iPhone users have largely avoided the Apple Intelligence features released prior to iOS 18.2, a new survey suggests.
A survey conducted by SellCell, a tech trade-in platform, has revealed that while nearly half of iPhone users—47.6%—consider AI an important factor when purchasing a smartphone, 73% of those who have used Apple's AI offerings feel that the features add little to no value to their experience. This sentiment is not unique to Apple; the study also found that 87% of Samsung users expressed similar dissatisfaction with the AI tools available on Galaxy devices.
Apple introduced many of its AI features in October 2024 with the release of iOS 18.1. Among the most used tools were Writing Tools, which help with text editing and summarization, and Notification Summaries, which condense key information from multiple notifications into a single view. These were used by 72% and 54% of respondents, respectively. Other features, such as Priority Messages, Clean Up in Photos, and Smart Reply, saw lower adoption, ranging from 44.5% to 20.9%. Features such as natural language search in Photos and transcription summaries were even less popular, with fewer than 15% of users trying them.
One major finding of the study was that despite the general lack of use of the current features, Apple users were more likely than their Samsung counterparts to view AI as a significant deciding factor when purchasing a phone. While nearly half of iPhone users expressed that AI is a very or somewhat important consideration, only 23.7% of Samsung users felt the same. Nonetheless, many Apple users have not updated their devices to iOS 18.1 to access these features, with 57.6% citing this as their primary reason for not using Apple Intelligence. Others mentioned they found the features unhelpful or were concerned about accuracy and privacy.
Despite AI advancements, brand loyalty among Apple users has weakened in recent years, with the survey indicating that 16.8% of iPhone owners would consider switching to Samsung if Galaxy AI features proved significantly better. This represents a marked decline in loyalty, with only 78.9% of respondents now identifying as firmly committed to the Apple ecosystem, down from 92% in 2021. Conversely, just 9.7% of Samsung users expressed a willingness to switch to Apple for better AI features, suggesting that Apple faces stiffer competition in retaining its user base.
The survey also revealed that a majority of smartphone users are unwilling to pay for AI services. Only 11.6% of Apple users said they would consider subscribing to such features, compared to a mere 4% of Samsung users. It is yet to be seen if the arrival of iOS 18.2, which introduces features like Genmoji and ChatGPT integration, could shift perceptions.
The survey was carried out in late 2024 and included over 2,000 participants aged 18 and older in the United States. The pool consisted of iPhone and Samsung Galaxy users whose devices supported AI features.
