It’s a bizarrely empty feature. I was on the developer beta and kept wondering if there would ever be anything actually useful about it. I was shocked when it actually emerged that the emperor had no clothes. I expected huge backlash, but the public seems to still be in the stage that they think they’re the dumb ones that don’t see the invisible clothing. They believe Apple now has AI! Geez.
iPhone users have largely avoided the Apple Intelligence features released prior to iOS 18.2, a new survey suggests.
A survey conducted by SellCell, a tech trade-in platform, has revealed that while nearly half of iPhone users—47.6%—consider AI an important factor when purchasing a smartphone, 73% of those who have used Apple's AI offerings feel that the features add little to no value to their experience. This sentiment is not unique to Apple; the study also found that 87% of Samsung users expressed similar dissatisfaction with the AI tools available on Galaxy devices.
Apple introduced many of its AI features in October 2024 with the release of iOS 18.1. Among the most used tools were Writing Tools, which help with text editing and summarization, and Notification Summaries, which condense key information from multiple notifications into a single view. These were used by 72% and 54% of respondents, respectively. Other features, such as Priority Messages, Clean Up in Photos, and Smart Reply, saw lower adoption, ranging from 44.5% to 20.9%. Features such as natural language search in Photos and transcription summaries were even less popular, with fewer than 15% of users trying them.
One major finding of the study was that despite the general lack of use of the current features, Apple users were more likely than their Samsung counterparts to view AI as a significant deciding factor when purchasing a phone. While nearly half of iPhone users expressed that AI is a very or somewhat important consideration, only 23.7% of Samsung users felt the same. Nonetheless, many Apple users have not updated their devices to iOS 18.1 to access these features, with 57.6% citing this as their primary reason for not using Apple Intelligence. Others mentioned they found the features unhelpful or were concerned about accuracy and privacy.
Despite AI advancements, brand loyalty among Apple users has weakened in recent years, with the survey indicating that 16.8% of iPhone owners would consider switching to Samsung if Galaxy AI features proved significantly better. This represents a marked decline in loyalty, with only 78.9% of respondents now identifying as firmly committed to the Apple ecosystem, down from 92% in 2021. Conversely, just 9.7% of Samsung users expressed a willingness to switch to Apple for better AI features, suggesting that Apple faces stiffer competition in retaining its user base.
The survey also revealed that a majority of smartphone users are unwilling to pay for AI services. Only 11.6% of Apple users said they would consider subscribing to such features, compared to a mere 4% of Samsung users. It is yet to be seen if the arrival of iOS 18.2, which introduces features like Genmoji and ChatGPT integration, could shift perceptions.
The survey was carried out in late 2024 and included over 2,000 participants aged 18 and older in the United States. The pool consisted of iPhone and Samsung Galaxy users whose devices supported AI features.
Article Link: Most iPhone Users Uninterested in Apple Intelligence, Survey Suggests
Not only are the features pointless and trivial, but they weren’t even delivered in a timely basis. I haven’t seen Apple miss a deadline this badly since AirPower. It was all a desperation move to try to give the appearance of keeping up and being part of the AI juggernaut. The red herring the press latched onto was that Apple’s amazing features were delayed a few months. That was their takeaway. That was the headline. Then they moved on to the war in the Middle East.
Specifics:
The stupid cartoon images are weak, and trying to use them is confusing and slow. Standalone third-party apps, not using Apple AI, were better long ago and didn’t heat up the phone and suck down battery. It’s shocking that such trivial and pointless features would do that.
I guess it’s because the Apple Intelligence work is done on-device instead of sending the request to powerful servers in the cloud, like others have done for years. I’m not sure what percent of users understand the difference or care. Certainly a small minority.
I know I’m not so concerned about privacy that I want to make sure some poorly rendered cartoons of me can’t be seen by Apple. The people who do worry about things like that are never going to believe Apple (or Samsung) that any AI is safe anyway. I understand that Apple is trying to make privacy a differentiator, but most people are not getting that message or just assume it’s marketing features that they think are on all phones. Certainly they aren’t making a buying decision based on it. As usual, the regular consumer isn’t us, and our ilk can’t get that through their head.
The most important feature on any phone for me is the camera. If Apple Intelligence is making photo processing better, then that’s excellent. I haven’t noticed any difference, but it’s hard to perceive such things without a side by side comparison.
Object removal isn’t nearly as good as great apps like Retouch, and the Apple Intelligence version is extremely slow. You can’t even adjust the removal mask with any precision. I do use it for quick, simple stuff, just because the workflow is simpler. Half the time I end up not liking the results. It’s actually caused me more effort, now that I try to use the slow Object Removal feature, find that it’s crap, then have to redo it in Retouch. Or I give up and just decide to send a cluttered picture rather than waste any more time.
I don’t generally like the writing suggestions, but I’m a wordsmith, so I hate the suggestions of any editor—human or machine. Often the AI editing tools alter the whole intent of what you’ve written. But also, the result is usually made bland and a reader can likely tell it’s AI generated, especially if they use an AI detector. Getting caught using “fake” writing, or an impersonal reply would be extremely embarrassing.
On the positive side, the writing tools are probably quite useful for people who don’t write well. Assuming they know how to use it. Apple has tried to make it kinda easy to find, but it’s not as straightforward as the historical “Apple way.” It’s more like an Android feature. Not the clean, delightful invisible integration what we are used to, and what draws us to Apple products. It lacks elegance.
I do like the notification summaries, but it’s not a big deal.
My friend bought a new iPhone 16, specifically for the AI. Now he’s wondering what the difference is compared to his old phone. Surely it can’t be just the childish emoji crap. “What am I too stupid to see?” He fell for the disingenuous overstated promises from Tim Cook. It’s just embarrassing and sullies Apple’s reputation.
