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Visual Intelligence -- Make OpenIntent show a sheet rather than open my App
The developer tutorial for visual intelligence indicates that the method to detect and handle taps on a displayed entity from the Search section is via an "OpenIntent" associated with your entity. However, running this intent executes code from within my app. If I have the perform() method display UI, it always displays UI from within my app. I noticed that the Google app's integration to visual intelligence has a different behavior-- tapping on an entity does not take you to the Google app -- instead, a Webview is presented sheet-style WITHIN the Visual Intelligence environment (see below) How is that accomplished?
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517
Sep ’25
Problem running NLContextualEmbeddingModel in simulator
Environment MacOC 26 Xcode Version 26.0 beta 7 (17A5305k) simulator: iPhone 16 pro iOS: iOS 26 Problem NLContextualEmbedding.load() fails with the following error In simulator Failed to load embedding from MIL representation: filesystem error: in create_directories: Permission denied ["/var/db/com.apple.naturallanguaged/com.apple.e5rt.e5bundlecache"] filesystem error: in create_directories: Permission denied ["/var/db/com.apple.naturallanguaged/com.apple.e5rt.e5bundlecache"] Failed to load embedding model 'mul_Latn' - '5C45D94E-BAB4-4927-94B6-8B5745C46289' assetRequestFailed(Optional(Error Domain=NLNaturalLanguageErrorDomain Code=7 "Embedding model requires compilation" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Embedding model requires compilation})) in #Playground I'm new to this embedding model. Not sure if it's caused by my code or environment. Code snippet import Foundation import NaturalLanguage import Playgrounds #Playground { // Prefer initializing by script for broader coverage; returns NLContextualEmbedding? guard let embeddingModel = NLContextualEmbedding(script: .latin) else { print("Failed to create NLContextualEmbedding") return } print(embeddingModel.hasAvailableAssets) do { try embeddingModel.load() print("Model loaded") } catch { print("Failed to load model: \(error)") } }
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322
Sep ’25
Genmoji/Playground “Persons” list
Hey, has anyone figured out how the “Persons” list in Genmoji/Playground actually works? I’ve had a strange experience so far. When I first got access during Beta 2, the list randomly included about 10–15 people, even though my photo library contains many more recognizable faces. To try fixing this, I started naming faces in the Photos app, hoping they’d be added to the Genmoji/Playground list, but nothing changed. Then, after updating to Beta 3, it added just 2–3 of the people I had named. Encouraged, I spent about an hour naming all the faces in my library. But a few hours later, the list unexpectedly removed around 10 people, leaving me with fewer than I had initially. I’ve also read that leaving the phone locked and plugged into power should help sort people in the library, but that hasn’t worked for me yet. Anyone else experienced this or found a way to make it work? Thanks!
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1.4k
Nov ’24
Core ML model decryption on Intel chips
About the Core ML model encryption mention in:https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coreml/encrypting-a-model-in-your-app When I encrypted the model, if the machine is M chip, the model will load perfectly. One the other hand, when I test the executable on an Intel chip macbook, there will be an error: Error Domain=com.apple.CoreML Code=9 "Operation not supported on this platform." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Operation not supported on this platform.} Intel test machine is 2019 macbook air with CPU: Intel i5-8210Y, OS: 14.7.6 23H626, With Apple T2 Security Chip. The encrypted model do load on M2 and M4 macbook air. If the model is NOT encrypted, it will also load on the Intel test machine. I did not find in Core ML document that suggest if the encryption/decryption support Intel chips. May I check if the decryption indeed does NOT support Intel chip?
