The iPhone AI system “Apple Intelligence” will probably also work with the German language in the future. The company in Berlin explained that it is working on supporting German in “Apple Intelligence” next year. So far, the advanced AI system only works in English.
When introducing the latest iPhone generation on September 9, Apple announced additional languages for next year – including French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. German was not mentioned. The company now explained that this list was not intended to be an exhaustive list. “Unfortunately, this has led to some confusion about the timeline for additional languages.”
Among other things, “Apple Intelligence” is intended to summarize missed emails and text messages, create individual emoji symbols and fish out information on demand. For data protection reasons, a large part of the AI functions are intended to run locally on the mobile device. However, more complex queries can also be answered online using the OpenAI system ChatGPT if desired.
EU digital law creates legal uncertainty
However, whether customers in Germany will actually be able to fully use “Apple Intelligence” on the iPhone and iPad in 2025 depends not only on support for the German language. The company is holding back many of the new AI functions, citing legal uncertainties caused by the new Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Apple is particularly concerned that the requirements of the EU digital law to open up to other manufacturers and service providers could compromise the protection of user data. The company has now stated that it is in talks with the EU and is working to make “Apple Intelligence” accessible to as many people as possible.
The DMA reservations do not apply to Apple computers because, unlike the iPhone and iPad, the Macs do not, according to the EU Commission, play a “gatekeeper” role that would justify stricter controls. German-speaking users outside the European Union – for example in Switzerland – are also not affected by the DMA restrictions.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240918-930-236124/1
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