iOS 18 rumored to help users summarize text messages using AI

We’ve been hearing a lot of rumors about iOS 18 having new AI-powered features, since Apple CEO Tim Cook himself has confirmed many times that the company has been working on generative AI features. Now a report claims that iPhone and iPad users will have the option of summarizing long text messages using AI.

iOS 18 to summarize text messages

According to AppleInsider, which claims to have verified this information with sources familiar with the software, Apple’s generative AI will have the ability to summarize long texts. The report says that the AI can detect “all available relevant information,” such as companies, people, and locations mentioned in the text.

“For instance, if a name appears at the top of a text, the software will likely recognize the name as belonging to the text’s author,” the report says. The website explains that the summarization feature can use information from Safari and Messages, but will potentially also work with any text fields or digital documents.

Earlier this year, 9to5Mac found evidence of a new framework called “SiriSummarization” in the iOS 17.4 code. A previous report from another leaker had already hinted at a new “Safari Browsing Assistant” feature in iOS 18 that will presumably highlight the most important content on a webpage.

Apple has been developing its own language model to run completely offline, but is also negotiating with OpenAI and Google to license their technologies for iOS 18. But based on AppleInsider’s sources, the summarization feature for Safari and Messages will work completely offline using Apple’s Ajax language model.

Having a language model running completely offline guarantees faster responses and also more privacy, since everything happens on the device and doesn’t require sending data to third-party servers.

More on Apple’s AI

During a call with investors on Thursday, Tim Cook again teased Apple’s upcoming generative AI and said that the company has advantages over its competitors. According to him, Apple’s “unique combination of seamless hardware, software, and services integration” will set the company apart from the competition when it comes to AI.