Along with a new Siri AI, Apple Intelligence will bring new AI tools to Apple devices.
By
Haley Henschel
Senior Shopping Reporter
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
and
Timothy Beck Werth
Tech Editor
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
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Credit: Apple
Table of Contents
At WWDC 2026 on Monday, Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering, announced a suite of new updates to Apple Intelligence. It powers Siri AI, Apple's revamped AI assistant, which is more conversational, more expressive, and now available in its own standalone app. Apple Intelligence also adds new features to apps like Photos, Messages, and Mail, which some users can start trying today.
"Truly helpful AI must be centered on our users' needs, deeply integrated into the products they rely on every day, grounded in personal context, and built with privacy at every step," Federighi said. "That is our vision for Apple Intelligence."
During today's WWDC keynote, Federighi said that next-generation Apple Foundation Models would be at the heart of new Apple Intelligence tools. These models will run on private servers using cloud compute and will be powered by Google Gemini models.
The new models will deliver visual intelligence capabilities, improved language understanding, and enhanced transcription. In many respects, these Apple Intelligence tools bring Apple in line with its competitors, Google and Samsung, whose devices already offer similar AI tools.
Apple Foundation Models will be powered by Google Gemini models. Credit: Apple
Federighi emphasized the importance of privacy to Apple Intelligence: "Privacy in AI is non-negotiable," he said. The new Apple Intelligence tools will use a combination of on-device processing and cloud compute, and Federighi said that users' conversations would not be used for AI training.
Siri AI will be able to access the web and draw on real-world knowledge, as well as some of the apps on a user’s phone. It will even be able to analyze the screen to understand the app a user is currently using.
Apple originally announced a Siri overhaul powered by Apple Intelligence way back in 2024, but it hasn't delivered on that promise until now.
Apple Intelligence is getting upgraded. Credit: Apple
Here's the full list of all the Apple Intelligence features coming to iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro. Members of the Apple Developer Program can test them starting today. They'll arrive in a public beta next month, before launching publicly as a free software update this fall.
Photos
Photos' new "Extend" tool can expand a picture and fill in the newly created space. Credit: Apple / Mashable composite
New AI photo editing tools are coming in iOS 27. Credit: Apple
Images edited with Apple Intelligence will have a hidden SynthID watermark. A new Spatial Reframing tool will let the user adjust a photo's composition after it's been taken. A new Extend tool will let the user expand a photo, then fill in the newly added space to match the rest of the image.
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Additionally, the existing Clean Up tool is being improved.
Safari
Safari's new Describe an Extension feature can create custom extensions right in the browser's toolbar. Credit: Apple
Apple's web browser will be able to organize tabs on the same topics. A new Notify Me feature makes it capable of monitoring web pages for changes (like price drops). A new Describe an Extension tool can generate custom Safari extensions in its toolbar.
Passwords, Safari's built-in password manager, will be able to fix weak passwords with a tap.
Image Playground
AI-generated Lock Screen wallpapers and Contact Posters are coming to Image Playground. Credit: Apple
Apple's AI image generator is getting a new photorealistic style option and an aspect ratio selection option. Users will soon be able to generate Lock Screen wallpapers and Contact Posters.
Once the new Apple Intelligence update launches, any images made with Image Playground will also have a hidden SynthID watermark.
New messaging and scheduling features
Apple Intelligence's new Call Context tool puts helpful info in the Phone app when you call a business. Credit: Apple
Apple Intelligence will be able to examine the context of users' conversations in Messages, then offer one-tap suggestions based on what it sees. (If someone asks you for a photo, it can help you find the right one, Apple said.) Suggestions in Mail will work with third-party apps. Smart Reply in both Messages and Mail will be able to produce responses in the user's writing style.
A new Call Context feature will pull up relevant information right in the Phone app when the user calls a business, such as reservation numbers. This will happen on-device for privacy.
In the Calendar app, users will be able to add and edit events just by describing them to Apple Intelligence.
Shortcuts
Apple's Shortcuts app will add a new Describe a Shortcut tool that can create automated tasks using natural language.
Home
The Home app will condense multiple related notifications from HomeKit Secure Video cameras into a single alert. It will also add generated video descriptions and make camera clips searchable.
For more WWDC 2026 news, follow our live blog to see all of the latest announcements and surprises from the annual Apple event.
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.
