All four presented Apple smartphone models received a special touch button on the side of the case, which is responsible for controlling the functions of the main camera. After the release of iOS 18, it will help to quickly search for information about objects captured in the camera lens - Apple called it Visual Intelligence. This feature will be integrated with the proprietary artificial intelligence system Apple Intelligence.
The new touch button on the side of the iPhone 16 family of smartphones understands several types of input, including single and double taps, holding, and sliding your finger up or down. Depending on the associated gesture, the corresponding function will be called. By dragging up or down on the button, for example, you can zoom in on the image.
As The Verge adds, pressing the button once and then holding it will invoke a function to search for information based on the image of objects that are in the field of view of the smartphone's main camera. The system will search for information related to the objects the camera is pointed at. For example, if you point the camera at a cafe, its opening hours and menu will be found. The feature is also useful when transferring information from paper messages and flyers to quickly create a reminder for a specific event. In many ways, the feature resembles Google Lens.
In the future, Apple plans to integrate the Visual Intelligence feature with third-party information services such as Google. Company representatives emphasize that the images themselves are not stored on Apple's servers if the user only uses them to search for related data.