Report Outlines Timeline for iPhone 16 AI and Camera Control Feature Rollout

Apple is leaning on Artificial Intelligence (AI) features to boost sales of the iPhone 16. Apple’s suite of AI tools is known as Apple Intelligence and it won’t be available at launch. Capabilities will be added through the middle of the next year via iOS updates. Another feature that will get better over time is the dedicated Camera Control button.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman today provided a timeline for the rollout of some highly-anticipated Apple Intelligence features. The first set of features will be available in beta next month, with more to follow in the coming months. The December update is expected to bring three features: AI-generated emojis, Image Playground for creating images based on descriptions, and ChatGPT integration.

Apple says that Apple Intelligence will make Siri more useful but you will have to wait until March for the new version of the digital assistant. The AI-powered Siri will be able to better process your queries and follow along from one request to the next. It will also be able to draw on your personal context and gain onscreen awareness to provide a tailored experience.

Aside from Apple Intelligence, Apple will also roll out updates to let you do more with the Camera Control button. The button not only provides a quick way to launch the camera but also integrates controls such as framing the shot and adjusting zoom. During the iPhone 16’s launch, Apple said that Camera Control would get a two-stage shutter function for locking focus and exposure with a light press in the fall.

Apple also says that you will be able to point the Camera Control button at different objects to learn more about them. Known as Visual Intelligence, this feature will work similarly to Google’s Image recognition technology Lens, according to Gurman.

It’s almost comical that Apple will take more than a year to bring the full Apple Intelligence experience to the iPhone 16, despite claiming that the phones are built for AI. While that may be frustrating for some buyers, it’s probably better than fumbling with half-baked buggy features.