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127
Sep ’25
Create ML Model Shows Wrong output or predictions in xcode
I am working on a CoreML image classification model in Xcode, which takes a 299x299 image and attempts to classify hand-drawn sketches. The model was trained using Create ML and works perfectly when tested in the Create ML preview. However, when used in Xcode application, the classification results are incorrect. I have already verified that the image is correctly resized to 299x299 pixels, matching the input size of the model. The classification always returns incorrect results, even when using images that were correctly classified during training. I originally used kCVPixelFormatType_32ARGB, but I read that CoreML typically expects BGRA format. I updated my conversion function to use kCVPixelFormatType_32BGRA and CGImageAlphaInfo.premultipliedLast, but the issue persists. This makes me suspect that either the pixel format is still incorrect or that something went wrong during the .mlmodelc compilation.
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439
Jan ’25
How does the extract method from ImagePlaygroundConcept work?
I’m building an app that generates images based on text input from a specific text field. However, I’m encountering a problem: For short prompts like "a cat and a dog", the entire string is sent to the Image Playground, even when I use the extracted method. For longer inputs, the behavior is inconsistent. Sometimes it extracts keywords correctly, but other times it doesn’t extract anything at all. Since my app relies on generating images based on the extracted keywords, this inconsistency negatively impacts the user experience in my app. How can I make sure that keywords are always extracted from the input string? Button("Generate", systemImage: "apple.intelligence") { isPresented = true } .imagePlaygroundSheet(isPresented: $isPresented, concepts: [ImagePlaygroundConcept.extracted(from: text, title: textTitle)]) { url in imageURL = url }
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522
Feb ’25
Foundation Model crash on macOS 15 (iPad app compatibility)
I have integrated Apple’s Foundation Model into my iOS application. As known, Foundation Model is only supported starting from iOS 26 on compatible devices. To maintain compatibility with older iOS versions, I wrapped the API calls with the condition if #available(iOS 26, *). The application works normally on an iPad running iOS 18 and on a Mac running macOS 26. However, when running the same build on a MacBook Air M1 (macOS 15) through iPad app compatibility, the app crashes immediately upon launch. The main issue is that I cannot debug directly on macOS 15, since the app can only be built on macOS 26 with Xcode beta. I then have to distribute it via TestFlight and download it on the MacBook Air M1 for testing. This makes identifying the detailed cause of the crash very difficult and time-consuming. Nevertheless, I have confirmed that the crash is caused by the Foundation Model APIs.
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909
Aug ’25
Difference between compiling a Model using CoreML and Swift-Transformers
Hello, I was successfully able to compile TKDKid1000/TinyLlama-1.1B-Chat-v0.3-CoreML using Core ML, and it's working well. However, I’m now trying to compile the same model using Swift Transformers. With the limited documentation available on the swift-chat and Hugging Face repositories, I’m finding it difficult to understand the correct process for compiling a model via Swift Transformers. I attempted the following approach, but I’m fairly certain it’s not the recommended or correct method. Could someone guide me on the proper way to compile and use models like TinyLlama with Swift Transformers? Any official workflow, example, or best practice would be very helpful. Thanks in advance! This is the approach I have used: import Foundation import CoreML import Tokenizers @main struct HopeApp { static func main() async { print(" Running custom decoder loop...") do { let tokenizer = try await AutoTokenizer.from(pretrained: "PY007/TinyLlama-1.1B-Chat-v0.3") var inputIds = tokenizer("this is the test of the prompt") print("🧠 Prompt token IDs:", inputIds) let model = try float16_model(configuration: .init()) let maxTokens = 30 for _ in 0..<maxTokens { let input = try MLMultiArray(shape: [1, 128], dataType: .int32) let mask = try MLMultiArray(shape: [1, 128], dataType: .int32) for i in 0..<inputIds.count { input[i] = NSNumber(value: inputIds[i]) mask[i] = 1 } for i in inputIds.count..<128 { input[i] = 0 mask[i] = 0 } let output = try model.prediction(input_ids: input, attention_mask: mask) let logits = output.logits // shape: [1, seqLen, vocabSize] let lastIndex = inputIds.count - 1 let lastLogitsStart = lastIndex * 32003 // vocab size = 32003 var nextToken = 0 var maxLogit: Float32 = -Float.greatestFiniteMagnitude for i in 0..<32003 { let logit = logits[lastLogitsStart + i].floatValue if logit > maxLogit { maxLogit = logit nextToken = i } } inputIds.append(nextToken) if nextToken == 32002 { break } let partialText = try await tokenizer.decode(tokens:inputIds) print(partialText) } } catch { print("❌ Error: \(error)") } } }
