Apple Intelligence could come to Europe, but not in the way many would hope

Apple announced its version of artificial intelligence in the form of Apple Intelligence during WWDC24, with the software expected to come to devices before the end of the year.

There are a few caveats to that, of course. The first is you will need a compatible iPhone, iPad or Mac, the device will need to be set to US English, and you will also need to live in a supported country. 

Apple recently announced that Apple Intelligence is being postponed for users in the EU, along with a couple of other features it revealed at the developer conference, like iPhone Mirroring. That's down to the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which was introduced earlier this year forcing companies to share data with third-parties and preventing them from favouring their own service above rivals. 

In a statement to the Financial Times, Apple said: "Due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the DMA, we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these features – iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence – to our EU users this year."

What's changed?

However, a new report has suggested all may not be lost for those in the EU. While Apple Intelligence is still unlikely to be coming to iPhone or iPad before the end of the year, it could arrive on Mac. 

A listener of the Upgrade podcast wrote in to point out some interesting details in the most recent beta release notes for iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Thankfully 9to5Mac kindly reported the information and pulled out the relevant sections of the release notes for us, so we can see the differences. 

The iOS 18.1 one reads: "Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple Intelligence is not currently available in the EU or China."

The macOS Sequoia 15.1 one meanwhile, reads: "Apple Intelligence is available on Macs with M1 and later. Apple Intelligence is not currently available in China."

It's a little game of spot the difference, but the eagle-eyed among you will spot that "EU" is not mentioned as "not currently available" for macOS Sequoia 15.1. If accurate rather than a typo, it's likely to be because the Mac has different requirements to the iPhone and iPad in the DMA. 

The release notes could change of course, and you will also need a compatible Mac and have it set to US English. But, if you tick all those boxes, those in the EU might be able to try some of the Apple Intelligence features through Mac before they are available on iPhone and iPad.