Apple Intelligence lets users generate custom images and emoji using text descriptions. With Image Playground, a user can type a prompt and receive a stylized illustration or animation in seconds. With Genmoji, they can create a one-of-a-kind emoji — including one that looks like a friend or family member from their photos. Both features launched with iOS 18.2 in December 2024.

Image Playground and Genmoji are powered by on-device text-to-image models running directly on Apple's own chips (A17 Pro and M-series). Image Playground offers three visual styles — Animation, Illustration, and Sketch — and is built into apps like Messages, Notes, and Keynote, and available to third-party developers via an API. Genmoji generation uses similar generative AI technology to create custom emoji characters from text descriptions or from a person's photo. To prevent realistic or misleading outputs, Apple restricted all styles to non-photorealistic aesthetics. These features are not available in mainland China as of early 2026.