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148
Jun ’25
How to use a Decimal as @Property of AppEntity
I’m trying to use a Decimal as a @Property in my AppEntity, but using the following code shows me a compiler error. I’m using Xcode 16.1. The documentation notes the following: You can use the @Parameter property wrapper with common Swift and Foundation types: Primitives such as Bool, Int, Double, String, Duration, Date, Decimal, Measurement, and URL. Collections such as Array and Set. Make sure the collection’s elements are of a type that’s compatible with IntentParameter. Everything works fine for other primitives as bools, strings and integers. How do I use the Decimal though? Code struct MyEntity: AppEntity { var id: UUID @Property(title: "Amount") var amount: Decimal // … } Compiler Error This error appears at the line of the @Property definition: Generic class 'EntityProperty' requires that 'Decimal' conform to '_IntentValue'
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641
Dec ’24
How to use CoreML outside of XCode as a library ?
I'm working on a cross-platform AI app. It is a CMake project. The inference part should be built as a library separately on Windows and MacOS. On MacOS it should be built with objective-c and CoreML. Here's my step roughly: Create a XCode Project for CoreML inference and build it as static library. Models are compiled to ".mlmodelc", and codes are compile to binary ".a" lib. Create a CMake Project for the app, and use the ".a" lib built by XCode. Run the App. I initialize the CoreML model like this(just for demostration): #include "det.h" // the model header generated by xcode auto url = [[NSURL alloc] initFileURLWithPath:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@/%@", dir, @"det.mlmodelc"]]; auto model = [[det alloc] initWithContentsOfURL:url error:&error]; // no error The url is valid, and the initialization doesn't report any error. However, when I tried to do inference using codes like this: auto cvPixelBuffer = createCVPixelBuffer(960, 960); // util function auto preds = [model predictionFromImage:cvPixelBuffer error:NULL]; The output preds will be null and I got these errors: 2024-12-10 14:52:37.678201+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] [e5rt] E5RT encountered unknown exception. 2024-12-10 14:52:37.678237+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] [coreml] E5RT: E5RT encountered an unknown exception. (11) 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870739+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] H11ANEDevice::H11ANEDeviceOpen kH11ANEUserClientCommand_DeviceOpen call failed result=0xe00002e2 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870758+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] Device Open failed - status=0xe00002e2 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870760+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] (Single-ANE System) Critical Error: Could not open the only H11ANE device 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870769+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] H11ANEDeviceOpen failed: 0x17 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870845+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] H11ANEDevice::H11ANEDeviceOpen kH11ANEUserClientCommand_DeviceOpen call failed result=0xe00002e2 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870848+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] Device Open failed - status=0xe00002e2 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870849+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] (Single-ANE System) Critical Error: Could not open the only H11ANE device 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870853+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] H11ANEDeviceOpen failed: 0x17 2024-12-10 14:52:37.870857+0800 望言OCR[50204:5615023] [common] start: ANEDeviceOpen() failed : ret=23 : It seems that CoreML failed to find ANE device. Is there anything need to be done before we use a CoreML Model as a library in a CMake or other non-XCode project? By the way, codes like above will work on an XCode Native App with CoreML (I tested this before) . So I guess I missed some environment initializations in my non-XCode project?
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642
Dec ’24
Is there an API for the 3D effect from flat photos?
Introduced in the Keynote was the 3D Lock Screen images with the kangaroo: https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/06/3d-lock-screen-2.gif I can't see any mention on if this effect is available for developers with an API to convert flat 2D photos in to the same 3D feeling image. Does anyone know if there is an API?
