How to create AI images with Image Playground on iPhone, iPad and Mac

What you need for Image Playground

Image Playground is part of Apple Intelligence, so it only appears on devices that support it and only when Apple Intelligence is turned on.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus use the A16 chip and do not get Apple Intelligence, even on iOS 27. Language and region also matter; our guide to Apple Intelligence availability by device and region lists the details.

Turn on Apple Intelligence

1. Open Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri on iPhone or iPad, or System Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri on a Mac.
2. Turn on Apple Intelligence.
3. Leave the device on Wi-Fi and power while the models download.
4. Find Image Playground on the Home Screen, in the App Library or with Spotlight. On a Mac it is in the Applications folder.

If the switch is missing, our guide to enabling Apple Intelligence on iPhone goes through the usual causes.

Animation or Illustration: choosing a style

The style you pick changes the result more than any other choice.

Animation is the better starting point for most ideas. If a result feels too busy, run the same description again in Illustration and compare. The available options can differ between software versions, so your menu may not match these two exactly.

How to create an image on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Image Playground app and start a new image.
2. Type what you want in the description field, for example a fox reading a map in a forest.
3. Tap any of the suggested ideas, themes, costumes, accessories or places to add them.
4. Choose a style from the style options.
5. Wait a few seconds while Image Playground creates several versions.
6. Swipe through the results and tap Done on the one you want. It is saved to your Image Playground gallery.

To change an image later, open it from the gallery, adjust the description or remove a suggestion, and create new versions.

How to create an image of a friend or yourself

Image Playground can base a character on a person from your Photos library. The result is a stylised portrait inspired by them, not a photo.

1. Start a new image.
2. Tap the option to add a person.
3. Pick someone from the people Photos has recognised, then choose the photo to start from.
4. If you want, adjust details of their appearance before you continue.
5. Add a description and any suggestions, such as a costume or a place.
6. Pick your favourite version and tap Done.

Images based on people are portraits, usually head and shoulders, so do not expect full-body scenes. Likeness depends heavily on the source photo. A clear, well-lit, front-facing picture gives the best result.

How to use Image Playground in Messages

1. Open a conversation in Messages.
2. Tap the + button next to the text field.
3. Choose Image Playground.
4. Create a new image, or pick one from your gallery.
5. Tap Done to put it in the message field, then send it.

It is a quick way to make a reaction image without leaving the chat. Our guide to Apple Intelligence in Messages covers the other features there.

How to create an image on a Mac

1. Open Image Playground from the Applications folder.
2. Start a new image and type your description.
3. Click suggestions to add them and choose a style.
4. Browse the versions it creates and click Done to keep one.

On a Mac you can drag finished images straight into Pages, Keynote, Mail or Messages. Do not count on your gallery syncing between devices. If you want an image everywhere, save it to Photos, which syncs through iCloud Photos.

Saving, sharing and deleting images

• Save to Photos: open the image, tap the share button and choose Save Image.
• Share: tap the share button and pick an app or contact.
• Delete: open the image in the gallery and tap the delete button.
• Edit: open it, change the description or suggestions and create again.

How to write prompts that work

Image Playground responds best to short, concrete descriptions. Long, abstract prompts tend to produce muddled images.

• Use subject, action and setting: a cat playing piano in a library beats a paragraph of adjectives.
• Prefer concrete nouns: an astronaut eating ice cream on Mars works; the feeling of freedom does not.
• Lean on the suggestions: Apple's themes, costumes and places are designed to combine well.
• Do not stack too much: a subject, a setting and one or two extras usually look better than six suggestions at once.

For more ideas across Apple Intelligence, see our collection of the best Apple Intelligence prompts.

Limits to know about

• No photorealism: the styles are deliberately cartoon-like, so you cannot make convincing fake photos.
• Portraits only for people: images based on a real person are head-and-shoulders portraits.
• Content filters: violent, explicit and some other requests are refused. Rephrase or pick a different idea.
• Privacy: Image Playground's own styles are designed to run on your device. Anything that would use ChatGPT asks for permission before data is sent.

If Image Playground is not working

• App missing: confirm your model is supported and Apple Intelligence is on, then search with Spotlight.
• Stuck preparing: keep the device on Wi-Fi and power so the models finish downloading, then restart it.
• Poor likeness: try a sharper, better-lit photo of the person.
• Request refused: the description probably hit a content filter; reword it.
• Broken after a beta update: restart, check that Apple Intelligence is still turned on and report the bug with Feedback Assistant.

What to do next

Image Playground's sibling for custom emoji works in a very similar way. Our Genmoji tutorial shows how to make your own emoji from a description.

Frequently asked questions