Apple Intelligence Set for EU Launch in April 2025, Expanding Global Reach

Apple Intelligence is coming to EU iPhones and iPads in April

Folks in the European Union finally know when Apple Intelligence will be available on their mobile devices. Apple told EU users on Monday that its AI suite will arrive in April 2025. The first Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools and AI notification summaries, are now available for English speakers elsewhere. Apple announced the EU release date in a press release for the European Union (via 9to5Mac). Translated from Italian, the news post reads, "In April, Apple Intelligence features will begin to be distributed to iPhone and iPad users in the EU." The article notes that the first wave of Apple Intelligence is already available for EU users in macOS Sequoia 15.1. That's because Apple used the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as its rationale for delaying its EU AI. In this case, the regulations only affect iPhone and iPad software, not macOS. On Monday, Apple also confirmed that its AI suite will be available in more languages in April. These include Chinese, Korean, French, Japanese, English (India), English (Singapore), Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Vietnamese. In December, Apple Intelligence will become available in English variants for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. Apple Intelligence is getting a tiered rollout. Today's first batch in iOS 18.1 (for those outside the EU) includes Writing Tools, live transcriptions, notification summaries and more. iOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will bring additional features like ChatGPT integration, Genmoji, Visual Intelligence and Image Playground. That software is currently in beta and is expected to arrive with an official release in December. The only catch is you'll need a compatible device. On iPhone, that's limited to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 series. M-series iPads, Macs, and the new seventh-gen iPad mini are also supported.

Apple Intelligence is coming to the EU in April 2025

Remember when Apple blamed EU tech rules -- and more specifically the Digital Markets Act -- to justify the fact that Apple Intelligence wouldn't be available in the European Union? Maybe that was just an attempt to turn EU users against their regulators as Apple Intelligence is coming to the EU in April 2025 along with local language support. Apple just released iOS 18.1 today with the first set of smart features coming to recent iPhone, iPad, and Mac models. However, when Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence at its developer conference back in June, the company said that it would be a slow rollout with new AI features limited to American English at first. And that's still the case today. While Apple Intelligence is technically out of beta, you have to set your iPhone or Mac to U.S. English. On the iPhone, Apple also checks if your Apple account is associated with a European address. If that's the case, you can't enable Apple Intelligence on your iPhone at all, even if you set your iPhone to U.S. English. On the Mac, it's a different story as European users can try out Apple Intelligence features starting today. If you have a Mac with an M1 chip or later, you can change the language and enable Apple Intelligence right away. Observers assumed that's because Apple has been designated as a gatekeeper under the DMA in relation to iOS, iPadOS, the App Store, and Safari. macOS wasn't part of that list. The company previously announced that support for more languages was on the way, starting with localized English support for other countries in December 2024. Apple plans to add another dozen languages throughout 2025, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. However, Apple Intelligence will also be available on the iPhone in the EU in just a few months. "This April, Apple Intelligence features will start to roll out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU. This will include many of the core features of Apple Intelligence, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, a redesigned Siri with richer language understanding, ChatGPT integration, and more," Apple wrote in a press release. From this list, it turns out all Apple Intelligence features are coming to the EU, except... priority notifications? We've reached out to Apple for more details about what's not coming to the EU, but it sounds like it's going to be hard to tell the differences. This leads us to this simple question: what was the issue with the DMA again?

