Meta has disabled Apple’s system-wide AI platform, Apple Intelligence, within its primary iOS applications, preventing features like integrated writing assistance and custom emoji generation from working inside Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.
The move, first reported by Brazilian blog Sorcererhat Tech, effectively promotes Meta’s own Llama-powered AI tools by blocking Apple’s alternative. While the news surfaced widely this week, users on Apple’s support forums have documented the lack of these Apple Intelligence functions in Meta apps since at least November 2024, suggesting a phased restriction or broader recent enforcement.
The block means iPhone and iPad users running iOS 18.1 or later can no longer access Apple Intelligence features like the Writing Tools for text editing directly within Meta’s app interfaces.
Similarly, the creation and sharing of Genmoji, Apple’s AI-generated custom emoji, are unavailable. The initial reporting also noted that standard keyboard stickers and Memoji were seemingly removed from use specifically within Instagram Stories. This restriction appears specific to Meta, as other third-party apps reportedly continue to support Apple Intelligence features.
Meta Pushes Its Own AI as Apple Stumbles
Meta’s decision to block Apple Intelligence comes shortly after the company unveiled its advanced Llama 4 AI models on April 6. These models power Meta AI features integrated across its platforms, offering text and image generation capabilities that compete directly with Apple Intelligence.
By preventing Apple’s tools from working, Meta creates an environment where users needing AI assistance within its apps must rely on Meta’s offerings. Supporting this interpretation, instances where Meta apps actively nudge users toward Meta AI for tasks like Instagram caption editing. While Meta AI can handle many similar text functions, it doesn’t offer a direct substitute for Apple’s unique Genmoji feature. It’s technically permitted for developers to disable Apple Intelligence integration, as Apple provides an opt-out mechanism within its framework, which Meta has evidently utilized.
This competitive maneuver coincides with Apple’s own challenges in rolling out Apple Intelligence. Announced at WWDC 2024, key features, especially a significantly enhanced Siri assistant, faced delays. On March 7, 2025, an Apple spokesperson confirmed to Daring Fireball, “It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features, and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.” As a result, The full Siri upgrade might extend into 2026.
Hardware Limits and Past Issues Plague Apple’s AI
Apple Intelligence also carries strict hardware requirements, needing an iPhone 15 Pro (or newer) or an M-series chip in an iPad or Mac, limiting its reach. The system experienced early technical difficulties, including generating inaccurate news summaries. The combination of delays and limitations led to a lawsuit filed against Apple over allegedly misleading marketing about the features’ availability. Apple itself seems to acknowledge the phased rollout, having recently changed some website marketing from “Hello, Apple Intelligence” to “Built for Apple Intelligence”.
Ongoing Friction Shapes Competitive Landscape
The history between the two companies includes failed AI partnership talks in mid-2024, reportedly scuttled by Apple’s concerns over Meta’s privacy standards – a recurring theme in their disagreements, alongside disputes over App Store rules. Meta’s approach to AI development also diverges from Apple’s privacy-centric, often on-device model.
Meta has openly discussed tuning Llama 4 to counter perceived biases, stating, “It’s well-known that all leading LLMs have had issues with bias—specifically, they historically have leaned left when it comes to debated political and social topics… This is due to the types of training data available on the internet.” This tuning occurs alongside broader, controversial shifts in Meta’s platform policies, particularly in the US.
While Apple pushes forward with its AI strategy, backed by a massive $500 billion US investment announced in February aimed partly at AI infrastructure and custom silicon like the codenamed “Baltra” chip, Meta’s block represents a clear competitive move to prioritize its own ecosystem and AI advancements within its vast user base.
