Apple announced at WWDC 2025 that its AI-powered image analysis technology, known as Visual Intelligence, will soon be available directly on the iPhone screen with the upcoming iOS 26 update.
Visual Intelligence is designed to streamline interactions by automatically enhancing functionality within all apps. For example, when viewing images on social media, users can quickly initiate Visual Intelligence with the same action used to take a screenshot. The technology analyzes objects within photos, such as a clothing item, and then allows users to easily perform related image searches directly within apps like Google Search.
Additionally, Visual Intelligence provides convenient shortcuts determined by visual contexts, such as extracting details from content displayed on the screen—like dates, times, and locations—and automatically creating calendar events. Users will also be able to upload screenshots directly to applications like ChatGPT for deeper analysis and more comprehensive information.
Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, explained at the WWDC stage that developers will also benefit from these advancements. Federighi highlighted that through app intents, developers can seamlessly integrate powerful search capabilities within their own applications, further promoting a customizable, efficient user experience.
Moreover, Apple is extending Visual Intelligence’s capabilities by enabling users to visually search across their most-used applications directly through the iPhone camera, broadening the scope and accessibility of Apple’s integrated AI-driven tools.
