Quick answer
The best Apple Intelligence prompts are short and concrete: one subject, one action or accessory, and an optional place, such as "cat wearing sunglasses" or "chef holding spoon in kitchen". For text, select it and pick the right Writing Tools option, such as Proofread, Professional or Key Points, rather than typing instructions. Adjust one word at a time if the result misses.
The rule behind every good prompt
Apple Intelligence handles clear, simple descriptions better than long, detailed instructions. Two habits cover most of the difference between a good result and a poor one.
- Keep it simple. "Dog wearing sunglasses" works. "A medium-sized brown dog in designer sunglasses reflecting the sunset" usually does not.
- Describe the result, not the method. Say what you want to end up with and let the feature work out how.
Everything below needs an iPhone, iPad or Mac that supports Apple Intelligence. On iPhone, that means an A17 Pro chip or newer, from the iPhone 15 Pro onwards. iPhone 15 and 15 Plus run iOS 27 but do not get these features.
Best Writing Tools prompts
With Writing Tools, most of the "prompt" is choosing the right option. Select the text, tap Writing Tools in the menu that appears, and pick from the list.
| What you want | Option to choose | Works best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fix spelling, grammar and punctuation | Proofread | Anything you are about to send |
| A casual note made more formal | Professional | Work email, messages to someone you do not know |
| A stiff message made warmer | Friendly | Messages to friends, colleagues you know well |
| A rambling email trimmed down | Concise | Long emails that need cutting to the essentials |
| The main points of a long text | Key Points or Summary | Articles, documents, meeting notes |
| A to-do list from a paragraph | List | Notes where several tasks are run together |
| A different version of the same text | Rewrite | When the first result does not sound like you |
Making an email more professional
Select a casual message such as "Hey! Just wanted to check if you got my files. Let me know!" and choose Professional. You get a more formal follow-up asking the recipient to confirm they received the files. Read it before sending; the tone shift can be stronger than you want for someone you know well.
Making a message friendlier
The reverse works too. Select "I am unable to attend the meeting scheduled for tomorrow" and choose Friendly for a warmer, more conversational version of the same apology.
Proofreading
Select any text and choose Proofread. It corrects spelling, grammar and punctuation and lets you step through each change, so you can keep the ones you agree with.
Turning rambling notes into a list
Select something like "I need to buy groceries and then pick up the dry cleaning and also remember to call mum" and choose List. Each task becomes its own bullet point, ready to paste into Reminders.
If you do not like a result, tap Rewrite again. Writing Tools produce a different version each time, so two or three tries usually find a good one. Our Apple Intelligence writing and editing guide covers every option in more depth.
Best Genmoji prompts
Genmoji creates a custom emoji from a short description. Simple prompts give the clearest results.
| Formula | Example prompt | Also try |
|---|---|---|
| Animal + accessory | cat wearing sunglasses | dog with hat, bear eating honey, penguin dancing |
| Creature + unexpected activity | dinosaur on skateboard | sloth drinking coffee, octopus playing drums |
| Physical expression of a feeling | embarrassed face palm | Describe the gesture, not the abstract emotion |
| Specific celebration | party popper with confetti | birthday cake with candles, fireworks exploding |
| Food + human action | taco wearing sunglasses | pizza slice dancing, donut with smile, coffee cup waving |
| Weather or scene | sunny day on farm | snowy day in city, rainy afternoon, sunset at beach |
What does not work in Genmoji
- Celebrities and characters. Apple blocks prompts naming famous people and copyrighted characters.
- Too many details. "Dog wearing blue hat with red spots running through green field" is too much. Keep it to two or three elements.
- Abstract emotions. "Awkwardly nervous" is vague. A literal expression such as "face palm" works better.
The Genmoji tutorial shows where to find Genmoji on the keyboard and how to save the ones you make.
