- Apple Intelligence's iPhone 16-exclusive Visual Intelligence is coming to iPhone 15 Pro
- An Apple spokesperson confirmed the AI feature will be coming to iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in a future update
- Visual Intelligence allows you to get information on objects you point your camera towards
Earlier today I wrote about how the iPhone 16e getting Visual Intelligence was a sucker punch to iPhone 15 Pro owners who still didn't have access to one of Apple Intelligence's best tools. Well, it looks like iPhone 15 Pro owners are in luck, as it has now been confirmed that Visual Intelligence is coming to the 2023 smartphone.
An Apple spokesperson told John Gruber from Daring Fireball that "owners of the iPhone 15 Pro will soon be able to bind their Action Button to Visual Intelligence" and that this will come “in a future software update".
Not only will iPhone 15 Pro owners get Visual Intelligence via the Action Button but the Apple representatives also confirmed that the "Control Center button to launch Visual Intelligence is also coming to iPhone 15 Pro (and presumably iPhone 16 models, too)."
This is huge news for iPhone 15 Pro owners who have been on the fence about whether or not to upgrade to an iPhone 16, 16 Pro, or the new 16e just for Visual Intelligence. Personally, I don't think Visual Intelligence is enough to warrant an upgrade, although it was a major deciding factor for me when I purchased the 16 Pro back in September.
Had I known the 15 Pro would get Visual Intelligence, I may not have opted for a new device this year. That said, if you were holding out for an upgrade and are perfectly happy with the iPhone 15 Pro (which you should be, it's an excellent device) then you've now got a major new AI tool coming in a future update.
iPhone 15 Pro matches iPhone 16's Apple Intelligence capabilities
The biggest shift with this news is the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro now matches the latest flagship iPhones in terms of Apple Intelligence functionality.
In my testing of Apple AI across multiple devices, I've found the performance to be pretty equal across Mac, iPhone, and iPad. That means I fully expect iPhone 15 Pro users to get as good an experience as iPhone 16 owners when it comes to Visual Intelligence.
Visual Intelligence is an interesting Apple Intelligence feature – it allows users to point their camera at an object and get information directly from ChatGPT or Google Search. Visual Intelligence can identify plants, animals, and even add events to your Calendar.
I've found Visual Intelligence to be a useful tool thanks to its dedicated launch button in the form of Camera Control, you can quickly pull your iPhone from your pocket and aim at an object. While the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 16e don't benefit from Camera Control, they're still getting an excellent new AI tool that might just come in handy when you least expect it.
Apple continues to improve Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is still in its infancy and while we're still waiting for future updates like Siri with on-screen awareness and personal context (expected in iOS 18.4), there are still plenty of useful AI tools baked into the iPhone.
It's worth noting that Apple Intelligence is still in beta according to Apple which means that the software experience is continuously improving with each update. Visual Intelligence has come on leaps and bounds since it first launched as part of iOS 18.2 in December, and now Apple is rolling the feature out to more devices I'm excited to see how it evolves moving forward.
If you own an iPhone 15 Pro, there's really no need to upgrade for Apple Intelligence, and that's a great thing. iPhone 15 owners, however, well... your one-year-old iPhone is already left in an AI-less past.
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