Today at the kickoff of the 2026 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple introduced the next generation of Apple Intelligence.

It’s powered by a new architecture that integrates the latest Apple Foundation Models deep into Apple’s platforms and is uniquely designed to protect users’ privacy, said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, said. This makes the apps and experiences users rely on every day across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro more personal and helpful than ever, he added.

Apps purportedly become smarter and more useful with powerful editing capabilities in Photos, intelligent tools to tailor browsing in Safari, the ability to upgrade security protections with Passwords, an all-new Image Playground that creates photorealistic imagery, and more. Across many of these features, users have the ability to simply describe what they’re looking for, so they can do the things that matter most to them even more easily. These features are available for developer testing starting today, and will be available to users this fall.

The next generation of Apple Intelligence also helps power Siri AI, a new version of Siri.

New Ways to Edit Photos

The Photos app now taps into more powerful image models so users can make “incredible” edits, while respecting the original moment as it was captured, said Federighi. Photos adjusted with Apple Intelligence will automatically include a hidden SynthID watermark to identify those that have been edited with AI.

With Spatial Reframing, users can improve the composition of a photo after it’s been taken. Spatial Reframing builds on Apple’s deep understanding of spatial models thanks to Apple Vision Pro, so users can touch and drag a photo and preview in real time how the perspective shifts — as if they’d repositioned the camera in the original scene. 

Using powerful image models, Spatial Reframing will only generate new content where the perspective has been shifted, ensuring the reframed photo stays consistent with the original scene.

Users can also expand images with the Extend tool to give their subjects more breathing room. For example, they can straighten a crooked horizon without cropping out anything important, or adjust the aspect ratio, and Extend will fill in the missing pieces. Additionally, the Clean Up tool gets a major upgrade, so users can remove distractions with better quality and more realistic infill, even when the scene is complex.

Intelligent New Tools to Browse in Safari and Upgrade Passwords

With the power of Apple Intelligence, new tools transform how users can browse the web in Safari, according to Federighi. 

Safari can now simplify multi-tab browsing by automatically organizing a user’s tabs into relevant topics. For example, if a user is planning a weekend trip, Safari can bring together all of their travel-planning tabs into one topic. As users browse, Safari will continue to organize new tabs into existing topics or create new ones.

With Notify Me, users can ask Safari to monitor a web page for changes, like product restocks or price drops, so they can stay on top of updates they care about. Users can tell Safari what they’re looking for, and when Safari detects a change on that web page, they’ll get a notification so they can take action.

Building on its ability to alert users about weak and compromised passwords, Passwords can now automatically fix these for users with just a tap. Using Apple Intelligence and Safari to agentically take action on a user’s behalf, Passwords securely navigates through websites to sign in and upgrade their accounts to strong passwords.

With Describe an Extension, users can create custom Safari extensions simply by describing what they want. Safari will then generate the custom extension right in the toolbar — like adding a button to save and rate recipes a user has tried.

Photorealistic Images with an All-New Image Playground

Image Playground offers powerful ways for users to bring their imagination to life. They can create high-quality images in virtually any style, now including photorealistic, thanks to a new generative model that runs on Private Cloud Compute. This is a major transformation for image generation across platforms, Federighi said. Generated images will automatically include a hidden SynthID watermark to identify them as AI-generated.

Image Playground makes it easy and intuitive to modify images. Users can describe the changes they want to make — or simply tap, circle, or brush to highlight an object to move or resize it.

Users also have new ways to utilize the images they create. In addition to places like Messages, Image Playground can now be used to generate Lock Screen wallpapers and Contact Posters. Users are also able to choose the aspect ratio for what they’re working on, such as a landscape image for a website or a portrait image for a flyer.

Powerful Features for Staying on Top of Communication and Scheduling

New Apple Intelligence features help users manage their communication, surfacing relevant information when they need it.

Now Messages offers one-tap suggestions based on the context of users’ conversations, making it easier than ever to get things done, such as creating a reminder or a note. For example, if someone asks for photos, Messages can also help users find the right ones, recognizing keywords, locations, and people in their library to find the best options. Additionally, suggestions in Mail become even more capable with the ability to take action with third-party apps. And Smart Reply n Mail and Messages can now draw on a user’s personalized writing style.

When users call a business, Call Context proactively surfaces relevant information — like a confirmation code or reservation number — directly in the Phone app. For example, if a user calls an airline to change a flight, the Phone app can automatically find their confirmation code in Mail. Call Context looks at who the user is calling, not what they’re saying, to surface helpful information. It runs entirely on device, so nothing is shared with Apple or anyone else, Federighi said.

