So, Apple Intelligence is making its way to iPhones worldwide, and you’re probably wondering if your older iPhone can get in on the action. But here’s the problem: Apple AI is supported only on the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and upcoming models for now.
Even if Apple were to push an update to bring AI to the iPhone 12, 13, or 14 series, performance would likely suffer, and relying on cloud processing could raise privacy concerns. But don’t worry, there are some excellent alternatives that can bring similar AI capabilities to your previous generation iPhones. Let’s talk about those.
For starters, Apple AI features are available with iOS 18. Once you update your iPhone 15 Pro to iOS 18.1 Beta and adjust language and region settings if needed, you can enjoy new features, including the new Siri and Clean Up tool. But for old iPhones, you’ll have to use other apps and websites for similar functionality.
Here’s a brief overview of Apple AI features and their alternatives:
| Apple Intelligence Feature | Alternative for Older iPhones |
|---|---|
| Clean Up Tool (object eraser) | Magic Eraser in Google Photos |
| Apple Playground Image Generator | Gemini and Meta AI |
| Enhanced Siri with ChatGPT | Replace Siri with ChatGPT using Shortcut |
| Writing Tools | Grammarly AI |
Table of Contents
1. Clean Up Tool
Alternative: Magic Eraser in Google Photos
iOS 18 brings you the Clean Up tool, which essentially lets you clean up or remove unwanted objects or people from your photos. You can use it to remove people in the background, desk clutter you forgot to hide, and other distracting objects from the image.
Thankfully, you don’t need Apple AI to do that on an older iPhone model. Install Google Photos, open the photo you want to erase objects from and tap Edit > Tools > Magic Eraser. You can now select and erase things from your images.
It works equally well; you can check out our comparison with Clean Up tool here.
Google Photos now even lets you use its Magic Editor on all iPhones and Android phones for free. You can save up to ten edited photos per month at no cost. Use it to resize or reposition objects within the photo — something even Apple AI can’t do yet.
Download: Google Photos
2. Apple Playground Image Generator
Alternatives: Gemini, Meta AI, Microsoft Designer, and Adobe Firefly
With Apple Image Playground, you can generate images in three different styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. It will be available as a dedicated app but also deeply integrated, so you can create fun art of your friends in different settings and send them directly in Messages or turn rough sketches into images in the Notes app.
While you won’t find another image generator that’s so deeply integrated into your iPhone’s system and apps, you can use several free alternatives. My favorite is Gemini—just open it and write your prompt like “generate an image of a cow playing in a swimming pool,” and it will give you realistic images using Google’s Imagen 3 model.
The next best alternative is Meta AI. You can pull it up on WhatsApp or any chat with your friend or group chat to generate art, realistic-looking images, or even GIFs within seconds. Here’s my experience with Meta AI.
You can also use other free image generation tools, including Microsoft Designer and Adobe Firefly which work like a charm. These tools can generate realistic-looking images, while Apple AI only allows you to generate art, sketches, and illustrations.
3. Writing Tools
Alternative: Grammarly AI
The built-in Writing Tools on iOS 18 let you rewrite, proofread, and summarize text almost anywhere you write. However, like other AI features, this won’t be available on older iPhones. And due to iOS restrictions, you can’t have a floating AI assistant on your phone’s screen.
The closest thing to Writing Tools you can get on your iPhone is Grammarly AI. It’s primarily a keyboard with grammar-check features, but now it also gives you real-time writing feedback and AI assistance.
Just write your text and tap the Improve it button. You’ll see a variety of prompts like “sound compassionate,” “make it assertive,” “sound cooperative,” and others, as well as three different formality levels—neutral, formal, casual—to choose from. Choose your desired tone and prompt, and your text will be rewritten as you want it.
Download: Grammarly AI Keyboard
4. Enhanced Siri with ChatGPT
Alternative: Add ChatGPT to Siri Using Shortcut
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max get an enhanced Siri that appears with a fancy glow around the screen. It can better understand context and control actions in apps on your behalf. Soon it’ll also get ChatGPT integration which it can use to help you, say when you ask for recipe advice. Your iPhone will then ask if you’d like to use ChatGPT to complete the request and then show that information directly on your screen.
While you cannot get Siri 2.0 on an old iPhone model, you can add ChatGPT to Siri using a simple shortcut:
- Open the Shortcuts app.
- Create a new shortcut.
- Search for ChatGPT and select Start voice conversation with ChatGPT.
- Rename the shortcut to something simple like Start GPT.
- Save it.
Say “Hey Siri, start GPT” (or whatever you named the shortcut) to launch ChatGPT in voice chat mode.
You can then ask questions, search for information, or just chat with ChatGPT.
Your Old iPhone Is Still Worthy
So, there you have it. Even if your iPhone isn’t the latest and greatest, you don’t have to miss out on AI. Most of the features you’ll need in your everyday use can be added through third-party apps. The integration might not be as deep, and they may do one or two things fewer than Apple AI, but whether to accept this compromise or shell out extra money and upgrade to the iPhone Pros or the upcoming iPhone 16 series is completely your choice.
