Apple Intelligence in Viro

Apple Intelligence is the model built into recent iPhones, iPads, and Macs. In Viro it answers on your own device: nothing is sent to a server, it works without an internet connection, and it uses no data center at all. It's free, and you can switch to it mid-conversation like any other model.

Apple decides where its model runs, and Viro follows that. You need Apple Intelligence turned on in your device's Settings, and one of:

• iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 or later, on iOS 26 or later, in the Viro iPhone app.
• An iPad with an M-series chip, on iPadOS 26 or later, in the Viro iPad app.
• A Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later, in Viro for Mac.

The model menu lists Apple Intelligence everywhere, so you always know it exists, but on other devices and on the web it's greyed out with a line saying why: your device isn't eligible, Apple Intelligence is turned off, it's still downloading, or it's only available in the apps.

It's a small, fast model that lives on your device, so it shines at short, private, everyday tasks rather than long research. Try asking it to:

• "Rewrite this text so it sounds friendlier"
• "Summarize these notes in three bullet points"
• "Give me five quick ideas for a vegetarian dinner"

It can also use your things: for current events, scores, prices, and weather it runs Viro's web search and answers from the results, with the sources shown under the reply; it can read your calendar, find and read your files in Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, and ask your connected apps (Notion, Slack, Todoist, GitHub, and the rest). Only that one request leaves your device; the thinking and the answer stay on it. For images or a long, careful answer, Viro AI, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude will do better. See AI Models.

1. 1

   Open the model menu

   It's in the message box and shows the model you're using.
2. 2

   Choose Apple Intelligence

   On an eligible device the row says On this device. Elsewhere it's greyed out with the reason.
3. 3

   Send your message

   The answer comes from your device. Switch models at any point.

To make it your default for new chats, open Settings, and under Account set Default AI Model to Apple Intelligence. On a device that can't run it, Viro tells you and keeps your other models available.

Yes. It's included on every plan, including Free. Because it runs on your own device, it doesn't count against any fair-use limits either. See Plans & Pricing.

Only Apple Intelligence turned on in your device's Settings. There's no Apple account to connect in Viro and nothing to sign in to. Viro is an independent app, not Apple's own, and your chats stay in your Viro account.

It's the lightest option in Viro. The model runs on the chip in your device, so no data center is involved and no electricity is used anywhere but where you're sitting. Viro labels it On your device and counts each reply as 0 Wh: the tiny amount your device draws is below anything the energy meter can show. See Energy & Impact.

Your message and the answer never leave your device while the model works. Viro then saves the conversation to your Viro account the way it saves every chat, so it syncs to your other devices and shows up in your history. Apple doesn't see it. See How Viro Uses Your Data.

• Answers arrive all at once after a short pause, rather than word by word. The first answer after opening the app takes a few seconds longer while the model loads.
• It's text: it can search the web and read your calendar, files, and connected apps, but it can't see or make images. Image creation, Research reports, and Persona chats use Viro AI or another model instead.
• Apple's model sometimes declines a request its own rules don't allow. When that happens Viro says so and offers Ask Viro AI instead, which resends your message to Viro AI.
• It remembers less of a long conversation than the other models. If a chat grows too long for it, Viro tells you and suggests a new chat or Viro AI.
• It replies in the languages Apple Intelligence supports on your device, and may answer in English for others.