Apple Increases Storage Requirements for Apple Intelligence on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Apple has quietly updated the storage requirements for its Apple Intelligence suite, which includes various artificial intelligence (AI) features. The new requirements now call for nearly double the storage previously needed for the suite to function on devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This increase is likely due to the fact that many of the Apple Intelligence features operate locally on the device, necessitating the download of related AI models.
Updated Storage Requirements
Apple’s support page now states that at least 7GB of storage is required on iPhones, iPads, or Macs to run Apple Intelligence. This follows the initial rollout of AI features with the iOS 18.1 update, where the company specified that 4GB of space was needed. At that time, the suite only included basic tools such as writing aids and web page summarization, which were previewed at WWDC 2025.
The increase in storage demands is believed to be linked to the introduction of more advanced AI features in the iOS 18.2 update, including Image Playground and ChatGPT integration in Siri. Future iOS 18 updates are expected to further expand these features, which could be another reason for the increased storage requirements.
Compatibility for Apple Intelligence
Apple’s AI suite is compatible with the entire iPhone 16 lineup, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It also supports two models from the iPhone 15 series — the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
For iPads, Apple Intelligence is available on models equipped with the A17 Pro or M1 chips and later versions, and on Macs with M1 chips or newer. These devices received the Apple Intelligence features with the iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates, respectively.
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