We tested Apple Intelligence on iPhone 16: AI at work!

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During its iPhone 16 launch keynote, Apple swore by Apple Intelligence, its in-house AI promising to open “a new era” for the iPhone. In the end, it was a cold shower since this AI is not available at the time of writing. According to sources close to Apple, the first features should arrive on October 28.

Problem: only American users will be able to benefit from it, as Apple has not managed to reach an agreement with the European (and Chinese) authorities for a global deployment. This frustrating situation can however be circumvented, provided that you accept a few compromises. You will find all the details to benefit from Apple Intelligence in France now.

In the meantime, we have installed iOS 18.1 on our iPhone 16 Plus, finally available. Why were we waiting for it so long ? Because it gives access to the first features of Apple Intelligence. We tested them.

iOS 18.1 therefore first marks the arrival of the long-awaited improved Siri. The famous “Glow” animation highlighted during the keynote is becoming a reality. When you call on Siri, the screen glows with a multi-colored effect and its edges remain lit as long as you communicate with Siri.

English accent problem or difficulty with the assistant, Siri still has trouble recognizing what we say to it. We asked it to find emails from Meta for example. It systematically recognizes the first name “Maite”. Not the same cuisine at all.

Siri is therefore able to rummage through the data of Apple's home applications in order to respond to requests. Find an email, a photo from a description, a note on a specific subject. On these points, the assistant is responsive and precise.

For general searches that require an internet connection, Siri keeps its old behavior. Apple has announced that it will rely on ChatGPT for contextual answers, but OpenAI’s AI is not yet integrated into this update. So, when we ask Siri what are the 5 most valuable companies in the world, it gives us a list of web links to consult on Siri. We are therefore still far from Gemini's answers on a Pixel for example.

The beginnings of Apple Intelligence are also marked by the integration of productivity tools. Here again, Apple is not revolutionizing the genre, this type of functionality already being integrated into many competing models. We are still happy to see them land on iPhone (well in the United States for the moment).

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Thus, Apple Intelligence is able to summarize texts, rewrite them with different styles (friendly, professional, concise). In Notes, you can also create a summary, transform the text into a bulleted list, a table or summarize it in a few key points. To access it, just touch the new button ” Apple Intelligence ” accessible in the toolbar.

Safari also integrates the “Summary” tool. On news websites for example, you can get a summary of the article after switching to “Reader” mode. Not all sites are compatible but most do.

The big missing feature is translation. And for good reason, Apple Intelligence only understands English for the moment. Also, all the new features described above only work if you master the language of Shakespeare. A real limitation for most consumers, even those willing to tinker with their iPhone a little.

In any case, if Apple Intelligence brings some interesting new features, the revolution will have to wait a little longer. In addition to deploying its AI in several languages, Apple still has a lot of work to do to offer a solution as fluid and advanced as it presented to us at WWDC last June.

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Officially, Apple Intelligence is not available in France. So how did we get to use it?? In reality, Apple's blocks are easily circumvented and completely allowed.

The latest iOS 18 updates allow you to access Apple Intelligence using just a US account. You can quickly create one and set it up on your iPhone. You also need to use the English language (US ) as the main language. If you had a French account, you will then have to download all your applications with this new account. And you will lose your subscriptions to Apple services (Music, iCloud, TV, etc.) in the process.

Finally, you will need to register your account so that it can install the beta versions of iOS. Once this setting is done, download and install iOS 18.1. Finally, in “Apple Intelligence and Siri” make sure that everything is configured for the US. Sign up to the Apple Intelligence waiting list. After a few minutes, the registration is validated and the installation is done. All that's left to do is enjoy it. Finally, if you are ready for all these sacrifices.

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