Compared to macOS Sequoia and especially iOS 18, iPadOS 18 feels like it drew the short straw for Apple Intelligence features. Right now, there are no exclusive Apple Intelligence features for iPad, with most already existing on iOS 18. That’s a bummer for those using the best iPads with M-series chips but it doesn’t mean said features can’t be useful.
On its website, Apple lists three main Apple Intelligence features for iPad. These include Writing Tools, image generation and a smarter Siri. Siri does a good job of answering your questions (either by voice or text), though this isn’t a feature I’d use much. I would talk about the image generator, but at the moment, the feature isn’t available to try.
That leaves us with Writing Tools, which is easily my favorite iPadOS 18 feature. I know I’m biased given that I’m a professional writer, but it’s honestly a great tool that can benefit both casual and serious writers. Here’s why.
A helpful writing tool
Writing Tools exists to help improve your writing. It can proofread, rewrite and change the tone of what you’ve written. For instance, you can make your writing sound friendly, professional or concise. If you don’t like the changes made, you can hit revert. These features are ubiquitous for AI programs like ChatGPT but it’s still cool to have them baked into iPadOS 18 via the Writing Tools option.
In addition to cleaning up your work, you can use Writing Tools for inspiration. For instance, I can compare what I've written to Writing Tools' revision and get an idea (or ideas) I hadn't considered. This way, I'm not relying on the tool to fix my work, but rather, act as an editor offering advice.
I’m currently working on several manuscripts and I’m eager to see how Writing Tools can aid me with my prose writing. And again, I like that I can do so locally instead of through the cloud. I don’t want ChatGPT or other programs stealing my ideas!
Other features include Summary, Key Points, List and Table. Summary and Key Points are good at sorting through large text blocks to give you the most pertinent information. List and Table are interesting since they can itemize key points.
I’m ambivalent about these features. While they work as intended in summarizing and detailing emails (for example), they don’t have as much information as I would want. Yes, I understand it’s not supposed to be a giant breakdown, but a little more info would be appreciated. Hopefully, Apple will let you adjust the level of summarization in an upcoming update.
I should note that Writing Tools doesn’t work across all apps. For instance, I see the “Writing Tools” option when I highlight text in Gmail but not in GDocs. But since this is a beta, I hope this issue gets resolved, especially since I use GDocs both for work and personal use.
Outlook
Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools isn’t fundamentally different from other AI text generators. But the fact it works locally on your Apple device makes it more convenient since you don’t need to visit a website or use a third-party app. In that way, it becomes a true writing tool that’s always at your disposal.
Writing Tools works quite well now in this beta stage so I’m eager to see how it will function when iPadOS 18 becomes available to everyone later this year. If it becomes an indispensable writing aid, then perhaps it’ll soften my skepticism about AI.
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