Image Playground

What it does

Image Playground is an Apple Intelligence feature that creates original images from a short text description, optionally combined with people from your Photos library (up to three) or a photo of something else, such as a pet, nature or food. You pick a square, portrait or landscape format and a style, and it produces an image saved to a gallery. It can also create Genmoji that you save with your stickers.

You work in the standalone app, or reach the same image creation inside Freeform, Messages, Keynote, Pages, Apple Invites and supported third-party apps. Existing images can be refined by describing a change, or with targeted edits where you click, brush or circle an object to move, resize, swap or remove it. Styles include Animation, Illustration and Sketch, plus a ChatGPT option for describing a style. Versions of one idea are grouped together, and you can return to earlier versions.

It suits people who want quick illustrations, stickers or visuals for messages, boards and documents without separate design software. It needs a supported Apple device with Apple Intelligence turned on. On iPhone, that means iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or an iPhone 16 model or later. Apple Intelligence is not offered in every language or region, usage limits may apply, and Screen Time can block it. Apple recommends age 18+ for Realistic Images.

What it can do

• Generate images from a text description
• Include up to three people from your Photos library, or a photo of a pet, nature or food
• Choose Square, Portrait or Landscape and a style (Animation, Illustration, Sketch, or ChatGPT)
• Edit existing images by description or by clicking, brushing or circling a specific object
• Create Genmoji and save them with your stickers
• Add captions and share, copy or delete images from the gallery

Works with

• Freeform
• Messages
• Keynote
• Pages
• Apple Invites
• Photos

Example workflows

Personalised illustration for a message

Input: a person from your Photos library and a short description. Steps: open Image Playground, add the person, type the scene, choose Illustration and a portrait ratio. Output: an image saved to the gallery that you can share or copy into Messages.

Refining a generated image

Input: an existing gallery image. Steps: open it, circle an object, move, resize or swap it, then describe a new background. Output: a new version grouped with the original, ready to caption and share.

Before you choose

• Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions, and usage limits may apply.
• If your text description conflicts with a selected person, the result follows the photo rather than the text.
• Deleting an image deletes it on all devices signed in to the same Apple Account.

Listed under

• Creative

Get started

Requires Apple Intelligence to be available and enabled in your region and language.

1. Check that your device and region support Apple Intelligence (for iPhone, iPhone 15 Pro or later).
2. Turn on Apple Intelligence in settings if it is not already enabled.
3. Open the Image Playground app, or start from Messages or Freeform, and create your first image.

Available on compatible Apple devices. Image generation has usage limits, and Apple says expanded paid access is planned. ChatGPT extensions have separate terms.

We couldn’t find published prices for Image Playground. See their pricing page ↗

Sources for this overview

Product pages, documentation, and pricing checked 28 Oct 2026. Each source supports part of the overview; availability and prices can change.

• Create original images with Image Playground on Mac - Apple Support ↗support.apple.com
• Apple Intelligence and Siri - Apple ↗www.apple.com
• Create original images with Image Playground on iPhone - Apple Support ↗support.apple.com
• Use Apple Intelligence to express yourself creatively on iPad - Apple Support ↗support.apple.com

Company website

apple.com: product, pricing and policy pages

YC directory mirror

Batch and company name

Web search

Confirms the official site

Social accounts

Accounts the company links, and its posts on X

Human review

Checked by a person

knowledge_base

Last checked 28 Oct 2026. Every field keeps its source and date; unknown means we couldn’t confirm it.