Best Image Playground prompts
Image Playground creates stylised images rather than photographs. It works best with a concrete subject in a simple scene.
| Formula | Example prompt | Also try |
|---|---|---|
| Occupation + object + place | chef holding spoon in kitchen | astronaut in space, detective with magnifying glass |
| Person + hobby | person painting on canvas | person playing guitar, someone reading book |
| Celebration object | birthday cake with candles | Add a party theme and a balloons accessory |
| Seasonal subject | snowman with scarf | pumpkin with happy face, beach ball on sand, flowers in garden |
| Unexpected combination | robot reading newspaper | computer in forest, dragon reading book |
The suggested concepts are the biggest help. Image Playground offers themes, costumes, accessories and places alongside your description. Tap two or three of them as well as typing a short prompt, and the image usually comes out more detailed than a long typed description would manage. Our Image Playground tutorial walks through the app.
Best prompts for planning and getting things done
Several Apple Intelligence features save time without any image generation at all.
- Summarize a long email thread. Open the thread in Mail and tap Summarize. It is most useful for group threads where decisions and action items are buried. Our guide to Apple Intelligence email summaries has more.
- Summarize meeting notes. Select the notes, open Writing Tools and choose Key Points for a short list of topics, decisions and next steps.
- Make a memory movie. In Photos, create a memory and describe it, for example "birthday party June 2024". Photos picks photos and videos from that time, arranges them into a story and adds music.
- Find a photo by describing it. Search Photos for what you remember, such as "dog playing in snow", "kids wearing Halloween costumes" or "sunset at beach 2023".
Five rules for writing better prompts
- Start simple and add detail only if needed. "Cat", then "cat wearing hat", then "cat wearing party hat". Build up only when the simple version does not give you what you want.
- Use concrete words. "Happy celebration" is vague; "birthday cake with candles" is specific. Objects and actions work better than concepts.
- Stick to two to four elements. Subject, action or object, and perhaps a place. "Dog playing piano in library" works. Adding colours, furniture and lighting usually makes the result worse.
- Change one word at a time. If "embarrassed face" misses, try "face palm". Small tweaks get you closer faster than a complete rewrite.
- Use the suggestions. The concepts, themes and accessories in Image Playground and Genmoji are there because they work well with the model.
Keep a note of the prompts that work for you. A small personal library saves the trial and error next time.
If Apple Intelligence options are missing
If you do not see Writing Tools, Genmoji or Image Playground, check that your device is supported and that Apple Intelligence is switched on in Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri. The models download after you turn it on, so leave enough free storage for them.
What to do next
Once your prompts are working, our list of Apple Intelligence tricks to try first shows other features worth using every day.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good Apple Intelligence prompt?
Short and concrete. Name a clear subject, add one action or accessory and, if you need it, a place: "dog playing piano in library" works better than a long sentence full of colours and details. Describe the result you want rather than the steps to get there. If the first attempt misses, change one word and try again instead of rewriting the whole prompt.
How do I use Writing Tools on iPhone?
Select the text you want to change in any app that accepts text, then tap Writing Tools in the menu that appears. Choose Proofread, Rewrite, a tone such as Friendly, Professional or Concise, or a format such as Summary, Key Points or List. If you do not like the result, run Rewrite again for a different version. Writing Tools need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.
Why does Genmoji not accept my prompt?
The most common reasons are a prompt that names a celebrity or a copyrighted character, which Apple blocks, or a description with too many details. Keep Genmoji prompts to two or three elements, such as "cat wearing sunglasses" or "sloth drinking coffee", and describe the physical expression you want rather than an abstract feeling: "face palm" works better than "awkwardly nervous".
Which iPhones can use Apple Intelligence prompts?
Apple Intelligence on iPhone needs an A17 Pro chip or newer: iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 model including iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17 family, iPhone Air, and iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. iPhone 15 and 15 Plus run iOS 27 but cannot use Writing Tools, Genmoji or Image Playground. Our guide to enabling Apple Intelligence covers setup.
How do I get better results in Image Playground?
Start with a simple description, such as "chef holding spoon in kitchen", then add two or three of the suggested concepts Image Playground offers, such as a theme, costume, accessory or place. The suggestions are designed to work with the model, so combining them with a short description usually produces a more detailed image than a long typed prompt on its own.
Can Apple Intelligence summarize emails and notes?
Yes. In Mail, open a long message or thread and tap Summarize to see the main points without reading everything. For notes or any other text, select it and choose Key Points or Summary in Writing Tools. Key Points works well for meeting notes because it turns paragraphs into a short bullet list of topics, decisions and next steps.