Apple Intelligence in iOS 27: Devices, Regions & Features

So you've heard about Apple Intelligence and you're wondering what the fuss is about. Or maybe you just want to know if your iPhone can run it. Either way, I've got you covered.

Here's the deal: Apple Intelligence is Apple's answer to the AI craze, but with a twist. While everyone else is sending your data to massive servers in the cloud, Apple does most of the heavy lifting right on your device. That means your photos, messages, and documents stay on your iPhone — not floating around on some server farm.

What Exactly Is Apple Intelligence?

Let me break it down simply. Apple Intelligence is a collection of AI features built into your iPhone (and iPad, and Mac). It can help you write better emails, search your photos using natural language, get smarter Siri responses, and create images from text descriptions.

What makes it different from ChatGPT or Google's AI? Two things:

1. Most processing happens on your device. Your private stuff stays private. Apple's Neural Engine chip handles the AI work locally.
2. When cloud power is needed, it's encrypted and deleted. Apple calls this "Private Cloud Compute" — your data hits Apple's servers, gets processed, and vanishes. No logs, no storage, no profile building.

Is it as powerful as ChatGPT? Honestly, no. But it's private, fast, and works offline for most features. That trade-off matters to a lot of people.

Which iPhones Support Apple Intelligence?

Here's where some people get disappointed. Apple Intelligence needs serious processing power, which means you need one of the newer iPhones. The cutoff is the A17 Pro chip — though the iPhone 17 series with A19 chips delivers the best experience.

iPhone 17 Air is Apple's newest ultra-thin iPhone and yes, it fully supports Apple Intelligence despite being the thinnest iPhone ever made.

Why such strict requirements? It's not Apple being greedy — the Neural Engine in A17 Pro and newer chips is genuinely more powerful. Running AI models locally requires massive parallel processing that older chips just can't handle efficiently. The A19 chip in iPhone 17 series takes this even further with faster AI processing.

If you have an iPhone 15 (non-Pro) or older, you're out of luck for Apple Intelligence. The standard iPhone 15 has the A16 chip, which doesn't have the Neural Engine horsepower needed.

What About iPhone 17 Air?

Great question. The iPhone 17 Air is Apple's ultra-slim iPhone — rumored to be just 5.5mm thin. Despite its slim profile, it packs the A19 chip with full Neural Engine support. You get all Apple Intelligence features without compromise. Think of it as the MacBook Air of iPhones: thin, light, but fully capable.

What About iPad and Mac?

Apple Intelligence also works on iPads and Macs with Apple Silicon:

• iPad: iPad Pro (M1 and later), iPad Air (M1 and later)
• Mac: Any Mac with M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip

Where Is Apple Intelligence Available?

Having a compatible iPhone isn't enough — you also need to be in a supported region. Apple's rolling this out gradually, and some countries are still waiting.

Region	Status	Languages
🇺🇸 United States	Available	English (US)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	Available	English (UK)
🇨🇦 Canada	Available	English, French (coming)
🇦🇺 Australia	Available	English (AU)
🇳🇿 New Zealand	Available	English (NZ)
🇮🇪 Ireland	Available	English (IE)
🇿🇦 South Africa	Available	English (ZA)
🇪🇺 European Union	Partial	English, more coming
🇯🇵 Japan	Coming 2026	Japanese
🇰🇷 South Korea	Coming 2026	Korean
🇨🇳 China	Coming 2026	Chinese (Simplified)

Why the EU Delay?

The European Union's Digital Markets Act created some headaches for Apple. The regulations require specific compliance measures that Apple's still working through. Features are launching in waves across EU countries — some are available now, others coming throughout 2026.

Languages Coming to iOS 27

Apple's expanding language support throughout 2026. Expected additions include Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Each language requires extensive training and testing, which is why the rollout is gradual.

What Can Apple Intelligence Actually Do?

Let me walk you through the main features you'll actually use.

The Writing Tools Are Actually Useful

I was skeptical at first, but the writing tools have become part of my daily workflow. Highlight text anywhere, tap the AI button, and you can:

• Proofread: Catches grammar, spelling, and awkward phrasing
• Rewrite: Suggests alternative ways to phrase things
• Summarize: Condense long text into key points
• Change tone: Make it more formal, casual, or friendly

It's not going to write your novel, but for cleaning up emails and messages? Actually helpful.

Privacy: What Apple Does Differently

This is where Apple really stands apart. While other companies are training AI on everything you type and say, Apple takes a different approach.

The trade-off? Apple Intelligence might not be quite as "smart" as competitors who vacuum up all your data to improve their models. But for most people, that privacy trade-off is worth it.

How to Enable Apple Intelligence

If you have a compatible device in a supported region, here's how to get started:

• Update to iOS 27

  Go to Settings → General → Software Update. Make sure you're running iOS 27 or later.

• Open Apple Intelligence Settings

  Navigate to Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri. This is where all AI controls live.

• Turn On Apple Intelligence

  Toggle the main switch. You'll see privacy info explaining how your data is handled.

• Download AI Models

  Your iPhone downloads the AI models (2-4GB). Connect to WiFi and make sure you have storage space. This happens in the background.

• Start Using Features

  Once downloaded, AI features appear throughout iOS. Look for the AI button when selecting text, try asking Siri complex questions, and search your photos naturally.

Frequently Asked Questions