Apple Opens the AI Model That Runs on the iPhone to Developers
At WWDC25, Apple announced that any developer will be able to use the language model that powers Apple Intelligence directly in their apps, for free, offline and without sending data to external servers.
Apple has decided to stop keeping its artificial intelligence to itself. At today's WWDC25 conference, the company unveiled the Foundation Models framework, a tool that lets any developer connect their app directly to the language model that runs locally on a user's iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Until now, that on-device model — the one powering much of Apple Intelligence — was Apple's exclusive territory. Starting today, according to the company's announcement, any app will be able to call it with just three lines of Swift code. No cost, no need for an internet connection, and no user data ever leaving the device.
Why this is different from calling a chatbot's API
Most apps that integrate generative AI today do so by calling an external server — OpenAI, Anthropic, or whichever provider. That means a cost per query, dependence on an internet connection, and user data leaving the device.
Apple's approach is the opposite. The model lives on the phone itself, so it responds even without coverage, generates no API bill, and — because everything is processed locally — the company says it protects the privacy of users' conversations and content. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, put it this way in the announcement: "We're also taking the huge step of giving developers direct access to the on-device foundation model powering Apple Intelligence, allowing them to tap into intelligence that is powerful, fast, built with privacy, and available even when users are offline." According to Federighi, this "will ignite a whole new wave of intelligent experiences" in the apps people use every day.
The framework and the rest of the Apple Intelligence updates are available for testing starting today, and will reach users with compatible devices and languages this fall, Apple said.
The rest of the package: translation, Genmoji and visual intelligence
The Foundation Models framework didn't arrive alone. Apple also introduced Live Translation, a real-time translation system built into Messages, FaceTime and Phone, powered by Apple's own models that run entirely on the device. In Messages, it automatically translates as you type; in FaceTime, it shows translated captions while you still hear the original voice; on Phone calls, the translation is spoken aloud during the conversation.
Genmoji and Image Playground, the tools for creating custom images and emoji, are getting an expansion: users can now mix emoji together and combine them with text descriptions, plus new styles — like oil painting or vector art — available through ChatGPT. Apple stresses that nothing is shared with ChatGPT without the user's permission.
Visual intelligence, which already let users identify objects and places through the camera, now extends to whatever appears on the iPhone screen: users can ask ChatGPT about something they're looking at, search for similar products on Google or Etsy, or let the system detect an event in an image and suggest adding it to Calendar, automatically pulling out the date, time and location.
On Apple Watch, Workout Buddy makes its debut — an assistant that combines data from an ongoing workout with a user's fitness history to generate real-time motivational commentary, using a synthetic voice built from recordings of Fitness+ trainers. It will launch in English for activities like running, walking, outdoor cycling, HIIT and strength training, and requires Bluetooth headphones and a compatible iPhone nearby.
Apple Intelligence will also add eight more languages by the end of the year: Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese.
What changes for app developers
Opening up the on-device model is the piece with the biggest medium-term implications. Hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads and Macs already have a language model installed that can summarize text, generate content or reason about information — and until today, only Apple could use it inside its own apps. By opening it to third parties at no API cost, any developer can add generative AI features to their app without negotiating contracts with model providers or worrying about the monthly bill that usually comes with that kind of integration.
The trade-off is that the model lives within Apple's ecosystem: it only works on Apple devices and under Apple's terms. For a developer already building for iPhone, it's a free way to add intelligence without relying on third parties. For the market of API model providers, it's a competitor that doesn't charge per query.
