On April 10, 9to5mac reported that the iOS 26 system has made major optimizations to the SMS application. In addition to upgrades such as group chat functions and spam protection, the core search function has been greatly improved with the help of AI technology, supporting natural language input and related result recommendations, greatly improving the user experience.
For most iPhone users, the SMS application stores a large amount of data such as historical conversations, photos, links, and even chat records from many years ago, which easily takes up a lot of iCloud storage space. However, the previous search function relied on precise keywords, and finding content was often time-consuming and laborious.
After the iOS 26 upgrade, text message search has undergone qualitative changes. Users can use natural language to input search requirements, such as "photos of mom during a trip to the beach in June", and the system can accurately identify the semantics and match the results. At the same time, after entering keywords, related content will be displayed. For example, if "sand" is entered, relevant text messages about beaches and oceans will be simultaneously recommended.
It is reported that this upgraded search function is driven by Apple Intelligence (Apple Intelligence) and built on large language models (LLMs). It is consistent with the AI search logic of photos, music and other applications. It is one of more than 20 new AI features in iOS 26. However, this feature only supports specific models, including iPhone 15 Pro series and above, all iPhone 16 series, all iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air.
It is worth mentioning that AI search does not require additional settings. As long as the device supports Apple Intelligence and has this function turned on, the SMS application will automatically adapt and upgrade.