You might be wondering how other people are already using Apple Intelligence features that you don’t seem to have on your device. How did they get so lucky, while you didn’t?
Let’s explore how to enable Apple Intelligence on your device. (Assuming, of course, that your device supports it.) We’ll also explain how to get early access to upcoming Apple Intelligence features.
In this article:
One prerequisite for Apple Intelligence is the ability to run macOS Sequoia, iOS 18, or iPadOS 18 on your device.
However, not all devices that can run these operating systems will get Apple Intelligence. You’ll also need either an Apple silicon M-series chip (M1, M2, M3, or M4), or an A17 Pro, A18, or A18 chip. (Note that although Apple Vision Pro has an M2 processor, visionOS 2 currently doesn’t support Apple Intelligence.)
So, for example, although you can run macOS Sequoia on some Intel-based Macs, they won’t get Apple Intelligence. The base iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are also incompatible, as are all older iPhones; you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, or any of the iPhone 16 line, to get Apple Intelligence.
Not only that, but you also need to have your device set to U.S. English—which means you’ll need to be comfortable with the language. Additionally, residents of the EU or mainland China, or who have purchased an iPhone from mainland China, currently cannot use Apple Intelligence.
All in all, one can estimate that roughly 90% of iPhone users can’t use Apple Intelligence as of when these features are starting to roll out.
Apple Intelligence is phasing in over the course of months, starting in late October 2024. The first features will arrive in the “point one” releases: macOS Sequoia 15.1, iOS 18.1, and iPadOS 18.1. Apple will most likely release these on Monday, October 28, or perhaps a day or two later. The main focus of the initial AI rollout is writing tools.
Later releases, such as macOS Sequoia 15.2, iOS 18.2, and iPadOS 18.2, will include additional AI features. These will include things like Image Playground and Genmoji, as well as optional ChatGPT integration.
Apple Intelligence isn’t on by default; you’ll have to opt in by joining a waitlist and then enabling it.
Assuming you have macOS Sequoia 15.1, iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 on a compatible device, when you go into the Settings app you’ll see “Apple Intelligence & Siri” instead of just “Siri.” This is where you’ll begin. (Note that these steps are based on iOS 18.1; they may vary depending on your device or operating system version.)
Note that for step 4 above, the amount of time you’ll have to wait may vary widely. For me, with the iOS 18.1 RC (release candidate), it literally took only four minutes. But once the point-one operating systems roll out to the general public, it could potentially take a lot longer.
If you’re reading this before the point-one operating systems have been officially released, read the next section to find out how to join the waitlist—and get Apple Intelligence—early.
The first operating systems to get Apple Intelligence features are macOS Sequoia 15.1, iOS 18.1, and iPadOS 18.1. As of when I’m writing this, they’re available as “release candidates” (i.e. likely final versions) as part of the Public Beta program. You can also get early access to 15.2 or 18.2 as Developer Betas—but beware; they’re early betas and may be unstable.
You can opt into and out of betas on a per-device basis at any time. So, if you’d like to get the iOS 18.1 Release Candidate, and then turn off betas entirely, you can do that.
Here’s the list of steps you’ll need to follow, if you like living dangerously and want to get the next AI features early:
It’s ideal to run betas on a dedicated test device, if possible, rather than on your main Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Beta software can be unstable, and it may also have incompatibilities with third-party software. You’re much more likely to experiences crashes or other oddities when using a beta operating system.
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