How to get AI to work on my phone

What you’ll be able to do

Right, so your phone probably already has some proper AI on it and you just haven’t found the switch yet. Maybe you’ve heard people going on about “AI Siri” or Galaxy AI or Gemini, and you’re wondering if any of it applies to the thing in your pocket. For a lot of you it does. But it depends heavily on which phone you’ve got and how old it is, so let’s sort out what’s actually real.

Here’s the honest list. On a supported iPhone you can get the new Siri to hold a conversation, find things in your messages, mail and calendar, and take actions in apps rather than just setting timers. You can select a bit of text almost anywhere and get it rewritten, proofread or summarised. You can make custom emoji of yourself or your mates (Genmoji, which is a bit daft but also quite fun). You can point your camera at a plant, a shop front or a sign in another language and get an answer. And notification summaries can boil a busy group chat down to something readable instead of forty separate buzzes.

On Android, Gemini can be your main assistant, and it can see what’s on your screen when you ask it about it. Circle to Search lets you scribble round anything on the display and search it. Samsung phones add their own layer on top: Writing Assist, Photo Assist, Call Screening and a live Interpreter.

And if your phone is too old for any of the built-in stuff, you’ll know which apps to add instead and how to put one a single press away.

None of this is magic, and it gets things wrong. But for the everyday jobs, rewriting a stroppy text so it sounds calmer, summarising a long note, working out what that plant in the garden is, it’s genuinely useful.

Before you start

The single biggest factor is your phone model, so start there.

iPhone. Apple Intelligence comes with iOS 27, but not every phone that can run iOS 27 gets it. You need an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model or later, which includes the 16e, the iPhone 17 range, iPhone Air, the 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. If you’ve got a plain iPhone 15, an iPhone 15 Plus, an iPhone 14 or anything older, you can still install iOS 27 (it goes back to the iPhone 11), but Apple Intelligence won’t appear. Same update, different phone, different result. That’s the honest answer for everyone searching “AI Siri on iPhone 14”: it isn’t coming to that phone. Skip to the apps bit further down, because that’s your route.

You also need your device language and Siri language set to the same supported language (English is one), and some free storage: up to 8GB on most models, up to 14GB on the newest Pro phones. If storage is tight, that’s often the real blocker.

The new Siri, called Siri AI (Beta), is a beta, English only to start, not available on iPhone in the EU (that doesn’t cover the UK), and there’s a waitlist. Apple doesn’t say how long the wait is, so I won’t guess.

Samsung. Samsung says Galaxy AI is supported on phones from the Galaxy S24 series onward, and which features you get varies by model and region. Its page says the basic Galaxy AI features are free, and that future enhanced features may be offered on a paid basis.

Pixel. Circle to Search works on the Pixel 6 and later. The newest Pixel 11 phones are sold as “designed for Gemini Intelligence”, Google’s name for its most proactive features, and Google says Gemini Intelligence needs its most capable hardware.

Any phone. The ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini apps are free to download on iPhone and Android, with paid upgrades. On iPhone, ChatGPT and Claude need iOS 18 or later and Gemini needs iOS 17.4 or later, so they run happily on phones that will never get Apple Intelligence.

Get set up

iPhone: the new Siri. On a supported iPhone with iOS 27, go to Settings, then Siri, then tap “Try Siri AI (Beta)”. Follow the steps to pick a voice and review the privacy settings. That puts you on the waitlist, and Siri AI downloads by itself when your turn comes. If you don’t get on with it, you can switch back to Siri Classic from the same Siri settings.

iPhone: Writing Tools. While you’re waiting (or if you’d rather not use Siri AI at all), Writing Tools already works. Select text in Notes, Mail or most other apps, including third-party ones, tap the Writing Tools button, and you’ll get Rewrite (Friendly, Professional or Concise), Proofread, Summarise, Key Points, or “Describe a change”. With Siri AI switched on, you can instead ask Siri to write, edit or give feedback on text almost anywhere you type.

iPhone: ChatGPT inside Siri. Go to Settings, Siri, ChatGPT and tap Set Up. If you’re on Siri AI, it’s Settings, Siri, Set Up Extensions, ChatGPT, then turn on Use Extension. You don’t need a ChatGPT account. Apple says that when you’re signed out, OpenAI must not store your requests or use them to train its models; if you sign in, your ChatGPT account settings apply instead. You need to be 13 or over.

iPhone: Genmoji and Image Playground. Genmoji lives in the emoji keyboard: tap Genmoji at the top right, then describe what you want, start from existing emoji, or base it on up to three people from your Photos. The Image Playground app makes fuller images in different styles, and one of the style options hands the job to ChatGPT.

iPhone: Visual Intelligence. Click and hold the Camera Control on phones that have one, or set it up on the Action button, the Lock Screen or Control Centre. Point the camera and you can identify plants and animals, look up a business, translate or summarise text, search for similar images, or ask ChatGPT about it. With Siri AI on, the same thing lives in the Camera app as Siri mode.

iPhone: notification summaries. Settings, Notifications, Summarize Notifications, turn it on, then choose which apps get summarised. Prioritize Notifications sits right next to it if you want the important stuff pushed to the top.

Android: Gemini. Plenty of Android phones come with Gemini as the assistant already. Long-press the power button, or say “Hey Google” if you’ve set it up, and see what opens. If you’re still on Google Assistant, install the Gemini app from Google Play and switch when it offers; Gemini then replaces Google Assistant. On a Samsung running One UI 7 or later, long-pressing the Side button opens Gemini by default; you can change that in Settings, Advanced features, Side button.