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Jun ’25
Training Images for Vision Classifier Model - Swift Student Challenge
I'm working on my Swift Student Challenge submission and developing a Vision framework-based image classifier. I want to ensure I'm following best practices for training data and follow to guidelines for what images I use to train my image classifier. What types of images can I use for training my model? Are there specific image databases or resources recommended by Apple that are safe to use for Swift Student Challenge submissions? Currently considering images used from wikipedia, and my own images
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438
Feb ’25
A Summary of the WWDC25 Group Lab - Machine Learning and AI Frameworks
At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for Machine Learning and AI Frameworks. What are you most excited about in the Foundation Models framework? The Foundation Models framework provides access to an on-device Large Language Model (LLM), enabling entirely on-device processing for intelligent features. This allows you to build features such as personalized search suggestions and dynamic NPC generation in games. The combination of guided generation and streaming capabilities is particularly exciting for creating delightful animations and features with reliable output. The seamless integration with SwiftUI and the new design material Liquid Glass is also a major advantage. When should I still bring my own LLM via CoreML? It's generally recommended to first explore Apple's built-in system models and APIs, including the Foundation Models framework, as they are highly optimized for Apple devices and cover a wide range of use cases. However, Core ML is still valuable if you need more control or choice over the specific model being deployed, such as customizing existing system models or augmenting prompts. Core ML provides the tools to get these models on-device, but you are responsible for model distribution and updates. Should I migrate PyTorch code to MLX? MLX is an open-source, general-purpose machine learning framework designed for Apple Silicon from the ground up. It offers a familiar API, similar to PyTorch, and supports C, C++, Python, and Swift. MLX emphasizes unified memory, a key feature of Apple Silicon hardware, which can improve performance. It's recommended to try MLX and see if its programming model and features better suit your application's needs. MLX shines when working with state-of-the-art, larger models. Can I test Foundation Models in Xcode simulator or device? Yes, you can use the Xcode simulator to test Foundation Models use cases. However, your Mac must be running macOS Tahoe. You can test on a physical iPhone running iOS 18 by connecting it to your Mac and running Playgrounds or live previews directly on the device. Which on-device models will be supported? any open source models? The Foundation Models framework currently supports Apple's first-party models only. This allows for platform-wide optimizations, improving battery life and reducing latency. While Core ML can be used to integrate open-source models, it's generally recommended to first explore the built-in system models and APIs provided by Apple, including those in the Vision, Natural Language, and Speech frameworks, as they are highly optimized for Apple devices. For frontier models, MLX can run very large models. How often will the Foundational Model be updated? How do we test for stability when the model is updated? The Foundation Model will be updated in sync with operating system updates. You can test your app against new model versions during the beta period by downloading the beta OS and running your app. It is highly recommended to create an "eval set" of golden prompts and responses to evaluate the performance of your features as the model changes or as you tweak your prompts. Report any unsatisfactory or satisfactory cases using Feedback Assistant. Which on-device model/API can I use to extract text data from images such as: nutrition labels, ingredient lists, cashier receipts, etc? Thank you. The Vision framework offers the RecognizeDocumentRequest which is specifically designed for these use cases. It not only recognizes text in images but also provides the structure of the document, such as rows in a receipt or the layout of a nutrition label. It can also identify data like phone numbers, addresses, and prices. What is the context window for the model? What are max tokens in and max tokens out? The context window for the Foundation Model is 4,096 tokens. The split between input and output tokens is flexible. For example, if you input 4,000 tokens, you'll have 96 tokens remaining for the output. The API takes in text, converting it to tokens under the hood. When estimating token count, a good rule of thumb is 3-4 characters per token for languages like English, and 1 character per token for languages like Japanese or Chinese. Handle potential errors gracefully by asking for shorter prompts or starting a new session if the token limit is exceeded. Is there a rate limit for Foundation Models API that is limited by power or temperature condition on the iPhone? Yes, there