What to Know and Where to Find Apple Intelligence Summaries on iPhone

Introduction to Apple Intelligence in iOS 18

Apple rolled out iOS 18.3 in January, bringing minor bug fixes to all iPhones. However, the more significant update came with iOS 18.1 in October, which introduced Apple Intelligence—a suite of AI-driven features—to the iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 lineup. With Apple Intelligence, users can enjoy AI-generated summaries across various apps, simplifying tasks like reading emails, web pages, and messages. Before accessing these features, users must enable Apple Intelligence by going to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and selecting Get Apple Intelligence. This powerful tool enhances productivity by offering concise summaries, making it easier to grasp key information quickly.

Summaries in Mail: Simplifying Email Reading

One of the most practical applications of Apple Intelligence is in the Mail app. Often, sifting through lengthy emails or email chains can be time-consuming, especially for those managing multiple work emails. With Apple Intelligence, Mail can now generate summaries of emails, allowing users to bypass the preamble and get straight to the point. To view a summary, open an email, pull down on the screen, and tap the Summarize button that appears. Users can also customize the number of summary lines by navigating to Settings > Mail > Preview and selecting their preferred length (from no lines to five). However, there’s a catch: summaries are only available for emails in the Primary category or when using List View. Emails in other categories won’t offer this feature.

Notification Summaries: A Mixed Bag

Apple Intelligence also brings AI-generated summaries to notifications on the Lock Screen. This feature is enabled by default for most apps, providing a brief overview of notifications in just a few words. While this can be convenient for quickly skimming through alerts, it’s not without flaws. For instance, the BBC reported that one of its headlines was inaccurately summarized, highlighting the potential for errors. If users are concerned about misinformation, they can disable this feature by going to Settings > Notifications > Summarize Notifications and toggling it off for specific apps or entirely. While the feature aims to save time, users should remain cautious about relying solely on these summaries for critical information.

Webpage Summaries in Safari: Quick Insights

Apple Intelligence extends its reach to Safari, enabling users to summarize web pages with just a few taps. To use this feature, open a webpage in Safari and look for a rectangle with dashes and sparkles on the left side of the address bar. Tapping this symbol pulls up a menu displaying a concise summary of the page. However, this feature isn’t universally available; on unsupported pages, the symbol won’t have sparkles, indicating that a summary isn’t accessible. While this tool can be incredibly useful for skimming articles or research, users should be mindful of its limitations and double-check critical details directly from the source when necessary.

Writing Tools: Enhancing Your Communication

In addition to reading summaries, Apple Intelligence offers Writing Tools that allow users to edit, proofread, and summarize their own text. This feature is particularly useful for refining messages, notes, and other written content. To use it, highlight the text you want to summarize, tap Writing Tools in the pop-up menu, and select Summary. Writing Tools will then provide a concise version of the highlighted text, giving users the option to copy, replace, or share it. This feature is ideal for preparing for presentations, reviewing notes, or trimming messages down to the key points. It’s a smart way to enhance clarity and efficiency in communication.

Important Considerations and Final Thoughts

While Apple Intelligence offers exciting possibilities for streamlining tasks, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, not all devices support these—only the iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone 16 models are currently compatible. Second, users must manually enable Apple Intelligence in their settings before accessing these tools. Finally, while the AI-generated summaries are helpful, they aren’t perfect and may occasionally provide inaccurate or incomplete information. Despite these limitations, Apple Intelligence represents a significant step forward in integrating AI into everyday smartphone use, making it easier for users to stay productive and informed on the go. For those interested in exploring more iOS 18 features, additional resources like the iOS 18 cheat sheet and updates on iOS 18.3 and 18.3.1 are available.