Apple Intelligence features are no longer marketed as being "available now," following a U.S. National Advertising Division (NAD) inquiry.
In a press release today, the NAD said it recommended that Apple discontinue or modify the "available now" text on the Apple Intelligence page, given it falsely conveyed that all of the features listed on the page were available at the time the text was first added. Apple disagreed, but it chose to respect the recommendation.
"While we disagree with the NAD's findings related to features that are available to users now, we appreciate the opportunity to work with them and will follow their recommendations," said Apple, in a statement shared in the press release.
Apple added the "available now" text to the Apple Intelligence page shortly after iOS 18.1 was released on October 28. Only some promised Apple Intelligence features launched in iOS 18.1, with others like Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration in Siri, and Priority Notifications not available until iOS 18.2 through iOS 18.4. In addition, the personalized Siri features listed on the page were delayed until the coming year.
Apple first updated the page in mid-March to indicate that the personalized Siri features are coming in a future software update.
Apple then removed the "available now" text from the Apple Intelligence page in the U.S. on March 31, according to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.
The "available now" text did have an asterisk that led to fine print indicating that some of the Apple Intelligence features would be coming over the course of the next year, but the NAD said this footnote was not "sufficiently clear."
The NAD said the advertising claims on the page are now adequate.
The NAD, part of the independent, non-profit organization BBB National Programs, oversees the truthfulness of U.S. advertising. While its decisions are not legally binding, advertisers often comply with its recommendations, to avoid negative press or potential enforcement action from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). When an advertiser does not comply with the NAD's recommendation, the NAD will refer the case to the FTC for review.
This news was first reported by The Verge.
