At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for Machine Learning and AI Frameworks. What are you most excited about in the Foundation Models framework? The Foundation Models framework provides access to an on-device Large Language Model (LLM), enabling entirely on-device processing for intelligent features. This allows you to build features such as personalized search suggestions and dynamic NPC generation in games. The combination of guided generation and streaming capabilities is particularly exciting for creating delightful animations and features with reliable output. The seamless integration with SwiftUI and the new design material Liquid Glass is also a major advantage. When should I still bring my own LLM via CoreML? It's generally recommended to first explore Apple's built-in system models and APIs, including the Foundation Models framework, as they are highly optimized for Apple devices and cover a wide range of use cases. However, Core ML is still valuable if you need more control or choice over the specific model being deployed, such as customizing existing system models or augmenting prompts. Core ML provides the tools to get these models on-device, but you are responsible for model distribution and updates. Should I migrate PyTorch code to MLX? MLX is an open-source, general-purpose machine learning framework designed for Apple Silicon from the ground up. It offers a familiar API, similar to PyTorch, and supports C, C++, Python, and Swift. MLX emphasizes unified memory, a key feature of Apple Silicon hardware, which can improve performance. It's recommended to try MLX and see if its programming model and features better suit your application's needs. MLX shines when working with state-of-the-art, larger models. Can I test Foundation Models in Xcode simulator or device? Yes, you can use the Xcode simulator to test Foundation Models use cases. However, your Mac must be running macOS Tahoe. You can test on a physical iPhone running iOS 18 by connecting it to your Mac and running Playgrounds or live previews directly on the device. Which on-device models will be supported? any open source models? The Foundation Models framework currently supports Apple's first-party models only. This allows for platform-wide optimizations, improving battery life and reducing latency. While Core ML can be used to integrate open-source models, it's generally recommended to first explore the built-in system models and APIs provided by Apple, including those in the Vision, Natural Language, and Speech frameworks, as they are highly optimized for Apple devices. For frontier models, MLX can run very large models. How often will the Foundational Model be updated? How do we test for stability when the model is updated? The Foundation Model will be updated in sync with operating system updates. You can test your app against new model versions during the beta period by downloading the beta OS and running your app. It is highly recommended to create an "eval set" of golden prompts and responses to evaluate the performance of your features as the model changes or as you tweak your prompts. Report any unsatisfactory or satisfactory cases using Feedback Assistant. Which on-device model/API can I use to extract text data from images such as: nutrition labels, ingredient lists, cashier receipts, etc? Thank you. The Vision framework offers the RecognizeDocumentRequest which is specifically designed for these use cases. It not only recognizes text in images but also provides the structure of the document, such as rows in a receipt or the layout of a nutrition label. It can also identify data like phone numbers, addresses, and prices. What is the context window for the model? What are max tokens in and max tokens out? The context window for the Foundation Model is 4,096 tokens. The split between input and output tokens is flexible. For example, if you input 4,000 tokens, you'll have 96 tokens remaining for the output. The API takes in text, converting it to tokens under the hood. When estimating token count, a good rule of thumb is 3-4 characters per token for languages like English, and 1 character per token for languages like Japanese or Chinese. Handle potential errors gracefully by asking for shorter prompts or starting a new session if the token limit is exceeded. Is there a rate limit for Foundation Models API that is limited by power or temperature condition on the iPhone? Yes, there are rate limits, particularly when your app is in the background. A budget is allocated for background app usage, but exceeding it will result in rate-limiting errors. In the foreground, there is no rate limit unless the device is under heavy load (e.g., camera open, game mode). The system dynamically balances performance, battery life, and thermal conditions, which can affect the token throughput. Use appropriate quality of service settings for your tasks (e.g., background priority for background work) to help the system manage resources effectively. Do the foundation models support languages other than English? Yes, the on-device Foundation Model is multilingual and supports all languages supported by Apple Intelligence. To get the model to output in a specific language, prompt it with instructions indicating the user's preferred language using the locale API (e.g., "The user's preferred language is en-US"). Putting the instructions in English, but then putting the user prompt in the desired output language is a recommended practice. Are larger server-based models available through Foundation Models? No, the Foundation Models API currently only provides access to the on-device Large Language Model at the core of Apple Intelligence. It does not support server-side models. On-device models are preferred for privacy and for performance reasons. Is it possible to run Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) using the Foundation Models framework? Yes, it is possible to run RAG on-device, but the Foundation Models framework does not include a built-in embedding model. You'll need to use a separate database to store vectors and implement nearest neighbor or cosine distance searches. The Natural Language framework offers simple word and sentence embeddings that can be used. Consider using a combination of Foundation Models and Core ML, using Core ML for your embedding model.

