Apple Intelligence in French: full review on iPhone 16 Pro in 2025

Apple's built-in artificial intelligence is finally available in French. After several months of waiting since its initial launch in English, I was able to test Apple Intelligence on my iPhone 16 Pro with the latest beta version of iOS. Between impressive features, technical limitations, and comparisons with competitors, here is my complete analysis of this technology that transforms the user experience of Apple devices.

Apple Intelligence: what is it and which devices are compatible?

Apple Intelligence represents all the AI features natively integrated into the Apple ecosystem. Unlike other solutions like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, this technology mainly works on the device itself, without needing to constantly send data to remote servers. For more complex tasks, Apple uses its own language model or relies on OpenAI's ChatGPT via a secure integration.

Compatibility is however limited to recent devices equipped with sufficiently powerful chips. This includes iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the entire iPhone 16 range (including the standard model). For iPads and Macs, you need an M1 chip or newer. This technical restriction is explained by the computing power required to run AI models locally.

Installation and first steps with Apple Intelligence in French

To access Apple Intelligence in French, I had to install the latest beta version of iOS. The process is relatively simple but requires signing up for Apple's beta program. Once the installation is complete, AI features are accessible through various system applications.

First observation: the integration is remarkably smooth and natural. Apple didn't create a dedicated AI app, but instead scattered its features throughout the operating system. You find Apple Intelligence in Messages, Mail, Photos, Notes, and even in the Control Center via a new shortcut. This approach differs from Google with Gemini, which offers a separate app.

Features that make a difference

After several days of intensive use, some features stand out particularly for their daily usefulness and performance.

Next-generation Siri: finally intelligent?

The Siri overhaul is arguably the most visible improvement. Apple's voice assistant now understands conversation context much better and can chain multiple requests without losing track. I was able to ask it for information about a restaurant, then follow up with "Book for tomorrow evening" without having to repeat the restaurant name. This contextual understanding finally brings Siri closer to the competition.

However, I noticed that Siri still lags behind Amazon's Alexa Plus or Google Assistant for certain complex requests. There is still room for improvement, especially in understanding French regional accents.

Smart photo editing tools

The Photos app now includes AI-based editing tools that allow you to retouch images with impressive precision. The "Clean Up" feature lets you remove unwanted elements from a photo with a simple selection. I tested this feature on vacation photos to erase passersby in the background, and the result was stunning, without the artifacts usually visible with other editing tools.

Image generation is also available, but remains limited compared to specialized solutions like Midjourney or its alternatives. The generated images sometimes lack fine details, but are perfectly suitable for personal use or simple illustrations.

Writing Tools: AI-assisted writing

Apple Intelligence's writing tools prove particularly useful in Mail and Messages apps. The automatic summary feature effectively condenses long email threads, while reply suggestions go far beyond the simple predefined responses of the past.

I was impressed by the system's ability to adapt its writing style based on context: formal for professional emails, more casual for personal messages. This contextual adaptation shows the sophistication of the language model used.

Performance and impact on battery life

A crucial aspect of integrating AI into a smartphone concerns performance and battery life. On my iPhone 16 Pro, I noticed that intensive use of Apple Intelligence causes noticeable device heating, especially during demanding tasks like image generation or AI-assisted video editing.

The impact on battery life is also noticeable, with an additional consumption of about 15-20% on a day of intensive AI feature use. That's the price to pay for an AI that mainly works locally, without constantly relying on the cloud like other AI solutions do.

• Image processing: moderate impact on battery (5-10%)
• Content generation: significant impact (15-20%)
• Using improved Siri: low impact (2-5%)
• Text summaries and analyses: moderate impact (5-10%)

Privacy: Apple's major advantage

Privacy remains the main argument put forward by Apple to differentiate itself from the competition. By processing the majority of requests directly on the device, Apple Intelligence limits the sending of personal data to external servers. For features requiring more power, like complex requests to ChatGPT, Apple has set up a proxy system that anonymizes data.

This privacy-focused approach is particularly relevant in the European context, where GDPR and AI legislation impose strict constraints. This is a considerable advantage over other solutions that require systematic cloud processing.

Comparison with the competition

How does Apple Intelligence position itself against competing solutions? I compared my experience with that offered by Google Gemini on Android and ChatGPT on iOS.

Apple Intelligence vs Google Gemini

Google Gemini offers similar integration into the Android ecosystem, but with a different approach. Where Apple favors local processing, Google relies more on its cloud servers for superior performance on certain tasks. Gemini particularly excels in web search and integration with Google services, while Apple Intelligence offers better system integration and a smoother experience with native apps.

In terms of raw performance, Google Gemini still surpasses Apple Intelligence for complex requests requiring vast general knowledge, but the gap is narrowing considerably.

Apple Intelligence vs ChatGPT

ChatGPT remains the benchmark for sophisticated AI conversation, but its integration on iOS is limited to a dedicated app. Apple Intelligence, on the other hand, is present throughout the system, offering a much more natural and accessible experience.

The integration of OpenAI's GPT-4 into Apple Intelligence for complex requests combines the best of both worlds: Apple's system integration and ChatGPT's reasoning power.

Conclusion: a major step forward despite some limitations

After several days of intensive use, Apple Intelligence in French proves to be a significant advancement for the Apple ecosystem. The smooth and natural integration of AI features into the operating system offers a coherent and intuitive user experience, without needing to learn new interfaces.

The strengths are undeniably enhanced privacy, perfect system integration, and the impressive performance of photo editing and assisted writing tools. The limitations mainly concern image generation, which is still improvable, the impact on battery life, and device heating during intensive use.

Apple Intelligence represents a different vision of mobile AI, favoring local processing and privacy over raw cloud power. This approach, typical of Apple, will appeal to users concerned about protecting their data, even if it implies some compromises in terms of capabilities.

For owners of compatible iPhones, the update to Apple Intelligence is undeniably worth it. For others, this could be a strong argument to consider upgrading to the latest models compatible with this technology that redefines the iOS experience.

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