Apple’s iOS 18.1 update was the version of the platform to begin the gradual rollout of Apple Intelligence. It included Writing Tools, AI-powered Siri upgrades, notification summaries, and more. With iOS 18.2, Apple is improving its AI platform with new experiences thanks to Genmoji, ChatGPT integration with Siri, and Image Playground. Still, it seems we have barely scratched the surface of what this platform will eventually be able to do.
One of the less-talked-about features of Apple Intelligence is the ability to use Natural Language Search in some apps with your iPhone. It all started with the App Store in iOS 18.1, and it has now expanded to the Apple Music and Apple TV apps in iOS 18.2.
This long due update is great because Apple is known for a terrible search engine. Previously, if you misspelled a word, you could rest assured that Apple Music would never find the song you’re looking for. However, the new Natural Language Search still brings me some mixed feelings.
My BGR colleagues have praised the App Store Natural Language Search. Until now, you’d have to know the exact name of the app you wanted to find. Now, you can perform searches like “first-person shooters” and “fitness apps with fun workouts.” However, my experience is that App Store search results still prioritize apps with the words you search in their names rather than their descriptions.
For Apple Music and Apple TV, the iPhone Natural Language Search offers a mixed-feelings experience. If you look for “workout songs,” you’ll get an Apple Fitness+ playlist. However, my colleagues had a better experience by searching for queries like “90s hip-hop like Tupac” or “happy songs to drive to.”
The Apple TV app experience is by far the worst. When you search for “exciting thrillers with a sequel,” you’ll get movies without a sequel, including some that aren’t even “exciting thrillers.” However, the platform works way better with simpler queries like “space exploration movies.”
Wrap up
Like the overall Apple Intelligence experience, the Natural Language Search feature still needs a lot of work. I’m sure Apple will keep upgrading it, but if that’s an indicator of what we’re getting with “Siri that understands context” in iOS 18.4, Apple should definitely be worried about it.
The company is years behind competitors, and it seems users will lose interest in Apple Intelligence if Apple takes too long to catch up.