I have to admit, I liked Apple Intelligence for a little while, but it didn't stick around for long.

[VitoBotta]

I’m not a native English speaker, but I have to write professional emails and documents in English all the time. Even though I'm fluent, I like to use tools to proofread my text or adjust it for the tone I want, especially for important stuff. I’ve been using the BoltAI app for macOS for over a year now, and I really love it. Recently, I also started trying Apple Intelligence's writing tools because they made it super easy to set up keyboard shortcuts for functions like "Rewrite" or "Proofread."

However, after using those tools for a week, I realized they don’t handle many types of text very well. I think it’s because Apple uses smaller LLMs for these features so they can run offline and completely on your device. I also tried to use the ChatGPT integration with Apple Intelligence, but it’s really buggy. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn’t, and I can’t even log into my ChatGPT account through the Apple Intelligence settings. It seemed promising at first, but it's been pretty frustrating.

Just a few minutes ago, I discovered that I can set up keyboard shortcuts for specific commands in BoltAI. I can even have it replace the text it improves right away with just a combination of keys. I feel a bit silly for not noticing this sooner! It’s way better than what Apple Intelligence offers, and I get to choose whatever models I want to use, like ChatGPT 4o via OpenRouter API. Plus, I can customize the prompt, which I can’t do with Apple Intelligence.

So I can tell BoltAI to improve my text by fixing grammar and picking better words here and there, maybe even improving the structure of phrases and paragraphs, but without completely changing what I originally wrote. I really want AI to help me improve my English, not rewrite my thoughts entirely.

The more I use the BoltAI app, the more I love it. Honestly, Apple should just give up on their attempts with Apple Intelligence and buy this amazing app from a solo developer to integrate it directly into the OS for easier use. This isn’t an ad for BoltAI, and I’m not affiliated with the developer at all, but I’m a happy customer and I definitely recommend giving it a try if you’re not impressed with Apple Intelligence.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I’m glad BoltAI works for you, working on computers is always more enjoyable when you have found the tools that work well for you.

Maybe I’m not seeing what makes BoltAI so good, because it looks like it’s just a wrapper for the chatbot of your choice.

I’ve been playing around with various LLMs for a while, both locally and online, but I have yet to find anything that any of these chatbots can do that is of any value to me. Maybe if I did some coding they might provide a little value?

The more I see of Apple’s plan for AI, the more convinced I am that they’re on the right path. Sure, Siri is in a bad state and needs fixing, but I like their strategy, and think it will be the most sustainable strategy long term.

I got given a year’s sub to Perplexity Pro, and I have started finding a use for it lately. As a search engine, I’m finding it turns up more useful links than Google does. I have tried comparing the models available and find Claude 4 Sonnet provides the most useful answers, even so I end up mostly ignoring the generated text, and reading the cited sources.

 

[VitoBotta]

That's the thing, BoltAI isn't just a chat tool. It definitely has great chat features, but the real standout is the different commands you can use in any app with easy keyboard shortcuts. That’s what helps me be more productive than with other tools that make you rely on the chat all the time.