Apple Zone

Apple Intelligence Isn’t There Yet

Like many long-time iPhone users, I was curious (and cautiously optimistic) when Apple Intelligence was announced. A smarter Siri? AI-powered summaries? Personalized tools? On paper, it sounded like Apple was finally ready to catch up—or even leap ahead—in the AI race.

But after using it? I rarely touch it.

Not because I dislike AI. In fact, I use AI tools every day—just not Apple’s. And that’s a signal that Apple might be misunderstanding what people actually want from AI on their phones.

Apple Intelligence Is Trying to Be Clever, Not Useful

Let’s get one thing out of the way: Apple Intelligence isn’t bad—it just feels like it’s trying too hard to be cool, and not hard enough to be useful in real ways.

Genmoji? Cute, but I’d rather send a meme.
Memory Movies? Already get that passively from the Photos app.
AI Writing Tools? I’d rather write my own email to reply to my boss.

These features feel more like Apple is checking boxes than solving problems.

Meanwhile, the genuinely helpful ones—like email summaries or visual recognition—are buried or awkward to access. You have to remember they exist, and often they’re not integrated into your natural flow.

A close up of a cell phone with a keyboard on it — Photo by appshunter.io / Unsplash

The AI Problem Apple Won’t Admit

Apple’s design philosophy has always been about making things intuitive. But AI breaks that model. AI isn’t about clicking icons or navigating menus—it’s about anticipating needs and reducing friction.

That’s where Apple Intelligence falls short. Instead of building AI that fades into the background and works invisibly, Apple’s current approach feels like a collection of novelty features. You have to think about using them, which defeats the purpose.

Compare that to:

Google’s Recorder + AI transcription: Seamless, searchable, and genuinely useful.
Samsung’s cross-app Gemini actions: Clunky, but promising in vision.

Both at least attempt to make AI central to the user experience. Apple’s AI? It still feels like a side app.

Where Apple Needs to Go: Ambient, Invisible AI

The future of Apple Intelligence isn’t emojis or slideshows—it’s ambient intelligence. AI that just… works.

Here’s what I want to see:

A Siri that truly understands context across apps and screens.
Smart suggestions based on what I’m doing—not what I searched last week.
Voice and gesture-based shortcuts that feel like magic, not a menu tree.

Apple’s delayed Siri upgrade could be the first sign of that future. But until then, Apple Intelligence feels like a beta dressed up as a breakthrough.

A black cell phone with a red bow on it — Photo by The Chaffins / Unsplash

The Real Reason I Haven’t Upgraded

Like Philip Michaels, I’m still using an older iPhone—and not because I can’t afford to upgrade. It’s because there’s no compelling reason to.

Apple Intelligence isn’t the hook yet. And thinner phones, better cameras, or shinier finishes aren’t enough either. If Apple wants to spark genuine excitement again, they need to rethink how AI becomes part of our daily lives, not an optional extra.

Final Thought: Less Demos, More Daily Value

Apple has always been brilliant at making tech feel personal. But Apple Intelligence still feels mechanical. The company needs to stop thinking of AI as a feature showcase and start asking:
“How can this make your life easier—without you even noticing it?”

That’s the AI I’m waiting for.

What Do You Think?

Do you use Apple Intelligence regularly—or forget it’s even there?
What kind of AI would actually make your phone more useful?
Would you upgrade your phone just to get better AI?

Let’s talk about it on X(Former Twitter)

Source:Michaels, P. (2025, March 29). I’m a long-time iPhone owner, but I rarely use Apple Intelligence - here’s why. Tom’s Guide. https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/apple-intelligence/im-a-long-time-iphone-owner-but-i-rarely-use-apple-intelligence-heres-why