iPhone 15 Pro to Get Visual Intelligence in Future Update, Likely iOS 18.4

[MacRumors]

Apple's new iPhone 16e, announced on Wednesday, supports Visual Intelligence despite having no Camera Control button, and now Apple has confirmed that the Apple Intelligence feature is coming to the iPhone 15 Pro as well in a future software update.

On iPhone 16 models, Visual Intelligence lets you use the camera to learn more about places and objects around you. It can also summarize text, read text out loud, translate text, search Google for items, ask ChatGPT, and more.

The feature is activated via the Camera Control button that's exclusive to iPhone 16 models. It was thought that the extra button was necessary to activate the feature, but the new iPhone 16e lacks such a button. Instead, Visual Intelligence can be assigned to the device's Action button or enabled via Control Center.

Now, Apple has told Daring Fireball's John Gruber that Visual Intelligence is coming to the iPhone 15 Pro "in a future software update." Like the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 15 Pro doesn't have a Camera Control button, but Apple says the function will be able to be launched in the Control Center interface or via the Action button once the update drops.

Apple would not confirm whether the update in question is iOS 18.4, beta releases for which are expected any day now. But given that the iPhone 16e will become available to buy on February 28, iOS 18.4 seems like the most likely update that will bring Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro. Following yesterday's debut of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its website to indicate that iOS 18.4 will be released publicly in early April.

Article Link: iPhone 15 Pro to Get Visual Intelligence in Future Update, Likely iOS 18.4

 

[chfilm]

To withhold this from the 15 pro was a classic upselling move in the first place..

 

[Big_D]

I would have thought the feature is more dependent on processor, memory and camera capabilities than a button... Maybe it was thought to need too much processing initially, or as chfilm says, an upsell move.

 

[BarrettF77]

Apple doing what it can to leverage early adopter sales. Shady, and what we all knew that the device could do it already. The bar keeps getting set lower on what innovation from them.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Apple doing what it can to leverage early adopter sales. Shady, and what we all knew that the device could do it already. The bar keeps getting set lower on what innovation from them.

The hilarious part is that folks were just defending the iPhone 16e getting it, but not the 15 Pro, due to "hardware limitations of the A17 Pro"

 

[surferfb]

Apple now getting slammed for adding a new feature to older devices - I've seen everything. Do we seriously think people actually upgraded their iPhone 15 Pros to 16 Pros for Visual Intelligence?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Apple now getting slammed for adding a new feature to older devices - I've seen everything. Do we seriously think people actually upgraded their iPhone 15 Pros to 16 Pros for Visual Intelligence?

Who knows 🤷‍♂️

I keep getting told by others "why people do or don't buy" all manner of Apple products, especially if it's a Mini product, for some reason

It's always just vibes or subjective opinions

I do think it's funny that someone was adamant this was a hardware limitation, which is "why" it couldn't ever come to the 15 Pro ... and not 12 hours later this news drops 😂

Further proving the point that people are just mapping opinions onto what Apple does (or not) and very often incorrectly inferring things.

I very much include myself in that
None of us are exempt

 

[spazzcat]

To withhold this from the 15 pro was a classic upselling move in the first place..

I mean that is their goal after all they are not a nonprofit.

 

[CalMin]

Wow. I’m glad I’m getting it but dang, they should have done this months ago.

The Apple intelligence roll out really is a cluster brought about by Tim feeling that he had to tell Wall Street that they were doing AI. He is all about the stock price and while I accept that is his job, if they get the products right, the stock price will follow.

 

[emmab2006]

i fail to see why this is an iphone 16 pro only feature. my pixel fold can do this . so can a pixel 7

 

[Kylo83]

Honest question has anyone actually even used it on the 16 series cause I know I havent

 

[jicon]

I don't know what the big deal is... I know I've taken photos of plants out on walks with iOS17, and the 15P phone would tell me what sort of plant it was, or what sort of dog I have a picture of. Maybe none of that stuff was on device processing, but that sort of stuff occurred before iOS18.

Maybe I need to know more on what difference Visual Intelligence brings to the table.

 

[infinitejest]

So, at this point, the 16 Pro is just the same as the 15 Pro.

 

[Devyn89]

Excellent. I wouldn’t upgrade for the feature but I’m glad we’re getting it too.

 

[OS X Dude]

A bit extra fuel to the fire for the rumour that the 17 series will not feature the Camera Control button. If they keep it around, it definitely needs to be made longer so that it's easier to use.

 

[turbineseaplane]

So, at this point, the 16 Pro is just the same as the 15 Pro.

Bigger screen and camera control are the main differences it would seem

 

[Big_D]

Honest question has anyone actually even used it on the 16 series cause I know I havent

Not available on my 16 Pro, so no, never used it. I'm guessing it should debut with 18.4...

 

[brofkand]

Honest question has anyone actually even used it on the 16 series cause I know I havent

I have turned off Apple Intelligence on all my devices. It is beyond useless.

 

[nli10@mac.com]

Wouldn’t mind them throwing a bone to the 14Pro too…

 

[zombierunner]

Feature delayed, hardware excuse flimsy, sales tactic backfired.

 

[turbineseaplane]

When the differences between 15 Pro & 16 Pro are so minimal ... holding back something artificially and then advertising that same feature as one of the few "new" things you get when going 16 Pro...

Is just a bad bad look

 

[Radeon85]

Good, to withhold it would have been the stupidest decisions they could have made.

Honest question has anyone actually even used it on the 16 series cause I know I havent

I've used it to look up an object that I had no idea what it was exactly called, it found what I was looking for instantly, so it has its uses. Used it to quickly catalogue an old stack of DVD's into text that I couldn't be bothered to write down. I had about 20 DVD's stacked with the labels facing me, took a photo and ChatGPT through visual intelligence listed them all that so that I could copy the text in one go as a list.

 

[d686546s]

It always seemed a bit odd that the feature would be dependant on a button. I get that that's the workflow, but surely (as now confirmed) there's alternatives.

They could even copy the circle to search from Android.

 

[Henevy]

that's great, especially with the ability to identify plants and animals!

 

[alchemistmuffin]

Apple's new iPhone 16e, announced on Wednesday, supports Visual Intelligence despite having no Camera Control button, and now Apple has confirmed that the Apple Intelligence feature is coming to the iPhone 15 Pro as well in a future software update.

Well, looks like Apple has done massive performance optimization on to make Visual Intelligence sing on A17 Pro Neural engine.

At this point, iOS 18.4 is likely going to be released alongside new iPad Air and iPad when it launches in April or May. (No huge Apple event planned still for this though, just brief press release)