Android: Circle to Search. Touch and hold the home button or the navigation handle at the bottom of the screen, then circle, scribble on or tap whatever you want to search. There’s a Translate button next to the search bar for the whole screen.

Any phone: an assistant one press away. Install whichever of ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini you prefer. On an iPhone with an Action button, go to Settings, Action Button, swipe to Shortcut, then pick the app, and a long press opens it. One thing to know about the Gemini app on iPhone: Google says it can’t do phone actions like setting alarms or sending texts, so it’s a chat app there, not a Siri replacement.

Try it yourself

Some prompts you can copy straight in, whichever assistant you’re using.

Rewrite this message so it sounds friendly but firm, keep it under 60 words, and keep every date and time exactly as written: [paste]

I have a [phone model] on [iOS or Android version]. List the built-in AI features it supports, how to switch each one on, and which ones it cannot get. Say if you are not sure.

Here is a photo of [thing]. What is it, and what should I check before I trust your answer?

Summarise these notes into three bullet points and one action for me, nothing else: [paste]

A word on the second one. It’s a handy starting point, but an assistant’s knowledge of phone models can be out of date, which is exactly why the prompt tells it to say when it isn’t sure. Treat its answer as a checklist, then confirm it against Apple’s or Samsung’s own compatibility page before you believe it.

And with the photo prompt: an identification is a guess. If it’s a mushroom or a berry, nobody eats anything on the strength of a phone’s answer.

Check the result

Easiest test on iPhone: open Notes, type a rough paragraph, select it, and see if Writing Tools shows up. If it does, Apple Intelligence is on and working. If Siri AI is active, ask it something that needs your own context, like “what’s on my calendar this afternoon”, and see if it actually pulls from your calendar rather than giving a generic non-answer.

On Android, long-press the power button (or say “Hey Google”) and check that Gemini opens rather than the old Assistant. Then try Circle to Search on a photo in any app.

For Genmoji, describe something oddly specific, “a cartoon fox wearing a raincoat”, and see whether it has a proper go at that rather than handing you a stock emoji.

Worth knowing: features that run on Apple’s servers, including Siri AI, the photo editing tools and Image Playground, have daily usage limits. If something that worked this morning stops by the evening, that’s probably the limit, not a fault, and it resets. Apple has also said expanded access to those features will be available for a fee in the future.

If it doesn’t work

If the Apple Intelligence options simply aren’t there, work through this in order: is your model on the supported list, do your device and Siri languages match, do you have enough free storage, and have you actually installed iOS 27? Any one of those on its own will block the lot.

If Siri AI still says you’re waiting, that’s the waitlist. Nothing’s broken, it’s just slow.

If a feature stops working partway through the day, that’s very likely the daily limit again.

On Samsung, if a Galaxy AI feature is missing, it’s usually your model or your region not having it. Check Samsung’s list for your exact model rather than assuming.

If Gemini isn’t offered as your assistant on Android, check the Google app is your phone’s default digital assistant app: Settings, Apps, Default apps, Digital assistant app, and choose the Google app. The name of that setting varies a bit between phones.

Now the privacy bit, because this matters more than people think. Don’t put bank details, passwords or medical records into any assistant. If you switch on the ChatGPT extension in Siri, whatever you choose to send through it goes to OpenAI. On iPhone, many requests are handled on the phone itself, and bigger ones go to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, which Apple says doesn’t store your data or make it accessible to Apple. If you want to see which requests went there, Settings, Privacy & Security, Apple Intelligence Report will show you. On Gemini, check your Gemini Apps Activity setting, and know that Google says chats are kept for up to 72 hours even with it switched off.

Questions people ask

Can I get Apple Intelligence on an iPhone 14?

No. Apple Intelligence needs an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model or later. An iPhone 14, iPhone 15 or 15 Plus can still install iOS 27, but Apple Intelligence won't appear, so adding an app like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini is your route.

Is AI on my phone free or do I have to pay?

The ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini apps are free to download on iPhone and Android, with paid upgrades. Samsung says the basic Galaxy AI features are free and future enhanced features may be paid, and Apple has said expanded access to its server-based features will cost a fee in future.

How do I turn on the new Siri AI on iPhone?

On a supported iPhone with iOS 27, go to Settings, then Siri, then tap "Try Siri AI (Beta)". Follow the steps to pick a voice and review privacy settings; that puts you on the waitlist and Siri AI downloads itself when your turn comes.

How can I check whether the AI features are actually working?

On iPhone, open Notes, type a rough paragraph and select it: if Writing Tools shows up, Apple Intelligence is on. On Android, long-press the power button or say "Hey Google" and check Gemini opens rather than the old Assistant, then try Circle to Search.

What shouldn't I type into a phone assistant?

Don't put bank details, passwords or medical records into any assistant. If you switch on the ChatGPT extension in Siri, whatever you send through it goes to OpenAI, and Google says Gemini chats are kept for up to 72 hours even with Gemini Apps Activity switched off.

Keep exploring

If you’re still deciding whether Siri, Gemini or something else suits you best, there’s “How to get AI to help me choose an assistant”. If you want your phone to screen calls or take a message for you, look at “How to get AI to answer my phone”. If all this is starting to feel like too much and you fancy switching bits off again, there’s “How to get AI to turn itself off”. And if you’d rather talk to your assistant out loud than type at it, try “How to get AI to talk to me out loud”.

Sources and review notes

Device lists, Siri AI availability and Galaxy AI terms were read on Apple’s, Google’s and Samsung’s live UK pages on 26 September 2026. Siri AI is a beta and Apple’s usage limits and future fees may change, so recheck the Apple Intelligence page before relying on the lists.

Review date: 2026-09-26