In this comprehensive guide, we explore alternative apps and services that provide comparable functionality to Apple Intelligence features on unsupported iPhone models.
Apple Intelligence is available on the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and the entire iPhone 16 series running iOS 18 or later. If you have an iPhone 15, or older, you’re out of luck. However, there are some excellent third-party apps that can provide similar functionality.
While these third-party apps don’t have the tight integration of Apple Intelligence, they should handle most tasks you’d typically rely on Apple Intelligence for.
In some cases, such as removing distractions from a picture or generating images based on prompts, third-party options may even outperform Apple Intelligence.
If you’re new to all this, we recommend checking out our guide that lists all Apple Intelligence features. After going through it, you can come back here to get those features on your unsupported iPhone. And if you do happen to have a supported iPhone, be sure to see our tutorial on setting up Apple Intelligence.
Writing Tools
- Alternatives: ChatGPT, xAI Grok, Meta AI, Grammarly, and LanguageTool
Apple Intelligence Writing Tools is built on the system level and works in Notes, Pages, Mail, Messages, and several other apps. It helps you check grammar and punctuation and rewrite text in a friendly, professional, or concise style.
While having these tools built into the app is convenient, if your iPhone doesn’t support Apple Intelligence, you can use Grammarly or LanguageTool to check for grammar and punctuation, and fix errors. And when you want to rewrite a sentence or generate new ones based on a description, any popular AI chatbot like ChatGPT, X (Twitter’s) Grok, or Meta AI can do that for you.
Clean Up
- Alternatives: TouchRetouch app and Magic Eraser in Google Photos
Clean Up is built into the stock Photos app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac to remove unwanted people and objects from your picture. However, it’s slow and doesn’t always do a good job.
So, even though I have Clean Up on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16, I find myself returning to the free TouchRetouch app. In addition to removing unwanted objects, the Retouch app can also get rid of lines and meshes from photos with just a few taps.
If you already use Google Photos to back up your pictures, try the Magic Eraser feature to remove unwanted things from your images.
Image creation tools
- Alternatives: ChatGPT, Grok, and Meta AI
One of the big highlights of Apple Intelligence is its image-generative tools, namely Image Playground, Image Wand, Genmoji. While all three have some differences, which you can learn about in our dedicated guides, the bottom line is that they all use AI to generate pictures based on your description.
You can do the same with other AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Grok, and Meta AI. Additionally, there are countless free and paid AI wrappers that do this job well. Just do a quick web search.
In fact, most other AI chatbots generate better images, and they work even if you include brand names in your description—something that Apple Intelligence regularly fails at.
Visual Intelligence
- Alternatives: Google Lens, ChatGPT, Apple Translate, and Google Translate
When you click and hold the Camera Control on the iPhone 16 series, it launches Visual Intelligence, which uses ChatGPT, Google, and Apple’s own intelligence to tell you about objects, places, and businesses in your physical space. It can also translate text that’s in a foreign language and help you take quick actions like adding a calendar event or viewing a restaurant’s menu.
You can do most of these things very easily using the ChatGPT app and Google Lens inside the Google app on your iPhone. If you have to translate something in the real world, the Camera section of Apple and Google Translate apps can help with that.
Siri ChatGPT integration
- Alternatives: ChatGPT Siri shortcut
Apple has integrated ChatGPT in Writing Tools (to compose text), Visual Intelligence, and Siri. We have already talked about the first two.
Now, there is no way to add ChatGPT to Siri on older iPhones. However, you can create a simple Siri shortcut to set up ChatGPT voice and ask your query directly to ChatGPT instead of Siri.
- Download the ChatGPT app on your iPhone and sign up or log in with your account.
- Open the Shortcuts app and tap the plus button to create a new shortcut.
- Search for ChatGPT Voice and tap to add it to the shortcut.
- You can now tap the current shortcut name from the top and rename it to something smaller, like Voice Shortcuts. Then, tap Done.
- Going forward, you can say, “Hey Siri, open ChatGPT Voice” or whatever name you gave it (i.e., Hey Siri, open Voice Shortcut) and ask ChatGPT Voice your query.
AI text Summaries
- Alternatives: Gmail summary and manual copy and paste
Apple Intelligence can summarize emails, Safari articles, and text.
Gmail already lets Google Workspace subscribers summarize emails. Chances are, this feature will be added to non-paying Gmail users as well.
If you have to summarize other lengthy text, you can copy and paste it into an AI chatbot and ask it to do that.
Memory Movie
- Alternative: Google Photos Highlights video and Creations
The Photos app can use Apple Intelligence to create a video of your favorite memories using a small description. The Highlights video and Creations feature of Google Photos comes somewhat near it.
Priority emails
- Alternative: Gmail app’s Priority inbox
Apple Intelligence can surface emails with important content, like a dinner reservation, to the top of your inbox so you don’t miss seeing it. Gmail has a somewhat similar feature called Priority inbox, which you can select in the Gmail app Settings > Inbox type.
Apple Intelligence features with no alternatives
Unless you jailbreak your iPhone or use complex, technical workarounds from the depths of obscure web forums, there is no way to get the new glowing Siri edge animation on unsupported iPhones.
Additionally, there isn’t a way to get the Reduce Interruptions Focus or Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing in Focus modes.
Furthermore, no workaround can summarize your app notifications on the iPhone Lock Screen. However this controversial feature is not very useful, and most users are better off disabling it.
Lastly, you should know that you can record phone calls even on iPhones that don’t support Apple Intelligence. However, call transcription and summarization require Apple Intelligence and are available only on 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max.
Should you buy a new iPhone just for Apple Intelligence?
The answer to this depends on the individual, but if you ask me, I don’t think Apple Intelligence in its current form warrants a new iPhone purchase. In fact, I see so little value that I created a separate tutorial showing people how to turn off all Apple Intelligence features.
However, if tips to make your current iPhone last longer feel like too much of a compromise and you have valid reasons to upgrade your iPhone, then I’d recommend getting the iPhone 16 instead of the 15 or older. This will future-proof your device, ensuring it supports Apple Intelligence as it evolves and improves.
What are your thoughts on Apple Intelligence?