Apple Intelligence Is Coming to EU iPhones After All

Apple's AI will make its way to EU phones and tablets, but it's unclear why the company changed course. Apple Intelligence launched worldwide in U.S. English yesterday, but if you're an iPhone user in the E.U. or mainland China, I wouldn't blame you for not knowing what all the hubbub is about. That's because Apple's AI is currently unavailable on phones or tablets in those regions -- to use the new tech there, you'll need to do so on a Mac. Apple previously blamed the E.U.'s DMA regulations for the restriction, saying releasing AI under its interoperability requirements "could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security." But suddenly, the company's tune has changed. It's not quite clear why, but in an Irish Apple newsroom post, the iPhone maker now says "Apple Intelligence features will start to roll out to iPhone and iPad users in the E.U." starting next April. According to the post, the April release will include "many of the core features of Apple Intelligence, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, a redesigned Siri with richer language understanding, ChatGPT integration, and more." Whether Apple's worked out a deal with the E.U. or whether the company is moving forward for some other reason isn't clear, just as it wasn't clear how much E.U. regulations were threatening Apple Intelligence in the first place. It's possible the company could have released Apple Intelligence in Europe alongside the rest of the world and was simply holding back European AI out of an abundance of caution. Less generously, the withholding could've been intended as a way to apply pressure to the region. In the past, European regulators have insinuated that keeping Apple's AI out of the E.U. was not entirely their decision, with a European commissioner calling Apple's choice to halt Apple Intelligence's European release a "stunning open declaration" of anticompetitive behavior. I've reached out to both Apple and the E.U. for clarification and will update this article when I hear back. Still, when the feature does launch in the region, it does sound like it will be almost entirely on par with the U.S. release (I've also asked Apple to clarify which features EU phones will and won't get, and will include that information in updates as well). As noted, Europeans do already have access to the full suite of Apple AI features, but only on supported Mac devices. They'll need to update to macOS Sequoia 15.1 and set their device's language to U.S. English first (under Settings -> General -> Language & Region), but that's not a unique issue. Apple promises to add support for various other English dialects in December, including for Ireland, the U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. Indian and Singaporean English and other languages will come over the course of the next year, with Apple confirming various European and Asian languages, and promising still others. (If Asian language support has you excited for a release in mainland China, where Apple Intelligence has yet to even reach the Mac, that is unfortunately still not on the docket.)

Apple Intelligence in Europe already has an officially confirmed date - Softonic

Alongside the launch of the new iMac M4, Apple has confirmed that Apple Intelligence will be available on the iPhone and iPad in the European Union starting in April 2025. Great news for the old continent as it takes its first step in the availability of Apple's AI tools. While Apple Intelligence is already available globally (except in China and Europe) thanks to iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, in Europe, Apple's AI is only available on the Mac. Apple has had to delay the launch of these tools on iPhone and iPad to address regulatory issues related to the Digital Markets Act of the European Union. Now, in the press release for the launch of the new iMacs, Apple has officially confirmed that among the features coming to Europe in April 2025 are the Writing Tools, Genmoji, the new improved version of Siri with greater natural language understanding, and the anticipated integration with ChatGPT. From the phrase "Apple Intelligence features will start to arrive" it could be deduced that some of the features may take a little longer to arrive, although for now, we will have to wait for more information. Apple has also confirmed that support for English variations in countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom will be added in December 2024. The true multilingual rollout, however, will begin in April 2025, when Apple Intelligence will start to be available in languages such as Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, among others. The calendar coincides, therefore, with the arrival of Apple Intelligence in Europe, which will already support the local language of most countries where it will be available. Let's remember that to access Apple Intelligence, we need an iPhone 15 Pro or later, or a Mac or iPad with an M1 chip or later. Devices that meet these requirements, including the new iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip, will be able to benefit from the full range of Apple Intelligence features. Those that are already available and also those that will arrive later, including all image tools, such as Genmoji and Image Playground, which we can already test in beta form in iOS 18.2. Apple's confirmation of the arrival of Apple Intelligence in Europe in April 2025 is undoubtedly great news. At a time when European regulations are delaying the arrival of features like the new ChatGPT voice mode, Meta's AI models, or Apple Intelligence, having an officially confirmed date is a guarantee. We will have to wait a little longer, but in about six months, we will be able to enjoy the greatest revolution the Apple ecosystem has experienced since the launch of the iPhone.

Apple Intelligence set to launch in the EU for iOS early next year

With the announcement of the new iMac earlier today, Apple also released iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 - both with the first set of Apple Intelligence tools. But the company also confirmed on Monday that Apple Intelligence is coming to iPhone and iPad users in the EU early next year. After announcing Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, the company said that its AI features wouldn't be available to users located in the European Union at launch. That's because Apple had concerns about complying with the Digital Markets Act antitrust legislation. However, we now have some good news for users in the EU. On the European version of its website, Apple has confirmed that it will launch Apple Intelligence in the EU in April next year. The news coincides with confirmation that a software update to be released in April will add more languages to Apple Intelligence. The list includes many European languages, including French, German, and Italian. There's another thing to keep in mind: since only iPhone and iPad are impacted by EU antitrust legislation, Mac users can already try Apple Intelligence in the EU with macOS 15.1. "With macOS Sequoia 15.1, EU Mac users can access Apple Intelligence in American English. In April, Apple Intelligence features will begin to be distributed to iPhone and iPad users in the EU," Apple told the press. Currently, Apple Intelligence only works in US English. With iOS 18.2, which is currently in beta, support will be expanded to English from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. This update is expected to be released in December, as stated by the company. With iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, users can take advantage of Writing Tools to modify and proofread texts, as well as text summarization and notifications. The updates also include Clean Up in the Photos app. iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2 will bring even more Apple Intelligence features, including Image Playgrounds, Genmoji and ChatGPT integration.

