Apple Intelligence Blocked on All Meta Apps on iOS

Apple Intelligence is an artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by Apple specifically for its devices including iPhone, iPad and Mac. Apple Intelligence was announced at WWDC in June 2024 and officially launched in October 2024 with iOS 18.1.

After several months, the toolkit still seems unstable and lacking some key features, making it feel like an unfinished product. However, users have been able to use some tools like Writing Tools and Genmoji (AI-powered emoji generator) on apps like Facebook, Threads, and more until recently.

However, in a surprising move, Meta recently announced that it has blocked all Apple Intelligence features on all of the company's iOS apps. According to a report from Brazilian tech site Sorcererhat Tech, iOS users can no longer use Writing Tools - a key Apple Intelligence feature that allows you to create, edit, or proofread text - in Meta apps like Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. The Apple Intelligence-related options have disappeared, even though they previously worked properly. Meanwhile, other third-party apps like X (the old Twitter) still fully support it.

In fact, the move fits into Meta’s new strategy of prioritizing in-house AI. The company previously updated Instagram to remove the ability to create/sticker from the iOS keyboard, Memoji, and stickers created by Genmoji. Meta has yet to officially comment on these changes.

Analysts believe that Meta is trying to promote Meta AI – a proprietary AI tool integrated into their applications. Meta AI allows users to edit text, create photos with AI…, competing directly with Apple Intelligence.

The Apple Intelligence block may also be related to the breakdown of the deal between Apple and Meta. The two sides had previously been in talks to integrate Meta’s Llama model into Apple Intelligence, but Apple reportedly backed out over privacy concerns, opting instead to work with OpenAI.

As the AI ​​race heats up, Meta's decision reflects an effort to control the AI ​​experience within its own ecosystem, even if it sacrifices cross-platform features like Apple Intelligence.