Apple Intelligence image generation gets major visual upgrades in iOS 27 with Genmoji boost

Apple Intelligence image models to boast 'major' visual upgrades in iOS 27: report - 9to5Mac

According to this weekend's Power On newsletter, Apple's image generation models - used in Genmoji and Image Playground - will be receiving a 'big boost' in visual quality. Currently, they're far from anything to write home about. We've recently heard that Apple will be implementing new suggested Genmoji based on your photo library and other key details - but that won't be the only upgrade coming to Genmoji this year. According to Mark Gurman, Apple's models will be receiving a 'big boost' in visual quality: I've also reported that Apple is preparing to support third-party AI models -- beyond OpenAI's ChatGPT -- for image creation in the redesigned Image Playground app in iOS 27. It turns out, I'm now told, there's a little more to the story: Apple's own models for Genmoji and Image Playground have been improved, so quality is getting a big boost this year. When Image Playground and Genmoji debuted in iOS 18.2, the image fidelity was certainly far from impressive. Genmoji was generally okay, but Image Playground was incredibly poor - especially in comparison to other image generation tools. This didn't realistically matter, since the world probably needs less AI slop apps, but at the end of the day, Apple decided to ship Image Playground, and it shouldn't have been bad as it was. Granted, there is the fact that Image Playground and Genmoji are powered by on-device models. That doesn't necessarily excuse the fact that it's poor, but it's part of the explanation. Either way, quality should get much better this year, though it's unclear whether or not the models will still run on-device. Lastly, Apple will be adding support for other AI image generation models in Image Playground. Currently, it supports ChatGPT image generation. It'll likely expand to support Google's Nano Banana models, among other competitors.

Apple's Genmoji, Image Playground Might Get These Upgrades With iOS 27

Apple is believed to preview iOS 27 at its WWDC event in June. The next-generation operating system is expected to offer improved Apple Intelligence features with an enhanced AI-powered image generation experience. A new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that Apple's image generation models used in Genmoji and Image Playground will get notable upgrades in visual quality. The reported improvements are expected to be noticeable in Genmoji and Image Playground. Earlier reports indicated that Apple is working on support for third-party AI image-generation models in iOS 27. Apple Preparing Major Apple Intelligence Enhancements In the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter, the journalist states that Apple is planning an upgrade for Genmoji and Image Playground in iOS 27. "Apple's own models for Genmoji and Image Playground have been improved, so quality is getting a big boost this year", Gurman said. Apple introduced the Image Playground and Genmoji with iOS 18.2, and the brand might be gearing up to make the features more useful in iOS 27. Genmoji currently allows users to create custom emojis using text prompts. It could soon suggest AI-generated emojis based on a user's photo library and commonly used phrases. Currently, users have to switch to the emoji keyboard and manually type prompts to create a Genmoji. Gurman, however, did not reveal any additional details about the upcoming improvements. The company could expand support for additional third-party AI image-generation models in Image Playground in iOS 27. The feature currently supports ChatGPT for image creation. Earlier reports suggest that Apple could soon support Google's AI models that enable on device AI features that could also extend to image editing, such as Nano Banana. Apple is likely to provide more insights about iOS 27 and its capabilities at the WWDC 2026 keynote next month. The annual event is already confirmed to take place from June 8 to June 12. Besides the Apple Intelligence features, iOS 27 is expected to offer redesigned Siri and a revamped Shortcuts app. It could include an AI-powered wallpaper generator and enhanced Writing Tools features.