Apple names two places where Apple Intelligence work happens in iOS 27: on the device itself, and on Apple servers through Private Cloud Compute. Across the consumer pages Apple published for this launch, no user-facing feature is described as being handed to another company’s model.
iOS 27 arrives as a free update on Monday, September 14, and Apple Intelligence switches on with it for supported devices. The closest thing Apple publishes to a list of which requests leave your iPhone is a footnote about daily usage limits, and it is worth reading in full before assuming anything about the rest of the features Apple announced on September 9.
Key facts
| Item | What Apple publishes |
|---|---|
| Processing locations named | On device, and on servers through Private Cloud Compute |
| Server model term Apple uses | “AFM 3 Cloud models,” in a footnote about Shortcuts |
| Features Apple lists as server-side | Siri AI, intelligent photo editing tools, Image Playground, AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts |
| Apple’s claim for server processing | Personal data “is not stored nor made accessible to Apple or anyone else” |
| Third-party models named for consumer features | None on the consumer pages Apple published |
| iOS 27 release | Monday, September 14, 2026, free |
The two places Apple names
Apple describes its next-generation Apple Foundation Models as running on device and on servers through Private Cloud Compute. For the server side, the published wording is that personal data “is not stored nor made accessible to Apple or anyone else,” and that “outside experts can continue to verify this privacy promise at any time.”
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On the device side, the published signal is hardware. Apple restricts some models to newer silicon: Siri voice customization and the improved on-device Dictation model are listed for iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air, an iPad with M4 or later and 12GB of unified memory, a Mac with M3 or later and 12GB, or an Apple Vision Pro with M5. The A20 Pro in the iPhone 18 Pro carries a dual 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple says doubles the AI processing of the A19 Pro.
The footnote that doubles as a server-side list
Apple’s own words, on the Apple Intelligence page and the OS pages: “Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts.”
Two details there matter. The first is “including but not limited to,” which means the list is explicitly incomplete. The second is the term “AFM 3 Cloud models,” which appears in a consumer footnote and is defined nowhere Apple publishes for consumers.
The same footnote adds that limits “may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand,” and that “expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future.”
The one feature Apple maps precisely
Apple Reference Image is the exception. Apple says secure, pixel-level signing of photo data happens at the time of capture, and its announcement describes the phone capturing signed sensor data that Private Cloud Compute develops into an unalterable reference image, kept alongside the edited versions. It is the only iPhone 18 Pro camera feature Apple ties to a named processing location.
Where a third party does appear
Apple does name outside models in this cycle, in one place. Xcode 27, its developer tool, uses Anthropic, Google and OpenAI models for agentic coding. That is software for building apps, and Apple does not connect it to Apple Intelligence running on a customer’s device.
The other developer note involves Apple’s own servers rather than another company: Apple says developers in its Small Business Program can use the Foundation Models framework on Private Cloud Compute at no cloud API cost. On Apple Watch, Apple’s support document for Audio Intelligence says those features use “on-device and cloud-based AI models” and names no provider.
| Feature | Where Apple says the work happens | Apple’s wording |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Reference Image | Private Cloud Compute | Signed sensor data that Private Cloud Compute develops into an unalterable reference image |
| Siri AI, Image Playground, photo editing tools | Server-side models | “Subject to daily usage limits” |
| Improved Dictation, Siri voice customization | On device | “Advanced on-device model,” newer hardware only |
| Audio Intelligence on Apple Watch | Both | “On-device and cloud-based AI models” |
| Xcode 27 agentic coding | Third-party models | Anthropic, Google and OpenAI models, for developers |
What Apple has not said
There is no per-feature map of what stays on the iPhone 18 Pro and what does not. Apple has published no statement about which part of a Siri AI request is handled locally, no retention period for anything sent to Private Cloud Compute, and no definition of “AFM 3 Cloud models.” The paid tier is confirmed in wording only: no price, no date, and no statement about whether paid requests are handled any differently from free ones.
iOS 27 ships on Monday, September 14. Apple publishes a security content page for each release through its security releases index, and no iOS 27 entry is listed there yet. That page is the most likely place for a fuller description to appear. Our iOS 27 release date guide covers what else lands that day.
