This is how much storage space you need to run Apple Intelligence on your iPhone
Apple Intelligence features are expected to roll out to compatible iPhone models with the iOS 18.1 update beginning in the US, which could roll out sometime next month. Ahead of the release, the Cupertino-based tech giant has revealed how much storage space the features will require. The details were shared in the latest iOS 18.1 Developer Beta 5 update. Notably, the storage requirement is significantly high and some users may need to free up some space before they can download and install the update.
How much storage space is needed to run Apple Intelligence?
In the support documentation for the recently released iOS 18.1 Developer Beta 5 update, Apple details the amount of on-device storage required to access the new artificial intelligence (AI) features it unveiled earlier this year. In a section titled “Supported Devices,” the company stated, “Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later. iPhone devices require 4GB of storage*.”
One thing to note here is that this 4GB of storage will be required in addition to the space required to install the iOS 18.1 update. This means that the next stable version of the operating system will be a significant update for all users. While this shouldn’t impact users who own a compatible iPhone model with a lot of storage, iPhone owners who purchased the base 128GB variant may find themselves running out of storage.
Since the company is still a while away from rolling out the update, users should try to free up some space on their devices. This can be done by using iCloud storage or an external hard drive to store large videos, photos, and other files. It’s notable that the support document only mentions iPhone devices and no other devices that will also get Apple Intelligence.
Additionally, the company also highlighted that the on-device storage requirement for Apple Intelligence will increase as more features are added in the future. Users will have to adjust to this as well. In the future, this could make the 128GB variant of iPhone models unpopular, and the company could take Samsung’s route and launch the lineup directly from 256GB storage and above.