Did something change on face detection / Vision Framework on iOS 15? Using VNDetectFaceLandmarksRequest and reading the VNFaceLandmarkRegion2D to detect eyes is not working on iOS 15 as it did before. I am running the exact same code on an iOS 14 and iOS 15 device and the coordinates are different as seen on the screenshot? Any Ideas?

Hello, I'm unable to develop for Apple Intelligence on my Mac Studio, M1 Max running macOS 26 beta 1. The models get downloaded and I can also verify that they exist in /System/Library/AssetsV2/ however the download progress remains stuck at 100%. Checking console logs shows the process generativeexperiencesd reporting the following: My device region and language is set to English (India). Things I've already tried: Changing language and region to English (US) Reinstalling macOS Trying with a different ISP via hotspot.

Hi, The most recent version of tensorflow-metal is only available for macosx 12.0 and python up to version 3.11. Is there any chance it could be updated with wheels for macos 15 and Python 3.12 (which is the default version supported for tensrofllow 2.17+)? I'd note that even downgrading to Python 3.11 would not be sufficient, as the wheels only work for macos 12. Thanks.

I use SoundAnalysis to analyze background sounds and have enabled background permissions. It worked well in previous iOS systems, but a warning appeared in the new iOS18beta version and sound analysis was stopped. Warning List: Execution of the command buffer was aborted due to an error during execution. Insufficient Permission (to submit GPU work from background) [Espresso::handle_ex_plan] exception=Espresso exception: "Generic error": Insufficient Permission (to submit GPU work from background) (00000006:kIOGPUCommandBufferCallbackErrorBackgroundExecutionNotPermitted); code=7 status=-1 Unable to compute the prediction using a neural network model. It can be an invalid input data or broken/unsupported model (error code: -1). CoreML prediction failed with Error Domain=com.apple.CoreML Code=0 "Failed to evaluate model 0 in pipeline" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to evaluate model 0 in pipeline, NSUnderlyingError=0x30330e910 {Error Domain=com.apple.CoreML Code=0 "Failed to evaluate model 1 in pipeline" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to evaluate model 1 in pipeline, NSUnderlyingError=0x303307840 {Error Domain=com.apple.CoreML Code=0 "Unable to compute the prediction using a neural network model. It can be an invalid input data or broken/unsupported model (error code: -1)." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Unable to compute the prediction using a neural network model. It can be an invalid input data or broken/unsupported model (error code: -1).}}}}}

Hi all, I'm working on an app that utilizes the FoundationModels found in iOS 26. I updated my phone to iOS 26 beta 3 and am now receiving the following error when trying to run code that worked in beta 2: Al Error: The operation couldn't be completed. (FoundationModels.LanguageModelSession.Genera- tionError error 2.) I admit I'm a bit of a new developer, but any idea if this is an issue with beta 3 or work that I'll need to do to adapt my code to some changes in the AI API? Thank you!

Dear Apple Developer Team, I am writing to request the addition of GS1 DataBar Stacked (both regular and expanded variants) to the barcode symbologies supported by the Vision framework (VNBarcodeSymbology) and VisionKit's DataScannerViewController. Currently, Vision supports several GS1 DataBar formats, such as: VNBarcodeSymbology.gs1DataBar VNBarcodeSymbology.gs1DataBarExpanded VNBarcodeSymbology.gs1DataBarLimited However, GS1 DataBar Stacked is widely used in industries such as retail, pharmaceuticals, and logistics, where space constraints prevent the use of the standard GS1 DataBar format. Many businesses rely on this symbology to encode GTINs and other product data, but Apple's barcode scanning API does not explicitly support it. Why This Feature Matters: Essential for Small Packaging: GS1 DataBar Stacked is commonly used on small product labels where a standard linear barcode does not fit. Widespread Industry Adoption: Many point-of-sale (POS) systems and inventory management tools require this symbology. Improves iOS Adoption for Enterprise Use: Adding support would make Apple’s Vision framework a more viable solution for businesses that currently rely on third-party barcode scanning SDKs. Feature Request: Please add GS1 DataBar Stacked and GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked to the recognized symbologies in: VNBarcodeSymbology (for Vision framework) DataScannerViewController (for VisionKit) This addition would enhance the versatility of Apple’s barcode scanning tools and reduce the need for third-party libraries. I appreciate your consideration of this request and would be happy to provide more details or test implementations if needed. Thank you for your time and support! Best regards

