Apple recently unveiled its iPhone 16 series of phones, along with the new Camera Control button a brand-new Visual Intelligence feature.
We’d already heard about many of the AI-powered software features coming to iOS during WWDC earlier this year. However, Apple kept one feature a surprise for the iPhone keynote and that is the Visual Intelligence tool.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the Visual Intelligence feature on the iPhone 16.
What is Apple Visual Intelligence?
Visual Intelligence is an Apple Intelligence feature that is exclusive to the iPhone 16 Series.
The feature makes use of the new Camera Control button, allowing users to jump into the app in seconds by pressing and holding the button. Then, you simply hold your camera up to an object or place and snap a photo to learn more about it.
The feature uses AI to scan an image and pull relevant information or complete a related action. For example, you can snap a photo of a dog to find out what breed it is, take a photo of a bike to see similar ones for sale or hold your camera up to a poster to automatically add the event and date to your calendar.
Visual Intelligence will also work alongside third-party tools, such as Google to search for products for sale or ChatGPT for further expertise.
If you’re understandably concerned about the privacy aspect of sending photos of your location, the places you plan to go and the items you intend to buy to Apple and its partners, you’ll be relieved to hear that Visual Intelligence is private and designed to give users control of when third-party tools are used and exactly what information is shared.
Visual Intelligence is essentially Apple’s answer to Google’s Lens and Circle To Search features. While Google Lens is available on the iPhone, Circle To Search is exclusive to specific Android models, with Visual Intelligence somewhat levelling the playing field for iOS users – minus the circle part.
Which iPhones have Visual Intelligence?
Visual Intelligence works alongside the new Camera Control button, meaning the feature is currently exclusive to the iPhone 16 Series, including the cheapest iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models.
