Visual Intelligence seems to be gone from iphone? | The Apple Den | Page 1

tight walrus Apr 16, 2026, 2:04 PM

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Check if you have Apple Intelligence enabled

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Press and long hold the camera capture button

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Are you in here?

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Can I see your settings for your camera capture button? And you don't see a visual intelligence control in the control center when adding new buttons?

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What version are you on?

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Press and hold, keep holding

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Camera control

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Try force restarting your device

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Yep. Keep holding until Apple logo appears

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It should

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Quickly press and release volume up, quickly press and release volume down, then press hold hold side button

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Ok press and hold side and volume button simultaneously

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Then slide to power off

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Or go to general scroll down and shut down

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Is it there

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Is your device genuine

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Show me Apple Intelligence enabled, maybe try turning off and on

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I'm sorry I'm not be much help

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Wait so you've recently turned it off?

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Ok then

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Oh

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Well that's why

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Give it time

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Leave your device connected to WiFi and plugged in

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Locked

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Ye

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But maybe you best try reinstating the process

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Please keep me updated

alpine quest Apr 16, 2026, 2:35 PM

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screen record what happens when you try to launch visual intelligence

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do the other apple intelligence features work?

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that's so weird

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haven't used any nugget tweaks or hacks I assume?

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no

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they were the cause of the only other time I've seen something like this

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you could try backing up and reinstalling the os

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just for the sake of curiosity what do your GPT extension settings look ilke

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Gotcha

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what region are you in

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do your device language, apple intelligence/siri language and device region all match

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then it's probably just some regional thing

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the rest of it should be but I guess something between asia and the GPT extension doesn't play nice

ashen sequoia Apr 16, 2026, 2:48 PM

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It shouldn't.

alpine quest Apr 16, 2026, 2:48 PM

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It shouldn't but it looks like that's what is happening

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what country specifically are you in if you don't mind

maiden flicker Apr 16, 2026, 2:55 PM

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alpine quest just for the sake of curiosity what do your GPT extension settings look ilke

Just for the record, Visual Intelligence doesn’t care what the extension settings are. It doesn’t use them. I have it turned off.

alpine quest Apr 16, 2026, 2:56 PM

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maiden flicker Just for the record, Visual Intelligence doesn’t care what the extension setting...

I figured, but I had no idea what else could cause this

maiden flicker Apr 16, 2026, 2:57 PM

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You’re in Singapore?

alpine quest Apr 16, 2026, 2:57 PM

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Possibly but not likely

maiden flicker Apr 16, 2026, 2:57 PM

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Phone set to English (Singapore)?

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Does Apple Intelligence work at all?

alpine quest Apr 16, 2026, 2:58 PM

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yes

maiden flicker Apr 16, 2026, 2:58 PM

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Hm.

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It’s a personal device? Bought in Singapore?

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Ok, so no MDM interfering. Hm.

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Let me scroll back and read what else has been covered

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Well, you’re not the only person in the world that has experienced this. I found references in the support forums.

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Is screen time enabled by any chance?

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It could be causing it

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Well, I haven’t looked at the dev forums yet, but the threads on the main support forums with this problem seem to all go the same way. Try everything mentioned so far, then try reset settings. If that doesn’t work try reset device.

And then they all end with contacting Apple Support.

My guess is there’s a hardware issue in a small number of devices that manifests like this.

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Well try reset settings first.

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That at least keeps the data but you have to re enter things like WiFi password etc

maiden flicker Apr 16, 2026, 5:29 PM

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Personally, I’d contact Apple Support. It seems like a device issue.

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 12:55 AM

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I don’t think it’s a beta software issue based on the mentions I’ve found

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Contacting Apple Support is the best route

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 1:57 AM

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No, I don't believe it's an iOS issue.

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I believe it's a device issue.

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It might come as a surprise, but iOS isn't the only operating system on the phone.

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The fact that there are multiple threads on the Apple support forums about this issue that all end with "contact Apple Support" and nothing after strongly suggests there is a component issue in a small number of devices.

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Apparently not, based on the threads.

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That's what I'd expect.

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Or some supersecret Apple utility that we don't know about.

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Good question. Guessing it has to do with the device reporting its capabilities, but that's just a guess

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:04 AM

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Do you have the Shortcuts app installed? You can try adding the "Open Visual Intelligence" action into the shortcut and see if it launches.

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:04 AM

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There are behaviors that enter into the realm of "wow, that's weird" whose explanation don't make sense unless you delve deeply into things like how the secure enclave works and stuff like that.

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:06 AM

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yes

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:07 AM

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yeah, it would be at the top

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basically confirms that there's something wrong with the device.

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Probably thinks it's not an iPhone with Apple Intelligence or something

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:08 AM

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What iOS Version are you running?

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:09 AM

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I could have you install other apps to see what it thinks it is, like CPU-x, but at the end of the day, this is a talk to Apple Support issue

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No. Lots of us did that.

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:09 AM

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Unlikely.

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:09 AM

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it's something about your particular device

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It's not going to be software

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It's the device.

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:10 AM

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Is the Camera Control option also gone in Settings > Accessibility?

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:10 AM

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Other people have had this same thing too

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The availability of Visual Intelligence depends on some elements reported back from the hardware

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Typical sign of a hardware fail

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:12 AM

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Try asking the model a question. Wanna make sure Apple Intelligence is 100% downloaded.