Hello, I have created this basic swift program: let session = LanguageModelSession( model: .default, instructions: "bla bla bla.") I want to understand what I can put in model parameter (instead of .default). How can I choose between on-device local model (.default I suppose) and apple private cloud model (or any other ?) Thanks

After more than a year since the announcement, I'm still unable to get this feature working properly and wondering if there are known issues or missing implementation details. Current Setup: Device: iPhone 16 Pro Max iOS: 26 beta 3 Development: Tested on both Xcode 16 and Xcode 26 Implementation: Following the official documentation examples The Problem: Semantic search simply doesn't work. Lexical search functions normally, but enabling semantic search produces identical results to having it disabled. It's as if the feature isn't actually processing. Error Output (Xcode 26): [QPNLU][qid=5] Error Domain=com.apple.SpotlightEmbedding.EmbeddingModelError Code=-8007 "Text embedding generation timeout (timeout=100ms)" [CSUserQuery][qid=5] got a nil / empty embedding data dictionary [CSUserQuery][qid=5] semanticQuery failed to generate, using "(false)" In Xcode 16, there are no error messages at all - the semantic search just silently fails. Missing Resources: The sample application mentioned during the WWDC24 presentation doesn't appear to have been released, which makes it difficult to verify if my implementation is correct. Would really appreciate any guidance or clarification on the current status of this feature. Has anyone in the community successfully implemented this?

Hi, I just upgraded my macOS with beta 2. After upgrade, the SwiftTranscriptionSampleApp it's stopped working, in Xcode console I read: "The connection to service named com.apple.modelcatalog.catalog was invalidated: failed at lookup with error 159 - Sandbox restriction." Note: in beta 1 worked fine

I'm experimenting with using the Foundation Models framework to do news summarization in an RSS app but I'm finding that a lot of articles are getting kicked back with a vague message about guardrails. This seems really common with political news but we're talking mainstream stuff, i.e. Politico, etc. If the models are this restrictive, this will be tough to use. Is this intended? FB17904424

Based on the documentation, it appears that MLTensor can be used to perform tensor operations using the ANE (Apple Neural Engine) by wrapping the tensor operations with withMLTensorComputePolicy with a MLComputePolicy initialized with MLComputeUnits.cpuAndNeuralEngine (it can also be initialized with MLComputeUnits.all to let the OS spread the load between the Neural Engine, GPU and CPU). However, when using the Instruments app, it appears that the tensor operations never get executed on the Neural Engine. It would be helpful if someone can guide me on the correct way to ensure that the Nerual Engine is used to perform the tensor operations (not as part of a CoreML model file). based on this example, I've created a simple code to try it: import Foundation import CoreML print("Starting...") let semaphore = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0) Task { await withMLTensorComputePolicy(.init(MLComputeUnits.cpuAndNeuralEngine)) { let v1 = MLTensor([1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0]) let v2 = MLTensor([5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0]) let v3 = v1.matmul(v2) await v3.shapedArray(of: Float.self) // is 70.0 let m1 = MLTensor(shape: [2, 3], scalars: [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ], scalarType: Float.self) let m2 = MLTensor(shape: [3, 2], scalars: [ 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ], scalarType: Float.self) let m3 = m1.matmul(m2) let result = await m3.shapedArray(of: Float.self) // is [[58, 64], [139, 154]] // Supports broadcasting let m4 = MLTensor(randomNormal: [3, 1, 1, 4], scalarType: Float.self) let m5 = MLTensor(randomNormal: [4, 2], scalarType: Float.self) let m6 = m4.matmul(m5) print("Done") return result; } semaphore.signal() } semaphore.wait() Here's what I get on the Instruments app: Notice how the Neural Engine line shows no usage. Ive run this test on an M1 Max MacBook Pro.

Whenever I try to initialize a LanguageModelSession (let session = LanguageModelSession()), my app crashes with EXC_BAD_ACCESS. SystemLanguageModel.default.availability returns available. I tried running the two sample projects I found that use Foundation Models, FoundationModelsTripPlanner and SwiftTranscriptionSampleApp, and they both also crash—immediately on launch. I commented out the Foundation Models logic from the SwiftTranscriptionSampleApp and ran it again, and it no longer crashed. I'm on macOS 26 Beta 4 on an M1 Pro device. I'm based in Austria (EU), if that matters.

