Your iPhone just got smarter, but it also got hungrier for storage space. Apple has always maintained stringent hardware requirements for its Intelligence features, which is why the iPhone 16 base model this year includes 8GB of RAM as standard. These features previously required 4GB of free storage. However, the recent iOS 18.2 update has raised the requirement to 7GB. This means iPhone users need to ensure they have sufficient free space to utilize the latest AI features.
Apple Intelligence Now Needs 7GB of Free Storage
According to an Apple-published document included in the iOS 18.1 beta, Apple Intelligence previously required 4GB of available storage to function. At that time, Apple indicated that these requirements will increase as more on-device Intelligence features are rolled out.
The recent iOS 18.2 update added several new features, including Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration, Image Wand, and others. These additions have nearly doubled the storage requirement, pushing it to 7GB. This means iPhone users now need at least 7GB of free storage to utilize Apple Intelligence features fully.
This is applicable to all iPhones, regardless of the model you have. These requirements come into play with iOS 18.2 update, and Apple has also mentioned them on its official support page.
Why Did Apple Increase Storage Requirements for Apple Intelligence Features?
Apple Intelligence features rely on specific large language models, with much of the processing occurring locally on the device. This requires a significant amount of free RAM and storage to handle the data efficiently, which is why only iPhone 15 Pro and newer devices support Apple AI.
The recent update introduced new AI features, which in turn increased the storage requirements. As a result, Apple AI now needs a device with at least 8GB of RAM and a minimum of 7GB of free storage to operate smoothly.
By increasing the storage requirement, Apple ensures that AI features can function seamlessly on-device, preserving user privacy by minimizing reliance on cloud-based processing.
However, this could pose challenges for users of the iPhone 16 base model with 128GB of storage. System files, apps, and media such as photos already consume a significant portion of internal storage. Plus, users need free space to download and install software updates. And hence, allocating this much storage exclusively for AI features might not be viable for everyone.
