Apple has been forced to walk back some of its marketing around Apple Intelligence, its suite of AI-powered features for the iPhone 16, following a formal review by the National Advertising Division (NAD). The watchdog concluded that Apple’s advertising “reasonably conveyed the message” that features like Genmoji, Priority Notifications, and a revamped Siri were available at launch—when in fact, many weren’t.
Key Points
- NAD found Apple's "Available Now" claims misleading as features rolled out in stages
- Apple discontinued its "More Personal Siri" video demonstration featuring Bella Ramsey
- The company disagreed with findings but will follow recommendations
- Apple has updated its site to say "AI for the rest of us" instead of "Available now"
The phrase “Available now,” once prominently displayed at the top of Apple’s Apple Intelligence page, quietly disappeared in March. Apple also pulled its “More Personal Siri” ad featuring The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, after admitting that the AI-enhanced version of Siri is still not ready. Instead, the company now uses more measured language like “AI for the rest of us.”
In its press release, NAD said the original claims lacked adequate disclosures and were misleading. While the features have since been rolled out in staggered software updates, the group stressed that marketers should avoid implying availability unless the product is genuinely ready to use. Apple responded by saying it disagreed with NAD’s findings but would follow its guidance nonetheless.
This is the latest misstep in Apple’s push into AI, a space where it has been playing catch-up with rivals like Google and Microsoft. Although most Apple Intelligence features are now live and reportedly used by the majority of eligible iPhone users, the company is still under scrutiny. Class-action lawsuits tied to the misleading ads are also underway, and Apple previously disabled its AI news summarization feature after it was found to distort headlines.
For Apple, the stakes are high. A Morgan Stanley survey found that over half of current iPhone users looking to upgrade view Apple Intelligence as a must-have feature, and many say they’d pay monthly for it. But as this episode shows, trust is still the most valuable feature Apple can offer—and the easiest to lose.