I'm playing with the new Vision API for iOS18, specifically with the new CalculateImageAestheticsScoresRequest API. When I try to perform the image observation request I get this error: internalError("Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-1 \"Failed to create espresso context.\" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to create espresso context.}") The code is pretty straightforward: if let image = image { let request = CalculateImageAestheticsScoresRequest() Task { do { let cgImg = image.cgImage! let observations = try await request.perform(on: cgImg) let description = observations.description let score = observations.overallScore print(description) print(score) } catch { print(error) } } } I'm running it on a M2 using the simulator. Is it a bug? What's wrong?

Hi, I just upgraded to macOS Tahoe Beta 2 and now I'm getting this error when I try to initialize my Foundation Models' session: Error Resource (Local Sanitizer Asset) unavailable error. import FoundationModels #Playground { let session = LanguageModelSession() do { let result = try await session.respond(to: "Tell me 3 colors") print(result.content) } catch { print("Error", error) } } I couldn't find any resource guiding me on how to solve this. Any help/workaround? Thank you!

Also submitted as feedback (ID: FB20612561). Tensorflow-metal fails on tensorflow versions above 2.18.1, but works fine on tensorflow 2.18.1 In a new python 3.12 virtual environment: pip install tensorflow pip install tensor flow-metal python -c "import tensorflow as tf" Prints error: Traceback (most recent call last): File "", line 1, in File "/Users//pt/venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/tensorflow/init.py", line 438, in _ll.load_library(_plugin_dir) File "/Users//pt/venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/tensorflow/python/framework/load_library.py", line 151, in load_library py_tf.TF_LoadLibrary(lib) tensorflow.python.framework.errors_impl.NotFoundError: dlopen(/Users//pt/venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/tensorflow-plugins/libmetal_plugin.dylib, 0x0006): Library not loaded: @rpath/_pywrap_tensorflow_internal.so Referenced from: <8B62586B-B082-3113-93AB-FD766A9960AE> /Users//pt/venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/tensorflow-plugins/libmetal_plugin.dylib Reason: tried: '/Users//pt/venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/tensorflow-plugins/../_solib_darwin_arm64/_U@local_Uconfig_Utf_S_S_C_Upywrap_Utensorflow_Uinternal___Uexternal_Slocal_Uconfig_Utf/_pywrap_tensorflow_internal.so' (no such file), '/Users//pt/venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/tensorflow-plugins/../_solib_darwin_arm64/_U@local_Uconfig_Utf_S_S_C_Upywrap_Utensorflow_Uinternal___Uexternal_Slocal_Uconfig_Utf/_pywrap_tensorflow_internal.so' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/lib/_pywrap_tensorflow_internal.so' (no such file), '/System/Volumes/Preboot/Cryptexes/OS/opt/homebrew/lib/_pywrap_tensorflow_internal.so' (no such file)

I found what might be a bug with enabling Apple Intelligence when switching languages. When my iPhone's language is set to Catalan, the Apple Intelligence is disabled because it is not available for that language. Switching to Spanish doesn't activate it, and it still shows the same message of being unavailable, this time saying not available in Spanish (which is not true). However, it is enabled when the phone is rebooted. Once at this point, the bug becomes even weirder. Having the iPhone language set to Spanish and with Apple Intelligence on, I switch the language to Catalan, and the feature remains enabled. After I ask a query in Catalan, it surprisingly understands it and works, but then it gets disabled. Apart from that, as user feedback, I would love to activate Apple Intelligence in an available language other than my device's language. That's how I always used Siri (iPhone in Catalan, Siri in Spanish). Thanks!

I am excited to try Foundation Models during WWDC, but it doesn't work at all for me. When running on my iPad Pro M4 with iPadOS 26 seed 1, I get the following error even when running the simplest query: let prompt = "How are you?" let stream = session.streamResponse(to: prompt) for try await partial in stream { self.answer = partial self.resultString = partial } In the Xcode console, I see the following error: assetsUnavailable(FoundationModels.LanguageModelSession.GenerationError.Context(debugDescription: "Model is unavailable", underlyingErrors: [])) I have verified that Apple Intelligence is enabled on my iPad. Any tips on how can I get it working? I have also submitted this feedback: FB17896752

Hello, is it allowed to use Foundation Model Framework in submission app for WWDC26? The thing is that Apple Intelligence needs to be enabled in the settings. So, does that mean the jury won't be able to fully utilize the app's AI functionality?

