Surprising Phone Features You May Not Realize Are Actually AI

Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now, including our smartphones. If you have an iPhone, you’ve probably noticed the increased AI features since the launch of Apple Intelligence on iOS 18, including new writing tools, message summaries, generative AI images and more.

But even if you opt out of using these features, chances are you’re still using AI daily, without knowing.

“AI is now an integral part of smartphones,” Dhaval Gajjar, CEO of the tech company Pranshtech and chief technology officer of Textdrip, told HuffPost. “It provides the consumer with a better experience, though most people probably do not even realize it.”

There are many hidden ways your phone and other tech use built-in AI to work, some of which might surprise you. Here are a few:

You know that helpful feature that turns voicemails into text in real-time, so you can discreetly check your messages without having to listen (especially handy for those who are hard of hearing)? Yeah, that is powered by AI.

Sukh Sohal, a senior consultant at the AI company Affinity Reply, told HuffPost, “AI-powered speech-to-text models process the audio and create a readable transcript.”

In the same vein, your phone uses AI to transcribe your voice into text, “making such processes like texting and note-taking smooth,” said Gajjar.

Phones can copy text from images now, “a feature that uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and AI-driven language processing,” Sohal said.

He explained that with the help of AI, our phones can “spot and handle written content in photos just like any other text input.”

This Live Text tool is helpful for things like copying a Wi-Fi password from a picture, pulling text from a document or even taking a picture of handwritten notes to save them digitally.

Head to the Photos app on an iPhone or in Google Photos to see how AI categorizes your images and allows you to search within them. Using AI, your phone can “spot objects, people, and even landmarks in your picture collection,” said Sohal.

This makes finding specific pictures a breeze. “Rather than scrolling through countless photos, users can just look for words like ‘beach’ or ‘dog’ and AI will bring up matching images,” Sohal said. “This happens because of deep learning models trained to sort and label visual content on their own.”

AI can help you take better photos as well. “AI is very useful for camera apps on phones today, and many vendors are using AI to help you capture better photos,” explained Anmol Agarwal, an adjunct professor at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at George Washington University.

She explained that settings like Portrait mode on an iPhone and removing reflections on Samsung Galaxy Android phones are powered by artificial intelligence.

AI also helps phones recognize our patterns and make suggestions and tweaks based on that information.

Battery optimization is a prime example of this in a tool called “Adaptive Battery” on Google Pixel phones. AI will “determine your phone usage habits” and use that information “to optimize the battery of your phone,” according to Agarwal.

“AI detects your behavior and then prioritizes battery use for the features/apps you use the most,” she continued.

iPhones have Optimized Battery Charging that protects your battery’s lifespan by slowing down charging when it predicts your device will be plugged in for an extended period (yes, this means your phone is paying attention to your sleep and wake times).

Another way your phone recognizes your patterns is by using AI to “predict with accuracy the apps you are likely to use, based on daily routine and current location,” according to Gajjar. That’s why the Starbucks app will pop up before your daily coffee run or directions to your gym or favorite after-work hangout will show up after you normally clock out.

Those predictive text options and autocorrect features on your iPhone are all thanks to the integration of AI, according to Agarwal.

“This technology is based on AI transformer models, which predict the next word that is most likely to occur in a sequence,” she explained.

Agarwal added that you’ll see this autocorrect and predictive text enabled by AI across other platforms as well, like on the Google keyboard when typing out messages.

With the ever-increasing frequency of spam calls (no, you don’t need to check your car warranty!), smartphones now use AI to label callers as “potential spam” or silence unknown callers altogether.

“AI looks at call patterns, phone numbers, and even message content to spot potential scams or telemarketers,” Sohal said. “Rather than using static blocklists, AI models keep learning from user reports and changing scam tactics to stop unwanted calls from getting to users.”

Talking on the phone got a whole lot easier with the iPhone’s integration of Voice Isolation, which cuts out background sounds and helps with noise cancellation in real time.

“Whether you’re in a busy café or on public transport, AI can pick out your voice and cut unwanted noise as it happens,” Sohal explained. “This tech uses machine learning models trained to tell the difference between human speech and surrounding noise, making things clearer for both the caller and the listener.”

This is another feature that makes your phone more accessible.

There are so many AI-driven hidden features in your phones and computer that “work in the background to optimize efficiency and smoothen routines,” Gajjar said.

These include instant language translation; automatically adjusting the brightness of your phone’s screen and audio level depending on surroundings; using facial recognition to unlock your device; providing real-time captions; blurring backgrounds and auto-framing faces while video calling and more, according to our experts.

AI technology is also used for online safety, according to Gajjar. “Since intelligent security tools use AI to counter phishing hoaxes and unwanted software by preempting problems, they truly keep users safe on the internet,” he said, adding, “And these concealed AI features work behind the scenes to make your digital interactions faster, safer and personalized.”

“It’s important to remember AI isn’t as new as it seems,” Sohal said. “Many of the features people associate with modern AI have been around for years, just in more basic forms.”

He listed predictive text, spam filters, and recommendation algorithms, for example, which “have been using machine learning for over a decade.”

Even the old Paint app in Windows 11 would use AI to “analyze the image to determine where the borders are,” according to Agarwal, allowing you to remove the background in an image using just one click.

AI has also been integrated in search engines like Google or Bing to “analyze what you searched for and suggest related searches,” said Agarwal, and in Google ads and Facebook ads to tailor ads based on individual preferences.

“What’s changed is behind the scenes with the scale and sophistication of AI models,” Sohal explained. “Significant advances in computing power and data availability have vastly improved AI’s accuracy and usability, making older technologies feel brand new.”

He added, “The recent explosion of AI tools isn’t about AI suddenly appearing — it’s about existing AI becoming more advanced, accessible, and integrated into everyday life.”

But while AI’s ever-increasing presence in technology can make our tech more accessible, easy to use and fun, there are some things you should be cautious about.

Our tech experts encouraged users to check what kind of data collection and processing you are giving permission to use before signing up for any new product or service, as well as periodically checking the settings on apps and devices you already have.

“Individuals should perform frequent checks of their privacy settings to remain cognizant of what sorts of data are being collected and ensure they are comfortable with it,” Sohal suggested. Many AI features can be turned off if you don’t want them, but others are built-in and don’t allow you to opt out.

Gajjar noted, “The use of AI is changing how we interact with technology. … As AI advances, it will become increasingly critical to balance innovation and privacy, security and human oversight in maintaining AI’s ability to produce net benefits for all.”