Apple released iOS 18.1 in October, more than a month after the company released iOS 18 to the general public. The update included some bug fixes and a new feature that lets you record phone calls and read call transcripts. Some iPhones also got a few Apple Intelligence features, like being able to proofread, rewrite, and alter written messages and comments.
With writing tools, you can ask AI to rewrite a business email to sound more professional or friendly, or you can have AI proofread what you’ve written. These tools can be used anywhere you would type a message, like Messages, Mail, and third-party apps like Instagram.
Here’s how to use AI to help make your messages pop. Just know that these tools are only available in iOS 18.1 on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English. To get started, see How to Turn On Apple Intelligence on Your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
What to Know About Writing Tools in Apple Intelligence
All Apple Intelligence-enabled devices get a new menu in their keyboard called Writing Tools. You can find this menu by highlighting your text and tapping Writing Tools in the floating menu over your text. You can also access Writing Tools by tapping the Apple Intelligence logo — the pink and blue atom symbol — in the menu over your keyboard.
Proofread Text
- While writing, select the text you want to refine, tap the Forward button, then tap Writing Tools.
Tip: You can also tap the Apple Intelligence button in the top-right corner of the keyboard. - Tap Proofread.
- Apple Intelligence checks your text for grammatical and spelling errors. All changes are underlined with a glowing line. If it doesn’t detect any errors it will give you the message "No recommended changes."
- Do any of the following:
- View changes and an explanation for each change: Tap the Up button and the Down button at the bottom.
- Discard a change: Tap Use Original.
- Switch between the updated and original versions of your text: Tap Original.
- When you’re finished, tap Done.
- To revert to the unedited version of your text, tap Revert.
Rewrite Text
With Writing Tools, you can rewrite text you’ve just written—like class notes or a blog post—to ensure everything reads just right. You can also adjust the tone of your writing to suit the audience and task at hand. For example, you can give your text a Friendly, Professional, or Concise tone. Tapping Friendly, for example, will make your text read more informal and like chatting with a friend, and tapping Professional will make your text safe for work.
- While writing, select the text you want to refine, tap the Forward button, then tap Writing Tools.
Tip: You can also tap the Apple Intelligence button in the top-right corner of the keyboard. - Do any of the following:
- Rewrite text: Tap Rewrite.
- Rewrite the text in a particular tone: Tap Friendly, Professional, or Concise.
- A rewritten version of your text appears.
- Do any of the following:
- Try the rewrite again: Tap Retry.
- Switch between the updated and original versions of your text: Tap Original.
- If you like what Apple Intelligence created, tap Done in the top right corner of the menu and the changes will stay. If you don’t like what Apple Intelligence made you can tap Revert in the top left corner of the menu and you’ll be taken back to the Writing Tools menu. You can also tap Original to check what your original text was.
Depending on the content of your text, you might get a message that reads, "Writing Tools aren’t designed to work with this type of content." I got this message when using curse words, and it seems to be meant to deter you from going further. However, you can tap Continue in the top right corner of the menu and Apple Intelligence will revise your message anyway. So if you type, "That’s bullshit," and ask Apple Intelligence to make it sound more professional, it might say, "That assertion is inaccurate," which is now part of my corporate vocabulary.
Summarize and Organize Text
After writing or reading text, you can use Apple Intelligence to generate a summary. You can also have the summary presented as bulleted key points, or have the original text organized in a list or table.
- Select the text you want to refine, tap the Forward button, then tap Writing Tools.
Tip: You can also tap the Apple Intelligence button in the top-right corner of the keyboard. - Do any of the following:
- Summarize text: Tap Summarize.
- Summarize the key points of the text: Tap Key Points.
- Organize the original text in a list: Tap List.
- Organize the original text in a table: Tap Table.
- A rewritten version of your text appears.
- After viewing the summary, do any of the following:
- Copy the summary: Tap Copy.
- Replace the original text with the summary: Tap Replace.
Note: Replace is not an option if the source text is not editable. - Share the summary: Tap Share, then choose a share option.
Quickly Edit Longer Text with Apple Intelligence
You don’t have to go through the Writing Tools menu to proofread or revise a longer text. Instead, highlight the entire text you want to edit and the options Proofread and Rewrite will appear in the menu over your keyboard.
These buttons work the same way as they do in the Writing Tools menu. If you’re happy with your message, tap Done to replace your message with the rewritten version. But if you prefer your original message, tap Revert to remove all changes.
Don’t forget, you should always reread your text if you use any of these tools. Because this is AI, your revised message might have errors or it might not make sense depending on the context.