Hello, I've been dealing with a puzzling issue for some time now, and I’m hoping someone here might have insights or suggestions. The Problem: We’re observing an occasional crash in our app that seems to originate from the Vision framework. Frequency: It happens randomly, after many successful executions of the same code, hard to tell how long the app was working, but in some cases app could run for like a month without any issues. Devices: The issue doesn't seem device-dependent (we’ve seen it on various iPad models). OS Versions: The crashes started occurring with iOS 18.0.1 and are still present in 18.1 and 18.1.1. What I suspected: The crash logs point to a potential data race within the Vision framework. The relevant section of the code where the crash happens: guard let cgImage = image.cgImage else { throw ... } let request = VNCoreMLRequest(model: visionModel) try VNImageRequestHandler(cgImage: cgImage).perform([request]) // <- the line causing the crash Since the code is rather simple, I'm not sure what else there could be missing here. The images sent here are uniform (fixed size). Model is loaded and working, the crash occurs random after a period of time and the call worked correctly many times. Also, the model variable is not an optional. Here is the crash log: libobjc.A objc_exception_throw CoreFoundation -[NSMutableArray removeObjectsAtIndexes:] Vision -[VNWeakTypeWrapperCollection _enumerateObjectsDroppingWeakZeroedObjects:usingBlock:] Vision -[VNWeakTypeWrapperCollection addObject:droppingWeakZeroedObjects:] Vision -[VNSession initWithCachingBehavior:] Vision -[VNCoreMLTransformer initWithOptions:model:error:] Vision -[VNCoreMLRequest internalPerformRevision:inContext:error:] Vision -[VNRequest performInContext:error:] Vision -[VNRequestPerformer _performOrderedRequests:inContext:error:] Vision -[VNRequestPerformer _performRequests:onBehalfOfRequest:inContext:error:] Vision -[VNImageRequestHandler performRequests:gatheredForensics:error:] OurApp ModelWrapper.perform And I'm a bit lost at this point, I've tried everything I could image so far. I've tried to putting a symbolic breakpoint in the removeObjectsAtIndexes to check if some library (e.g. crash reporter) we use didn't do some implementation swap. There was none, and if anything did some method swizzling, I'd expect that to show in the stack trace before the original code would be called. I did peek into the previous functions and I've noticed a lock used in one of the Vision methods, so in my understanding any data race in this code shouldn't be possible at all. I've also put breakpoints in the NSLock variants, to check for swizzling/override with a category and possibly messing the locking - again, nothing was there. There is also another model that is running on a separate queue, but after seeing the line with the locking in the debugger, it doesn't seem to me like this could cause a problem, at least not in this specific spot. Is there something I'm missing here, or something I'm doing wrong? Thanks in advance for your help!

iOS 18 App Intents while supporting iOS 17 Hello, I have an existing app that supports iOS 17. I already have three App Intents but would like to add some of the new iOS 18 app intents like ShowInAppSearchResultsIntent. However, I am having a hard time using #available or @available to limit this ShowInAppSearchResultsIntent to iOS 18 only while still supporting iOS 17. Obviously, the ShowInAppSearchResultsIntent needs to use @AssistantIntent which is iOS 18 only, so I mark that struct as @available(iOS 18, *). That works as expected. It is when I need to add this "SearchSnippetIntent" intent to the AppShortcutsProvider, that I begin to have trouble doing. See code below: struct SnippetsShortcutsAppShortcutsProvider: AppShortcutsProvider { @AppShortcutsBuilder static var appShortcuts: [AppShortcut] { //iOS 17+ AppShortcut(intent: SnippetsNewSnippetShortcutsAppIntent(), phrases: [ "Create a New Snippet in \(.applicationName) Studio", ], shortTitle: "New Snippet", systemImageName: "rectangle.fill.on.rectangle.angled.fill") AppShortcut(intent: SnippetsNewLanguageShortcutsAppIntent(), phrases: [ "Create a New Language in \(.applicationName) Studio", ], shortTitle: "New Language", systemImageName: "curlybraces") AppShortcut(intent: SnippetsNewTagShortcutsAppIntent(), phrases: [ "Create a New Tag in \(.applicationName) Studio", ], shortTitle: "New Tag", systemImageName: "tag.fill") //iOS 18 Only AppShortcut(intent: SearchSnippetIntent(), phrases: [ "Search \(.applicationName) Studio", "Search \(.applicationName)" ], shortTitle: "Search", systemImageName: "magnifyingglass") } let shortcutTileColor: ShortcutTileColor = .blue } The iOS 18 Only AppShortcut shows the following error but none of the options seem to work. Maybe I am going about it the wrong way. 'SearchSnippetIntent' is only available in iOS 18 or newer Add 'if #available' version check Add @available attribute to enclosing static property Add @available attribute to enclosing struct Thanks in advance for your help.