Since the launch of Apple Intelligence, storage requirements have increased dramatically, from 4GB to 7GB today, making storage challenges for users with multiple Apple devices. Technically, more content or programs are processed in the user’s machine, compared to uploading everything to the AI server for processing, which can provide stronger privacy protection. Still, the actual application effect is not satisfactory to the user.
Since Apple Intelligence first launched in September 2024 with iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, the demand for device storage has continued to increase. The iOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates, launched in December, bring two generative AI features, including Image Playground, which creates images with user prompts, and Genmoji, which allows users to design personalized emojis. According to “9to5mac” and Apple’s website, with the addition of these AI functions, the storage requirements of Apple Intelligence have increased from the original 4 GB to 7 GB.
Because Apple Intelligence uses on-device computing, the models must be stored on the device, which explains the huge storage space requirements. These features are only available on devices with Apple’s silicon, such as M1 or A17 or later, to ensure smooth operation further.
While Apple Intelligence continues to add new features, most users aren’t happy with its performance. According to SellCell’s survey, 73% of iPhone users don’t think these features help much. Users have also expressed dissatisfaction with the reduced battery life, pointing out that the operation of Apple Intelligence significantly impacts the power consumption of the device.
Storage pressure is even more severe for users with multiple Apple devices. For example, users who use iPhones, iPads, and Macs simultaneously need to free up 21GB of storage space for Apple Intelligence to work. In the future, Siri’s artificial intelligence upgrade plan is expected to increase these requirements further.
With the release of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, you can find these Apple Intelligence features integrated across apps and experiences:
- Genmoji1
- Image Playground
- Image Wand in the Apple Pencil tool palette
- Writing Tools
- Clean Up in Photos
- Create a Memory movie in Photos1
- Natural language search in Photos
- Notification summaries
- Reduce Interruptions Focus
- Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing in Focus
- Priority messages in Mail
- Smart Reply in Mail and Messages
- Summaries in Mail and Messages
- Siri enhancements, including product knowledge, more resilient request handling, new look and feel, more natural voice, the ability to type to Siri, and more
- ChatGPT integration within Siri and Writing Tools2
It is rumored that the iOS 18.3 feature update will not involve new AI features for now, but iOS 18.4 is expected to bring more powerful Siri feature upgrades, and the storage requirement may increase to more than 10GB per device.
With the launch of iOS 19 just around the corner, users may want to consider opting for a device with more storage space for future needs. In this regard, some users suggested that Apple should consider making Apple Intelligence an optional feature rather than a mandatory integration so that users can choose the scope of use of the feature more freely. If Apple can provide this option, it may be able to balance the contradiction between storage and function and relieve the pressure on users.
