iPhone update brings generative AI features that let you make pictures of friends

Apple has released a major new update that bring generative AI features to the iPhone and its other platforms.

The new update is part of the suite of Apple Intelligence features that were unveiled in June and have been making their way to the iPhone, iPad and Mac in recent months. They have included an upgraded version of Siri and summaries of long or numerous notifications.

The new tools may perhaps prove the most controversial, however, since they include generative AI tools that allow people to create images or emoji. While those features have seen great excitement in recent years, they have also been hit by sustained criticism from designers and others who argue that they might undermine creative work.

Apple’s own generative features are relatively constrained. They come in the form of Genmoji, which lets people request a new emoji, a feature that lets people turn illustrations into more fleshed-out pictures called Magic Wand and Image Playgrounds, a devoted app for making pictures.

Users can create those images from a variety of prompts – including pictures of friends and family. They can choose a person and then ask for a picture of them doing a certain activity or in an imagined backdrop, for instance.

Apple has placed restrictions on those images, stopping users from creating abusive or other problematic images, it has said.

The new update is available now with iOS and iPadOS 18.2, and MacOS Sequoia 15.2. They can be downloaded from the Settings app.

The new updates also bring the Apple Intelligence features to the UK for the first time. Previously, they have only been available in the US, and they remain unavailable in regions including Europe because of both language and regulatory concerns.