Apple Intelligence will come to EU iPhones in April

Apple Intelligence has finally launched in US English, and if you're in the EU, you'll be able to use the new AI features on your iPhone and iPad starting in April, according to an Irish Apple newsroom post. When the features roll out to iPhones and iPads in the EU, they'll include "include many of the core features of Apple Intelligence, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, a redesigned Siri with richer language understanding, ChatGPT integration, and more," Apple says in the post. However, if EU users want to get a taste of Apple Intelligence sooner, they can try the initial features on their Mac that are now available with macOS Sequoia 15.1. That first batch of features includes AI-powered writing tools, improvements to Siri, and email summaries in Mail. Apple also announced that Apple Intelligence will launch in localized English in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK in December. Presumably, they'll be included with iOS 18.2, which is set to add a bunch more Apple Intelligence features like Siri's ChatGPT upgrade.

Apple Intelligence Rolling Out in the European Union Starting in April 2025

The French version of the announcement specifies that Apple Intelligence will come out in April, but other versions mention "this spring." Mac users in the EU can access Apple Intelligence in U.S. English with macOS Sequoia 15.1. This spring, Apple Intelligence features will start to roll out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU. This will include many of the core features of Apple Intelligence, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, a redesigned Siri with richer language understanding, ChatGPT integration, and more. As of right now, EU Mac users can access Apple Intelligence features with macOS Sequoia 15.1, as long as the language on the device is set to U.S. English. Apple has restricted the launch of Apple Intelligence capabilities for the iPhone and iPad in order to work out "regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act." Apple in June said that it would delay Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring, and SharePlay Screen Sharing until it was able to determine how to make the features compatible with the European Union's competition rules. iPhone and iPad users in the European Union who have a U.S. App Store ID are able to use Apple Intelligence with the Language and Region on the device set to U.S. English. Apple also has not launched Apple Intelligence in China, and it is unclear when the feature set might expand to the country. In China, Apple has to have an AI partner as American companies are not able to launch chatbots powered by large language models without government permission. It is worth noting that Apple Intelligence support in European countries will likely come in an update to iOS 18, and the timing is right for iOS 18.4. Rumors suggest that iOS 18.4 will be a major update that brings improvements to Siri, including personal context and the ability for the personal assistant to do more in and across apps.

Don't Worry, EU iPhones Will Get Apple Intelligence Too

Apple has confirmed for the first time that iPhone owners living in the European Union (EU) will get Apple Intelligence, only a bit later than their US counterparts. ✕ Remove Ads Apple Intelligence debuted in the United States today with the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 software updates. Apple has also revealed that EU iPhone owners will get Apple Intelligence via an update to iOS 18 coming around next spring. "In April, Apple Intelligence features will begin rolling out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU," the company said. People living in the 27 EU member states will get all the Apple Intelligence features that are already available in the United States, including those coming in December, such as AI writing tools and image generation, a revamped Siri with richer language understanding, ChatGPT integration, etc. The macOS Sequoia 15.1 update released today enables Mac owners in the EU to access the first wave of Apple Intelligence features. ✕ Remove Ads Apple Intelligence is available on all iPhones powered by the Apple A17 Pro chip or newer, including iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. On the Mac and iPad side of things, Apple Intelligence requires Apple silicon, meaning the M1 chip or later. You must turn on Apple Intelligence in Settings or System Settings after updating your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1. Apple Intelligence is in beta and has a waitlist. To use it, your device must have at least 4 gigabytes of free storage space and have the Siri language and device region set to U.S. English. Support for more languages and features is being worked on. iOS 18.2 will expand Apple Intelligence to other English-speaking regions (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom) and bring additional features, like AI image creation (Image Playground), custom emoji generated from prompts (Genmoji), and ChatGPT integration. ✕ Remove Ads Additional language support will arrive in April when Apple Intelligence will debut in the EU. Apple Intelligence will gain additional enhancements and even wider language support throughout 2025, including Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and more. Source: Apple