Apple Intelligence: New features coming to iPhones, iPads, Macs this year

Apple has begun rolling out new Apple Intelligence features to developers through the latest developer beta build of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26

At WWDC25, Apple previewed a wide range of Apple Intelligence features set to arrive on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch later this year. These include Live Translation in Phone, Messages, and FaceTime; on-screen content awareness through Visual Intelligence; enhanced creative tools like Genmoji and Image Playground; and intelligent automation via Shortcuts.

  Here’s a roundup of key Apple Intelligence features launching across platforms later this year:

Apple Intelligence: New features coming this year

Live translation

Live Translation enables multilingual communication across Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. Powered by Apple-built models that run entirely on-device:

• In Messages, texts are translated as the user types.
• On FaceTime, users see live translated captions alongside the original voice.
• During phone calls, spoken translations are read aloud in real time.

Intelligent Shortcuts

Shortcuts are becoming smarter with Apple Intelligence:

• Users can automate context-aware tasks, like summarising documents or creating images based on a chat.
• Shortcuts can draw responses from Apple’s on-device model or route to ChatGPT, depending on user preference.

New Genmoji feature

Beyond generating emojis from text prompts, iOS 26 now lets users:

• Combine emojis and text to create custom Genmoji.
• Personalise expressions and features like hairstyle, emotion, and accessories.

Image Playground

In Image Playground, users can tap into new styles with ChatGPT, like an oil painting style or vector art. It should be noted that a picture and the description is only sent to ChatGPT when the user approves. 

Visual Intelligence

iOS 26 introduces Visual Intelligence features that understand and respond to on-screen content:

• Users can ask ChatGPT questions about what they’re viewing, or find similar products via Google, Etsy, and other apps.
• Specific objects can be highlighted for direct product search.
• When viewing event details, the system can suggest creating a calendar entry, auto-filling time, date, and location.
• Users can activate Visual Intelligence by pressing the screenshot button combination. From there, they can choose to save, share, or explore with intelligence tools.

Apple Intelligence on Watch

Workout Buddy uses on-device models to deliver personalised, spoken fitness insights based on workout data. It analyses metrics like heart rate, pace, and recent milestones, and delivers voice-based motivation during training sessions.

Additional features

• Reminders can now automatically extract to-dos from emails, websites, or notes and categorise them.
• Apple Wallet will detect and summarise order-tracking info from emails, displaying delivery status in one place.
• Messages adds support for polls, and Apple Intelligence can suggest creating one based on the conversation context.

New Apple Intelligence features: Availability

Apple has begun rolling out new Apple Intelligence features to developers through the latest developer beta build of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26 and a public beta will be available next month. Users who enable Apple Intelligence on supported devices set to a supported language will have access to these features later this year.

 

Eligible devices include: 

• iPhone 16 series
• iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max
• iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPads with M1 chip or later
• Macs with M1 chip or later