Apple didn’t make artificial intelligence the star of its keynote—but the updates it did unveil might quietly change how users and developers experience its ecosystem.
You’d be forgiven if you thought Apple was pulling back from the AI race at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. No AI fireworks. No big-bang moment. Just a sleek new Liquid Glass design and some flashy UI updates that had people oohing and aahing.
But look a little closer, and Apple Intelligence is quietly threading its way deeper into Apple’s software — and now, into the hands of developers too.
Unlike rivals that love to scream “AI” from every rooftop, Apple played it cool. It didn’t shout, but it did move.
Developers Get a Big Piece of the AI Pie
This year, Apple finally opened the gates—at least a bit. Developers are getting access to Apple’s on-device foundation model. That’s a big shift.
Federighi called it “a new era of intelligent experiences.” Sure, that might sound like typical Apple flair, but there’s substance behind the words.
Developers won’t need to ping external servers or rely on third-party models anymore. Apple’s private, on-device large language model (LLM) will now power third-party apps too—without compromising user privacy. That’s been Apple’s selling point for a while, and it’s sticking to it.
One sentence to let that sink in.
It means:
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AI-driven features can now live inside your favorite third-party apps
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Your data doesn’t leave your device
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Speed improves, since requests don’t rely on a network round-trip
If that sounds subtle, it’s not. It’s a quiet revolution tucked beneath Apple’s obsession with sleek privacy-first design.
Real-Time Language Translation Gets Smarter
Another practical update that slipped into the keynote was Live Translation, powered by—you guessed it—Apple Intelligence.
Apple’s translator app isn’t new, but now it works in real time. The feature is being integrated more deeply into iOS and visionOS, so users can translate conversations on the fly, even during FaceTime calls.
Live Translation supports new languages too, with eight more added to the list this fall—Dutch, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Swedish among them.
It’s a move that reflects Apple’s growing ambition to push into more markets while also supporting localized, on-device intelligence.
This isn’t a stunt. It’s a quiet flex.
Genmoji Gets Witty, While Image Playground Gets Smarter
Yes, emoji is still a battleground.
Last year, Apple rolled out Genmoji—AI-generated emojis that matched user prompts. This year, it’s giving them more personality. Users can now create Genmoji that include actions or feelings.
Feeling “mildly annoyed but trying not to show it”? There might just be a Genmoji for that soon.
More interesting though is what’s happening inside Image Playground. Apple’s visual creation tool, which lets users generate images based on prompts, now includes “ChatGPT-powered styles.”
No, Apple still isn’t using OpenAI’s GPT models directly across the system. But in Image Playground, the company is leaning into collaboration. The new styles include surreal, retro, comic-book, and sketch modes—all available with quick prompts.
Here’s a look at what’s new:
| Feature | What’s New | Powered By |
|---|---|---|
| Genmoji | Emotion/action-based prompts | Apple Intelligence |
| Image Playground | Style presets: sketch, comic, surreal, retro | OpenAI (styles only) |
| Live Translation | Real-time in calls | On-device AI |
Apple may not have made a fuss, but the layers are building up.
Fitness Meets Intelligence With New Workout Buddy
Another unexpected addition: Workout Buddy.
It’s not a standalone app, but rather a set of AI features baked into the Fitness app. Apple Watch users will now see personalized insights and voice prompts based on their workout habits.
The feature doesn’t just track data—it gives proactive suggestions. Think of it as a trainer-lite without the gym membership.
Apple says it’ll eventually learn your running style, recovery patterns, and even suggest when to push harder or ease off. That’s the kind of subtle utility that Apple excels at. No hype, just function.
One-liner: This might be one of the more useful updates for regular users.
Apple’s “Private AI” Strategy Holds Its Line
Apple didn’t arrive late to the AI party—it just came in quietly, dressed differently.
Its competitors—Google, Microsoft, OpenAI—are betting heavily on cloud-based LLMs that require serious compute power and constant internet access. Apple? It’s still going all-in on local intelligence.
The message at WWDC 2025 was crystal clear: your data stays on your device.
Apple isn’t selling ads. It’s selling trust.
And even as it opens up its AI tools to developers, that approach isn’t changing. Federighi said it best: “We’ve always believed your personal data should stay personal.”
That means no Apple Intelligence features require a user to sign into cloud accounts. No sneaky data harvesting. No third-party servers—unless you explicitly opt in.
In a year where privacy concerns over AI have exploded, Apple’s low-key play might age better than it seems now.
