Meta Blocking Apple AI Features For Instagram And Facebook iPhone Users: Here's The Reason

Meta has blocked Apple Intelligence (AI) features such as writing tools and Genmoji on its apps for iOS devices. According to a report, the social giant has seemingly disabled support for Apple AI tools for apps like Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

Initially spotted by Brazilian blog Sorcererhat Tech which shared screenshots, this move blocks users from accessing AI tools and Genmoji. Generally, long-pressing items in a text field should open up Writing Tools, which is an Apple Intelligence feature for proofreading, rewriting and summarising content.

A report by 9to5Mac suggests that most third-party apps get these features by default. However, developers can opt out of having Apple Intelligence features in their apps. This is a feature exclusive to the tech giant and Meta has apparently opted out of Apple Intelligence. The ability of adding keyboard stickers and Memoji in Instagram Stories, which was previously available, has also been removed.

Meanwhile, Meta’s own Llama model supports several AI features like text and image generation in their apps. These apps have constantly added new features from various in-house AI models. Just last December, Instagram initiated new AI video editing features powered by the company’s Movie GenAI model.

On WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, Meta AI is the default search bar. It uses data from these platforms to train their in-house AI models.

It is interesting to note that the two tech giants were once in talks to integrate Meta’s Llama language model into Apple Intelligence. However, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, the deal couldn’t be carried out over privacy disagreements.

While Apple and Meta have long been at loggerheads over App Store rules and data policies, this latest development only intensifies the business rivalry. For now, using Apple Intelligence in a Meta app will not be possible.