Apple Intelligence also makes it possible to add or modify events in Calendar just by describing the event. As users type, Calendar will identify contacts and locations, and create a title for the event.

Easier Ways to Build Powerful Shortcuts

Shortcuts help users get things done faster by automating a wide range of tasks, and now with Describe a Shortcut, it’s more approachable. Leveraging the power of Apple Intelligence, Shortcuts can now take a user’s description and assemble the required steps on their behalf. If a user sees something they need to tweak or add, they can simply describe their change, and the Shortcuts app makes adjustments.

For example, a user can describe a shortcut to automate things like setting their morning alarm each evening based on their first event in Calendar the next day, automatically opening their favorite productivity apps with a specific window arrangement when they connect their iPad to their Magic Keyboard, or turning on their porch lights at night when they get a notification that their food delivery is arriving.

Smart Capabilities in the Home App

Apple Intelligence makes it easier to stay on top of things at home, with updates to accessory notifications and new capabilities for HomeKit Secure Video cameras, according to Federighi.

The Home app draws on Apple Intelligence to understand related notifications as a single activity, so users receive one notification that updates as the activity happens. With generated video descriptions, users can understand what happened across a sequence of video clips, even without watching them. They can also search through camera clips so they can easily find what they’re looking for, like a package delivery. At the top of the Search page, the Home app elevates “noteworthy” clips that users may want to review, so they can quickly see moments.

Even More Powerful Accessibility Features

Apple Intelligence powers accessibility updates that bring new capabilities to the tools many users rely on every day.

VoiceOver is more powerful than ever in helping users who are blind or have low vision explore their surroundings and onscreen images, said Federighi. 

Users can receive richer descriptions of images, and with updates to Live Recognition, they can press the Action button on iPhone to ask questions about their surroundings and get detailed responses. In Magnifier, Apple Intelligence brings the same assistive exploration to a high-contrast interface designed for users who have low vision.

Voice Control, which lets users navigate iPhone and iPad entirely by voice, becomes more intuitive than ever, Federighi said. Users can simply describe onscreen buttons and controls instead of memorizing exact labels or numbers. And Accessibility Reader, which offers a customized reading experience for users with a wide range of disabilities, now works on more complex source material and can provide on-demand summaries and translation.

Additional New Features

Apple Intelligence powers even more enhancements across operating systems, said Federighi. With automatic proofreading, users receive improved suggestions for spelling and grammar as they type across the system. They can also now get intelligent suggestions for names of files and folders, based on their contents. 

Workout Buddy is now available in Spanish, and it can be used on an Apple Watch even when users don’t have their iPhone nearby. Workout Buddy also incorporates even more fitness data when delivering motivational insights. Additionally, Genmoji quality is even better and allows users to describe the changes they want to make.

A New Architecture, Built Privacy-First

These new capabilities are powered by the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, custom-built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models for deeply integrated Apple Intelligence experiences, according to Federighi. These latest models run on device and on servers using Private Cloud Compute.

Every facet of the new Apple Intelligence architecture is built privacy-first, from the latest Apple Foundation Models to the core operating system technologies that integrate these models deep into Apple’s platforms, said Federighi. Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute to help protect users’ privacy. Private Cloud Compute gives users access to frontier-level intelligence, while extending the privacy and security of iPhone into the cloud.

When Private Cloud Compute is handling users’ requests, their personal data isn’t stored nor made accessible to Apple or anyone else. Outside experts can continue to verify this privacy promise at any time.

Availability

  • These new features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com.
  • Users who enable Apple Intelligence on supported products set to a supported language will have access this fall with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS  27.
  • Apple Intelligence is available with support for these languages: English, Danish, Dutch French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Japanese, and Korean. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. For more details, visit apple.com/apple-intelligence.
  • Apple Intelligence in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 is available on iPhone 16 models or later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad models with M1 or later, MacBook Neo (A18 Pro), Mac models with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch Series 10 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3 when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone nearby.
  • Some features, including image generation, have daily usage limits because they rely on powerful server models. Increased access is available with most iCloud+® subscription plans, which also include Apple Intelligence support for compatible Home cameras.

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Also, check out my daughter-in-law’s “Scattered Words” website if you’re interested in unique, handcrafted jewelry made out of an array of vintage dictionaries, books, and even a few antiques.



Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today