Finally, this one is a hit, but try the search feature in Apple Photos. There are now fewer handrails when searching for a photo, meaning you just need to type something like “in the park with”. [your spouse’s name]” should display all the images in your library for viewing. It understands that context, but you’ll have to take advantage of Apple Photos features like tagging people and pets. (Google just unveiled a very similar feature in Google Photos).
The Second Coming
It’s not that several of the features included in the first Apple Intelligence update are things we’ve seen from competitors years ago. After all, it doesn’t matter whether Apple catches up or not, because Apple users can now take advantage of some of these capabilities in a more private and secure way thanks to Apple Private Cloud Compute (more on this technology here).
But Apple should have waited until the launch of Apple Intelligence All of its key features were available simultaneously rather than piecemeal. Siri’s reputation has long been in the gutter – Apple Intelligence promises to change that, but Siri is much the same in iOS 18.1. Most of the time when I ask a question, I get the same result: “Here’s what I found on the Internet.” Turns out you’ll have to wait for iOS 18.2, which introduces ChatGPT integration, which lets you ask more open-ended questions and get more detailed answers. The current Apple Intelligence experience suggests you’re getting something modern, but that’s not the case.
The most intriguing voice features will appear with the next update. For example, Siri will be able to understand the context of what’s on your device’s screen, so if someone texts you an address, you can ask Siri to save it to their contact card. And since Siri has access to your emails and messages, she will even be able to utilize personal context. Ask questions like, “When do I have to go to the airport to pick up my sister?” and Siri will respond by looking at any emails or flight messages your sister may have sent, then combining them with traffic estimates.