are rate limits, particularly when your app is in the background. A budget is allocated for background app usage, but exceeding it will result in rate-limiting errors. In the foreground, there is no rate limit unless the device is under heavy load (e.g., camera open, game mode). The system dynamically balances performance, battery life, and thermal conditions, which can affect the token throughput. Use appropriate quality of service settings for your tasks (e.g., background priority for background work) to help the system manage resources effectively. Do the foundation models support languages other than English? Yes, the on-device Foundation Model is multilingual and supports all languages supported by Apple Intelligence. To get the model to output in a specific language, prompt it with instructions indicating the user's preferred language using the locale API (e.g., "The user's preferred language is en-US"). Putting the instructions in English, but then putting the user prompt in the desired output language is a recommended practice. Are larger server-based models available through Foundation Models? No, the Foundation Models API currently only provides access to the on-device Large Language Model at the core of Apple Intelligence. It does not support server-side models. On-device models are preferred for privacy and for performance reasons. Is it possible to run Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) using the Foundation Models framework? Yes, it is possible to run RAG on-device, but the Foundation Models framework does not include a built-in embedding model. You'll need to use a separate database to store vectors and implement nearest neighbor or cosine distance searches. The Natural Language framework offers simple word and sentence embeddings that can be used. Consider using a combination of Foundation Models and Core ML, using Core ML for your embedding model.
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935
Jun ’25
What special features does Apple officially have that use ML or AI?
I am a App designer and I am curious about what specific ML or AI Apple used to develop those features in the system. As far as I know, Apple's hand-raising detection, destination recommendations in maps, and exercise types in fitness all use ML. Are there more specific application examples of ML or AI? Does Apple have a document specifically introducing examples of specific applications of ML or AI technology in the system?
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588
Feb ’25
Unexpectedly slow CreateML text classifier training (limited GPU/CPU usage)
While training a text classifier model with a few thousand samples completes in seconds, when using 100,000 or 1 million samples, CreateML's training time increases exponentially (to hours or days). During these hours/days, GPU usage is low and almost every CPU core is idle. When using the Swift APIs for model training, resource utilization does not increase. I'm using Xcode 16.2, macOS 15.2 on either an M2 Ultra 64 GB or an M3 Max 48 GB laptop (both using built-in SSD with ~500 GB free) running no other applications. Is there a setting I've missed to allow training to take over more of my computing resources? Is this expected of CreateML (i.e., when looking to exploit a larger corpus, I should move to other tooling)? I'd love to speed up my iteration cycle time.
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594
Feb ’25
KV-Cache MLState Not Updating During Prefill Stage in Core ML LLM Inference
Hello, I'm running a large language model (LLM) in Core ML that uses a key-value cache (KV-cache) to store past attention states. The model was converted from PyTorch using coremltools and deployed on-device with Swift. The KV-cache is exposed via MLState and is used across inference steps for efficient autoregressive generation. During the prefill stage — where a prompt of multiple tokens is passed to the model in a single batch to initialize the KV-cache — I’ve noticed that some entries in the KV-cache are not updated after the inference. Specifically: Here are a few details about the setup: The MLState returned by the model is identical to the input state (often empty or zero-initialized) for some tokens in the batch. The issue only happens during the prefill stage (i.e., first call over multiple tokens). During decoding (single-token generation), the KV-cache updates normally. The model is invoked using MLModel.prediction(from:using:options:) for each batch. I’ve confirmed: The prompt tokens are non-repetitive and not masked. The model spec has MLState inputs/outputs correctly configured for KV-cache tensors. Each token is processed in a loop with the correct positional encodings. Questions: Is there any known behavior in Core ML that could prevent MLState from updating during batched or prefill inference? Could this be caused by internal optimizations such as lazy execution, static masking, or zero-value short-circuiting? How can I confirm that each token in the batch is contributing to the KV-cache during prefill? Any insights from the Core ML or LLM deployment community would be much appreciated.
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164
May ’25