With the previous beta versionJoin the testApple earlierThe official release of iOS version 26.1 update.Apple Intelligence now supports eight languages, including Traditional Chinese, and offers deeply integrated AI features across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, including Instant Translation, Writing Tools, Visual Intelligence, the Clean Up feature in Photos, and Image Gallery.
Apple emphasizes that Apple Intelligence represents a significant leap forward in AI privacy protection. Its core is on-device processing, meaning that many of the models driving Apple Intelligence operate entirely on the device. For complex instructions requiring larger models, Private Cloud Compute technology extends on-device privacy and security to the cloud, ensuring the same security for data processed collaboratively in the cloud.
"Instant Translation" supports devices such as AirPods Pro 3, and "Visual Intelligence" can recognize the content of images.
This update brings several AI features that were previously previewed in the English version, and officially supports Traditional Chinese:
• Live Translation:
It can be seamlessly integrated into the Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps, helping users communicate between their chosen languages.
Pair with AirPods Pro 3 (or AirPods Pro 2) and Apple Intelligence on your iPhone for instant translation of live conversations.
The translation process is handled on the device itself, ensuring the privacy of personal conversations.
• Visual Intelligence:
It can help users understand the objects and places around them and take more action on the content on the iPhone screen.
It can be activated via the "Camera Control", "Action" button or "Control Center"; for the content on the screen, users only need to press the same button as when taking a screenshot to access it.
• Writing tools:
Leveraging large language models, it provides rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing functions in Email, Messages, Memos, Pages, and third-party apps.
A new "Describe the changes you want" feature has been added, allowing users to issue more flexible instructions (e.g., rewriting a dinner invitation into a poem).
• Photo App Enhancements:
Natural language search: You can describe what you want to find (e.g., "Maya is dancing in a red dress").
Clean Up tool: Removes distracting background clutter or people from photos.
"Image Paradise" and Genmoji import Chinese language support, and ChatGPT extended styles are also supported.
• Image Playground:
Easily create images by describing concepts such as theme, clothing, and location.
You can create a portrait that resembles a friend or family member based on a photo in your photo library.
Supports multiple styles including 3D animation, illustration, and sketching.
After integrating ChatGPT, you can also choose between an oil painting style or a vector art style, or select "any style" for description.
• Genmoji (AI emojis):
Genmojis can be created by typing descriptions, mixing various emojis, or using images from a photo library to resemble the faces of friends and family.
• Image Wand: ((Notes app only)
Select from the tools panel to quickly create an image based on existing text or visual information.
Circle a sketch to turn it into a refined image; circle blank areas to create an image based on the context.
Siri is more natural, supports typing interaction, and system notifications are upgraded simultaneously.
Thanks to Apple Intelligence, Siri has also received a significant upgrade, becoming more natural, more flexible, and offering a more deeply integrated system experience:
• Support typing to Siri: Users can type to Siri anytime on their iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and switch smoothly between text and voice.
• Enhanced Language Understanding: It can keep up with the content even when the user is "speechless" and maintains the flow between instructions.
• Product knowledge Q&A: It can answer thousands of questions about Apple product features and settings.
In terms of system notifications, new features have been introduced, including "Important Emails" (a summary is displayed at the top of the inbox), "Smart Reply," "Notification Summary" (quickly browse on the lock screen), "Important Notifications," and a brand-new "Reduce Distractions" focus mode (only displaying notifications that require immediate attention).
Smart Shortcuts Integration with ChatGPT
Users can now use smart actions within the Shortcuts app to automate processes (such as summarizing text with the Writing Tool or creating images with the Image Gallery). Developers can also leverage Apple Intelligence's native LLM and integrate offline, privacy-preserving AI capabilities into their apps through the Foundation Models framework.
Furthermore, ChatGPT is seamlessly integrated into Siri, Writing Tools, Visual Intelligence, Image Park, and Shortcuts. Siri can suggest specific tasks to users using ChatGPT (e.g., planning a day trip to Sun Moon Lake), and users have complete control over when to activate ChatGPT and what information to share.
Support scope
Apple Intelligence currently supports Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, and several European languages, but some features, language support, and system requirements may still differ.
