising waterfall cascading down a lush, inexperienced cliff, surrounded by dense vegetation. The space seems to be a well-liked spot for guests, with folks having fun with the pure surroundings, taking pictures, and enjoyable close to the water’s edge.” All right, even when it wasn’t capable of establish the waterfall in query as Madeira’s 25 Fontes.
The level being: Visual Intelligence works, and it shouldn’t be dismissed as a ineffective gimmick by those that have solely tried Apple Intelligence’s extra superfluous options.
The larger, higher competitors
Of course, the unlucky scenario for Apple is that most of the finest Android telephones supply comparable or higher variations of the identical software. Gemini Live is Visual Intelligence on steroids, and when Google’s AI assistant helps you cook dinner up a three-course meal or engages in a dialog concerning the native music scene, it genuinely feels such as you’re interacting with the longer term.
Ironically, Gemini Live is now obtainable without spending a dime on iOS in addition to Android, and the tough actuality for Apple is that there’s actually no purpose for iPhone house owners to make use of Visual Intelligence over Gemini Live on the time of writing. AI is shifting at such a tempo that the previous already feels outdated – Apple Intelligence just isn’t probably the most clever software program on iPhone.
However, I’m satisfied that Apple does have a functioning AI platform to construct on at subsequent week’s WWDC 2025 summit. Yes, Apple Intelligence is a good distance behind the competitors, however options like Visual Intelligence show that there’s real utility in what Apple has produced to date. Apple remains to be the king of UI and design, and I hope that we’ll quickly see an Apple Intelligence that isn’t so reliant on third-party platforms to be helpful.
