Foundation Models (On-Device AI)

Use this guide when implementing or modifying on-device AI features.

Framework

import FoundationModels — iOS 26+ only

Availability Check (MANDATORY)

The model may not be available on all devices. Always check first:

guard SystemLanguageModel.default.isAvailable else {
    // Show "This feature requires Apple Intelligence" message
    return
}

Basic Text Generation

let session = LanguageModelSession()
let response = try await session.respond(to: "Summarize this text: \(userText)")
print(response.content)  // String

With System Instructions

let session = LanguageModelSession(
    instructions: "You are a helpful health assistant. Keep responses concise and empathetic."
)
let response = try await session.respond(to: prompt)

Streaming Generation

let stream = session.streamResponse(to: prompt)
for try await partial in stream {
    displayText += partial.text
}

Structured Output with @Generable

@Generable
struct RecipeSuggestion {
    @Guide(description: "Name of the dish") var name: String
    @Guide(description: "Estimated prep time in minutes") var prepTime: Int
    @Guide(description: "Main ingredients") var ingredients: [String]
}

let session = LanguageModelSession()
let recipe: RecipeSuggestion = try await session.respond(
    to: "Suggest a quick pasta dish",
    generating: RecipeSuggestion.self
)

Guardrails

• Model output is filtered by Apple's safety system — some prompts may be refused
• No internet required — fully on-device
• Context window is limited (~4K tokens) — keep prompts concise
• Use session.respond() for single turns; keep session alive for multi-turn conversations
• Wrap in do/catch — generation can fail for safety or resource reasons

Service Pattern

@MainActor @Observable
final class AIService {
    var isAvailable: Bool { SystemLanguageModel.default.isAvailable }

    func generate(prompt: String) async -> String? {
        guard isAvailable else { return nil }
        do {
            let session = LanguageModelSession(instructions: "...")
            let response = try await session.respond(to: prompt)
            return response.content
        } catch {
            return nil
        }
    }
}