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Tap on the Use Model action which will add it into the shortcut

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Try on-device

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Anything you want. For starters ask it "What is 2+2"

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Ok, great! So that works with no issues.

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:15 AM

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Yeah, it's been previously established that Apple Intelligence works.

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:16 AM

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maiden flicker Yeah, it's been previously established that Apple Intelligence works.

Jim, could you add the Open Visual Intelligence action to a shortcut and share it here? I want @violet spire to check if it shows any message like “Unavailable on this device” or something similar.

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:17 AM

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https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/13bb403f22144c59b3c800197378dc6a

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:19 AM

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Hmmmm.

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:20 AM

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ashen sequoia Hmmmm.

There's a number of similar threads on apple support forums. They all lead to contacting Apple Support. Most likely, device gets replaced

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:21 AM

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I don't really think the device needs a replacement.

maiden flicker Apr 17, 2026, 2:24 AM

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The chances of this being software fixable are slim to none, since it would have been fixed in an 18.* release if it was

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But the only way to be sure is to contact Apple Support. They don’t bite, they’re nice people.

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Apple is 100% aware of the issue

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Apple employees have responded in the support forums

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:29 AM

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Question. Have you ever installed a software update via an IPSW file anytime between iOS 18.3 and now?

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I’d suggest updating via an IPSW file, as it reinstalls the full OS while still preserving your data. There’s a solid chance it will fix the issue.

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Yes.

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Because it reinstalls the entire OS, it’s generally more effective. That said, OTA updates can also perform a full reinstall when switching between beta and public releases.

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You should try.

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You don't have too. You can use the 26.4.1 IPSW file.

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You can actually reinstall iOS 26.4.1 even if you’re already on that same version using an IPSW

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You won't lose any data

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Yes.

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You have a 16 pro right?

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https://updates.cdn-apple.com/2026SpringFCS/fullrestores/122-28459/AD0EA9E1-53B4-48C8-81A3-D19DD7D8139D/iPhone17,1_26.4.1_23E254_Restore.ipsw

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iPhone 17,1 is the iPhone 16 Pro's device code types a.k.a. machine id

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Here's an example:

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So, according to your roles, you have a Windows computer right?

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Well, I’m not very familiar with Windows since I haven’t used it in years, so I apologize for that.

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However, @hazy terrace can walk you through how to update your iPhone using an IPSW. Since he knows how to do it on Windows.

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There are 2 options there, right? "Update" and "Restore"?

hazy terrace Apr 17, 2026, 2:55 AM

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Restoring iPhones using Windows is kind of a mess sometimes but is doable. If Apple Devices won’t work, use iTunes.

Connect the iPhone to the computer and put the iPhone into recovery mode (the iPhone will show a “connect to computer” screen). Then, hold Shift while clicking on Update and then select the IPSW. Follow the steps and the OS should install.

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DFU mode won’t work as that will only let you restore.

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 2:56 AM

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Do you have a backup per chance?

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Yes

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Ok, that's good.

ashen sequoia Apr 17, 2026, 4:17 AM

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Sorry for not responding. Did the phone successfully update?

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Fresh install? As in factory resetting?

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It’s possible, but something like that should be a last resort, only considered after you’ve tried everything else without success.

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Did the re-install of the OS work? You didn't answer my question for that one.

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Does the Visual Intelligence work now?

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Since you've tried almost everything, and have stuff backed up to iCloud, I'd say that you can try the restore.

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Wait

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before you do that

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Try turning off Apple Intelligence, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on @violet spire

humble wing Apr 17, 2026, 9:02 AM

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I think it may be a hardware issue like Jim said.

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You could try, but it’s not guaranteed that it will work

humble wing Apr 17, 2026, 9:03 AM

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hazy terrace Restoring iPhones using Windows is kind of a mess sometimes but is doable. If Ap...

I thought the Apple Devices was borked on Windows, did it get fixed?

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Yep

hazy terrace Apr 17, 2026, 11:26 AM

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so if restoring your phone completely then restoring the backup still doesn't solve it, I'd make sure to check your screen time restriction settings to make sure there isn't something blocking it

alpine quest Apr 17, 2026, 11:27 AM

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Quite frankly, if all your settings are intact and a full reinstall doesn’t work, there’s nothing else left to blame

hazy terrace Apr 17, 2026, 11:30 AM

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I'd look through all of the content and privacy restrictions settings and make sure everything is allowed.

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if that doesn't work, and you restored a backup after reinstalling, it's possible some corrupt setting managed to transfer over. In this case there's two options:

Reset all settings: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone, then go to Reset and select Reset All Settings. This will not erase data, however you'll need to re-log into your wifi networks and some apps and many settings will be reset to default.
Go nuclear: If a Reset All Settings doesn't work here, your only choice is to really do a full reset of your device by selecting Erase All Content and Settings (or DFU restore again), and start completely fresh.

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Oh that's really odd then. Maybe there is something else happening then if Visual Intelligence is still not working. Do all the other Apple Intelligence features (writing tools, new Siri, etc) work as intended?

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So odd how only Visual Intelligence is broken yet everything else works fine.

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What is your system and Siri language and region set to?

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Is it something like English US or English Canada?

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try changing it to US and see if that works

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Have you, once again, tried disabling Apple Intelligence for a few minutes and then turning it back on?

maiden flicker Apr 23, 2026, 6:04 AM

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So. The conclusion is it's a hardware problem. Contact Apple.

#Visual Intelligence seems to be gone from iphone?